¹Behold, a king will reign for righteousness, and officials will rule for justice.

²And a man will be like a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the downpour, like channels of water in parched ground, like the shade of a heavy crag in a weary land.

³And the eyes of those who see will not gaze about, and the ears of those who hear will attend.

⁴And the heart of the hasty will discern knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers will hurry to speak clearly.

⁵The fool will not be called again noble, and the scoundrel will not be said to be generous.

⁶For the fool speaks foolishness, and his heart does iniquity, to practise ungodliness and to speak error against Yahweh, to empty out the being of the hungry, and he makes the thirsty lack drink.

⁷As for the scoundrel, his implements are evil; he resolves on schemes to destroy the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speaks justice.

⁸But the noble resolves on noble deeds, and on noble deeds he stands.

⁹Rise, you women at ease; hear my voice; you daughters who trust, give ear to my saying.

¹⁰In a year and some days you will quake, you women who trust; for the grape harvest will fail, the gathering will not come.

¹¹Shudder, you who are at ease; quake, you who trust; strip off and make yourselves bare, and gird yourselves on the loins.

¹²Over the breasts they are wailing, over the fields of delight, over the fruitful vine.

¹³Upon the ground of my people thornbush and thorns will come up, indeed upon all the houses of joy, the jubilant town.

¹⁴For the palace is forsaken, the tumult of the city is abandoned; hill and watchtower have become caves forever, the joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks.

¹⁵until a spirit is poured out on us from the height, and the wilderness becomes the orchard, and the orchard is reckoned a forest.

¹⁶And justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the orchard.

¹⁷And the work of righteousness will be wholeness, and the labor of righteousness quietness and security forever.

¹⁸And my people will dwell in a habitation of wholeness, and in dwelling places of security, and in resting places at ease.

¹⁹And it will hail when the forest comes down, and in the low place the city will be brought low.

²⁰Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who let loose the foot of the ox and the donkey.