American Standard Version ASV
Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice.
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Indeed, a king will reign righteously, and rulers will rule justly.
2 And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land.
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Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the rain, like streams of water in a dry land and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land.
3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
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Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 And the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.
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The reckless mind will gain knowledge, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently.
5 The fool shall be no more called noble, nor the churl said to be bountiful.
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A fool will no longer be called a noble, nor a scoundrel said to be important.
6 For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise profaneness, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
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For a fool speaks foolishness and his mind plots iniquity. He lives in a godless way and speaks falsely about the Lord. He leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.
7 And the instruments of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the meek with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.
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The scoundrel's weapons are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies, and by charging the poor during a judgment.
8 But the noble deviseth noble things; and in noble things shall he continue.
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But a noble person plans noble things; he stands up for noble causes.
9 Rise up, ye women that are at ease, [and] hear my voice; ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech.
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Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Pay attention to what I say, you overconfident daughters.
10 For days beyond a year shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come.
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In a little more than a year you overconfident ones will shudder, for the vintage will fail and the harvest will not come.
11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon your loins.
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Shudder, you complacent ones; tremble, you overconfident ones! Strip yourselves bare and put [sackcloth] about your waists.
12 They shall smite upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
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Beat your breasts [in mourning] for the delightful fields and the fruitful vines,
13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.
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for the ground of my people growing thorns and briers, indeed, for every joyous house in the joyful city.
14 For the palace shall be forsaken; the populous city shall be deserted; the hill and the watch-tower shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;
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For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become barren places forever, the joy of wild donkeys, and a pasture for flocks,
15 until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest.
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until the Spirit from heaven is poured out on us. Then the desert will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.
16 Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field.
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Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the orchard.
17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence for ever.
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The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.
18 And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.
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Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, and in safe and restful dwellings.
19 But it shall hail in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low.
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But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink into the depths.
20 Blessed are yet that sow beside all waters, that send forth the feet of the ox and the ass.
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Happy are you who sow seed beside abundant waters, who let ox and donkey range freely.
The American Standard Version is in the public domain.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.