1 Woe to you who destroy, but you weren’t destroyed,
and who betray, but nobody betrayed you!
When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betrayal, you will be betrayed.
2 Yahweh, be gracious to us. We have waited for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled.
When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.
4 Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers.
Men will leap on it as locusts leap.
5 Yahweh is exalted, for he dwells on high.
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.
7 Behold, their valiant ones cry outside;
the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate.
The traveling man ceases.
The covenant is broken.
He has despised the cities.
He doesn’t respect man.
9 The land mourns and languishes.
Lebanon is confounded and withers away.
Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
10 "Now I will arise," says Yahweh.
"Now I will lift myself up.
Now I will be exalted.
11 You will conceive chaff.
You will give birth to stubble.
Your breath is a fire that will devour you.
12 The peoples will be like the burning of lime,
like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.
13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
and, you who are near, acknowledge my might."
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid.
Trembling has seized the godless ones.
Who among us can live with the devouring fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting burning?
15 He who walks righteously
and speaks blamelessly,
he who despises the gain of oppressions,
who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—
16 he will dwell on high.
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks.
His bread will be supplied.
His waters will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.
They will see a distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on the terror.
Where is he who counted?
Where is he who weighed?
Where is he who counted the towers?
19 You will no longer see the fierce people,
a people of a deep speech that you can’t comprehend,
with a strange language that you can’t understand.
20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation,
a tent that won’t be removed.
Its stakes will never be plucked up,
nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty,
a place of wide rivers and streams,
in which no galley with oars will go,
neither will any gallant ship pass by there.
22 For Yahweh is our judge.
Yahweh is our lawgiver.
Yahweh is our king.
He will save us.
23 Your rigging is untied.
They couldn’t strengthen the foot of their mast.
They couldn’t spread the sail.
Then the prey of a great plunder was divided.
The lame took the prey.
24 The inhabitant won’t say, "I am sick."
The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.
1 Wee jou, verwoester, wat self nie verwoes is nie, en troubreker teen wie nie troueloos gehandel is nie! As jy klaar is met verwoes, sal jy verwoes word; en as jy klaar is met troubreuk, sal hulle troueloos teen jou handel.
2 HERE, wees ons genadig, op U wag ons; wees hulle arm elke môre , ja, ons verlossing in die tyd van benoudheid!
3 Vir die dawergeluid vlug die volke; vanweë u verheffing word die nasies verstrooi.
4 Dan word julle buit weggeskraap soos sprinkane wegskraap; soos sprinkane hardloop, hardloop hulle daarop los.
5 Die HERE is verhewe, want Hy woon in die hoogte; Hy het Sion vervul met reg en geregtigheid.
6 En daar sal bestendigheid van jou tye wees, 'n rykdom van volle verlossing, van wysheid en kennis; die vrees van die HERE sal sy skat wees.
7 Kyk, die helde skreeu daarbuite, die boodskappers van vrede ween bitterlik.
8 Die grootpaaie is verlate; die wat padlangs trek, bly weg. Hy het die verbond verbreek, die stede gering geag, mense nie gereken nie.
9 Die land treur, dit verwelk; die L¡banon staan beskaamd, dit verkwyn; Saron het geword soos 'n woestynvlakte, Basan en Karmel staan sonder blare.
10 Nou sal Ek opstaan, sê die HERE; nou sal Ek My verhef, nou sal Ek My oprig.
11 Julle gaan swanger van strooi, julle sal stoppels baar; julle geblaas is 'n vuur wat julle sal verteer.
12 Dan word die volke 'n kalkbrandery, afgekapte doringbosse wat met vuur verbrand word.
13 Hoor, julle wat ver is, wat Ek gedoen het; en julle wat naby is, erken my mag!
14 Die sondaars in Sion bewe, siddering het die roekelose aangegryp. Hulle sê: Wie van ons kan woon by 'n verterende vuur, wie van ons kan woon by 'n ewige gloed?
15 Hy wat in geregtigheid wandel en spreek wat reg is, wat gewin deur afpersinge versmaad, wat sy hande uitskud om geen omkoopgeskenk aan te gryp nie, wat sy oor toestop om van geen bloedskuld te hoor nie, en sy oë sluit om wat sleg is, nie te sien nie --
16 hy sal op hoogtes woon, rotsvestings is sy burg; sy brood word hom gegee, sy water is gewis.
17 Jou oë sal die Koning in sy skoonheid aanskou, dit sal 'n wyd uitgestrekte land sien.
18 Jou hart sal die deurgestane verskrikking oordink en sê: Waar is hy wat getel het? Waar is hy wat geweeg het? Waar is hy wat die torings opgeskryf het?
19 Jy sal die onbeskaamde volk nie meer sien nie, die volk met duister, onverstaanbare spraak, met onbegryplike hakkeltong.
20 Aanskou Sion, die stad van ons feestelike samekoms! Jou oë sal Jerusalem sien as veilige woonplek, as tent wat nie wegtrek nie, waarvan die penne nooit meer uitgeruk word nie en geeneen van sy toue ooit losgeskeur word nie.
21 Maar daar sal die HERE vir ons heerlik wees; dit sal 'n plek van riviere wees, van breë strome; geen vloot van roeiskepe sal daarop vaar nie, en geen trotse skip sal daaroor gaan nie.
22 Want die HERE is ons Regter, die HERE is ons Aanvoerder, die HERE is ons Koning: Hy sal ons verlos.
23 Jou toue hang slap, hulle hou die voetstuk van hulle mas nie styf nie, hulle ontplooi nie die banier nie; dan word roofbuit verdeel in menigte, selfs die lammes maak buit.
24 En geen inwoner sal sê: Ek is siek nie; aan die mense wat daarin woon, is die skuld vergewe.