Isaiah 33:1-14

1How horrible it will be for you, you destroyer, although you haven’t been destroyed. How horrible it will be for you, you traitor, although you haven’t been betrayed. When you’ve finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you’ve finished being a traitor, you will be betrayed.

2O Lord, have pity on us. We wait with hope for you. Be our strength in the morning. Yes, be our savior in times of trouble.

3People flee from the noise of ⌞your⌟ army. Nations scatter when you attack.

4You nations, your loot is gathered as grasshoppers harvest a crop. Like swarming locusts, people rush for your loot.

5The Lord is honored because he lives on high. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.

6He will be the foundation of your future. The riches of salvation are wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is ⌞your⌟ treasure.

7Heroes cry in the streets. Messengers of peace cry bitterly.

8Highways are deserted. Travelers stop traveling. Agreements are broken. Witnesses  are rejected. People are no longer respected.

9The country grieves and wastes away. Lebanon is ashamed and is decaying. Sharon has become like a wilderness. Bashan and Carmel are shaken.

10The Lord says, “Now I will arise. Now I will get up. Now I will be lifted up.”

11You will be pregnant with hay. You will give birth to straw. Your breath will be a fire which will burn you up.

12People will be cremated. They will be set on fire like dry thornbushes.

13Hear what I have done, you people who are far away! Acknowledge my might, you people who are near!

14The sinners in Zion are terrified. Trembling seizes the ungodly. Can any of us live through a fire that destroys? Can any of us live through a fire that burns forever?