O Lord, Be Gracious to Us

Isaiah 33

1 Woe to you a who plunder, though you have not been plundered;
And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!
b When you cease plundering,
You will be c plundered;
When you make an end of dealing treacherously,
They will deal treacherously with you.

2 O LORD, be gracious to us;
d We have waited for You.
Be 1 their arm every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of trouble. 3 At the noise of the tumult the people e shall flee;
When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered; 4 And Your plunder shall be gathered
Like the gathering of the caterpillar;
As the running to and fro of locusts,
He shall run upon them.

5 f The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. 6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the LORD is His treasure.

7 Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside,
g The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. 8 h The highways lie waste,
The traveling man ceases.
i He has broken the covenant,
2 He has despised the 3 cities,
He regards no man. 9 j The earth mourns and languishes,
Lebanon is shamed and shriveled;
Sharon is like a wilderness,
And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

10 "Now k I will rise," says the LORD;
"Now I will be exalted,
Now I will lift Myself up. 11 l You shall conceive chaff,
You shall bring forth stubble;
Your breath, as fire, shall devour you. 12 And the people shall be like the burnings of lime;
m Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.

13 Hear, n you who are afar off, what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might." 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring o fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" 15 He who p walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And q shuts his eyes from seeing evil: 16 He will dwell on 4 high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

17 Your eyes will see the King in His r beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off. 18 Your heart will meditate on terror:
s "Where is the scribe?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?" 19 t You will not see a fierce people,
u A people of obscure speech, beyond perception,
Of a 5 stammering tongue that you cannot understand. 20 v Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see w Jerusalem, a quiet home,
A tabernacle that will not be taken down;
x Not one of y its stakes will ever be removed,
Nor will any of its cords be broken. 21 But there the majestic LORD will be for us
A place of broad rivers and streams,
In which no 6 galley with oars will sail,
Nor majestic ships pass by 22 (For the LORD is our z Judge,
The LORD is our a Lawgiver,
b The LORD is our King;
He will save us);

23 Your tackle is loosed,
They could not strengthen their mast,
They could not spread the sail.
Then the prey of great plunder is divided;
The lame take the prey. 24 And the inhabitant will not say, "I am sick";
c The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 21:2
    A distressing vision is declared to me; The treacherous dealer deals treacherously, And the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All its sighing I have made to cease.
    Habakkuk 2:8
    Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men's blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.
  2. Cross References
    Revelation 13:10
    He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:12
    Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.
    Isaiah 14:25
    That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders.
    Isaiah 31:8
    Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of mankind shall devour him. But he shall flee from the sword, And his young men shall become forced labor.
  4. Cross References
    Isaiah 25:9
    And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.
    Isaiah 26:8
    Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 17:13
    The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
  6. Cross References
    Psalms 97:9
    For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
  7. Cross References
    2 Kings 18:18
    And when they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them.
    2 Kings 18:37
    Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
  8. Cross References
    Judges 5:6
    In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways.
  9. Cross References
    2 Kings 18:13 - 17
    And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 24:4
    The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish.
  11. Cross References
    Psalms 12:5
    "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he yearns."
    Isaiah 2:19
    They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
    Isaiah 2:21
    To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
  12. Cross References
    Psalms 7:14
    Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
    Isaiah 26:18
    We have been with child, we have been in pain; We have, as it were, brought forth wind; We have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth, Nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
    Isaiah 59:4
    No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
    James 1:15
    Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:18
    For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke.
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 48:10
    According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.
    Isaiah 49:1
    Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.
  15. Cross References
    Isaiah 30:27
    Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar, Burning with His anger, And His burden is heavy; His lips are full of indignation, And His tongue like a devouring fire.
    Isaiah 30:30
    The LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard, And show the descent of His arm, With the indignation of His anger And the flame of a devouring fire, With scattering, tempest, and hailstones.
    Hebrews 12:29
    For our God is a consuming fire.
  16. Cross References
    Psalms 15:2
    He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart.
    Psalms 24:3
    Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?
    Psalms 24:4
    He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.
    Isaiah 58:6 - 11
    Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
  17. Cross References
    Psalms 119:37
    Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.
  18. Cross References
    Psalms 27:4
    One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.
  19. Cross References
    1 Corinthians 1:20
    Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
  20. Cross References
    2 Kings 19:32
    Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it.
  21. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 28:49
    The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand.
    Deuteronomy 28:50
    A nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young.
    Isaiah 28:11
    For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people.
    Jeremiah 5:15
    Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel," says the LORD. "It is a mighty nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.
  22. Cross References
    Psalms 48:12
    Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers.
  23. Cross References
    Psalms 46:5
    God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
    Psalms 125:1
    Those who trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
    Isaiah 32:18
    My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
  24. Cross References
    Isaiah 37:33
    Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it.
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 54:2
    Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
  26. Cross References
    Acts 10:42
    And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.
  27. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:10
    Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah:
    Isaiah 51:4
    Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples.
    Isaiah 51:7
    Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults.
    James 4:12
    There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
  28. Cross References
    Psalms 89:18
    For our shield belongs to the LORD, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
    Isaiah 25:9
    And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.
    Isaiah 35:4
    Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.
    Zechariah 9:9
    Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
  29. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:2
    "Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD's hand Double for all her sins."
    Jeremiah 50:20
    In those days and in that time," says the LORD, "The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found; For I will pardon those whom I preserve.
    Micah 7:18
    Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.
    Micah 7:19
    He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
    1 John 1:7 - 9
    But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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