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The Glorious Future

¹ Behold, a ^(F1)(C1)King will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.

² Each one of them will be like a ^(C1)hiding place from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like ^(C2)streams of water in a dry land,
Like the ^(C1)shade of a huge rock in a parched and weary land to those who turn to them.

³ Then ^(C1)the eyes of those who see will not be blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen attentively.

⁴ The heart (mind) of those who act ^(C1)impulsively will discern the truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hurry to speak clearly.

⁵ The ^(C1)fool (the good-for-nothing) will no longer be called noble,
Nor the rogue said to be generous.

⁶ For the fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart (mind) ^(C1)plans wickedness:
To practice ^(C2)ungodliness and to speak error concerning the LORD,
^(C3)To keep the craving of the hungry unsatisfied
And to deprive the thirsty of drink.

⁷ As for the rogue, his weapons are evil;
He ^(C1)conceives wicked plans
To ^(C2)ruin the poor with lies,
^(C3)Even when the plea of the needy one is just and right.

⁸ But ^(C1)the noble man conceives noble and magnificent things;
And he stands by what is noble and magnificent.

⁹ Rise up, you ^(C1)women who are carefree,
^(C2)And hear my voice,
You confident and unsuspecting daughters!
Listen to what I am saying.

¹⁰ In little more than a year
You will tremble with anxiety, you unsuspecting and complacent women;
^(C1)For the vintage has ended,
And the harvest will not come.

¹¹ Tremble, you women who are carefree;
^(C1)Tremble with fear, you complacent ones!
^(C2)Strip, undress and wear sackcloth on your waist in grief,

^12 (C1)Beat your breasts in mourning for the beautiful fields, for the fruitful vine,

^13 (C1)For the land of my people growing over with thorns and briars—
Yes, mourn for all the houses of joy in the ^(C2)joyous city.

¹⁴ For ^(C1)the palace has been abandoned, the populated ^(C2)city deserted;
The hill of the city and the watchtower have become ^(C3)caves for wild animals forever,
A delight for ^(C4)wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

¹⁵ Until the ^(C1)Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a ^(C2)fertile field,
And the fertile field is valued as a forest. ^(VR1)

¹⁶ Then ^(C1)justice will dwell in the wilderness,
And righteousness will live in the fertile field.

¹⁷ And the ^(C1)effect of righteousness will be peace,
And the result of righteousness will be ^(C2)quietness and confident trust forever.

¹⁸ Then my people will live in a ^(C1)peaceful surrounding,
And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed ^(C2)resting places.

¹⁹ But it will ^(C1)hail, when the ^(C2)forest comes down,
And ^(C3)the capital city will fall in utter humiliation.

^20 (C1)Blessed (happy, fortunate) are you who cast your seed upon all waters ^(F1)when the river overflows its banks and irrigates the land,
You who allow the ox and the donkey to roam freely.