TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 32

1Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, And ministers shall govern with justice;

אהֵן לְצֶדֶק יִמְלָךְ־מֶלֶךְ וּלְשָׂרִים לְמִשְׁפָּט יָשֹׂרוּ׃

2Every one of them shall be Like a refuge from gales, A shelter from rainstorms; Like brooks of water in a desert, Like the shade of a massive rock In a languishing land.

בוְהָיָה־אִישׁ כְּמַחֲבֵא־רוּחַ וְסֵתֶר זָרֶם כְּפַלְגֵי־מַיִם בְּצָיוֹן כְּצֵל סֶלַע־כָּבֵד בְּאֶרֶץ עֲיֵפָה׃

3Then the eyes of those who have sight shall not be sealed, And the ears of those who have hearing shall listen;

גוְלֹא תִשְׁעֶינָה עֵינֵי רֹאִים וְאָזְנֵי שֹׁמְעִים תִּקְשַׁבְנָה׃

4And the minds of the thoughtless shall attend and note, And the tongues of mumblers shall speak with fluent eloquence.

דוּלְבַב נִמְהָרִים יָבִין לָדָעַת וּלְשׁוֹן עִלְּגִים תְּמַהֵר לְדַבֵּר צָחוֹת׃

5No more shall a villain be called noble, Nor shall “gentleman” be said of a knave.

הלֹא־יִקָּרֵא עוֹד לְנָבָל נָדִיב וּלְכִילַי לֹא יֵאָמֵר שׁוֹעַ׃

6For the villain speaks villainy And plots treachery; To act impiously And to preach disloyalty against Hashem; To leave the hungry unsatisfied And deprive the thirsty of drink.

וכִּי נָבָל נְבָלָה יְדַבֵּר וְלִבּוֹ יַעֲשֶׂה־אָוֶן לַעֲשׂוֹת חֹנֶף וּלְדַבֵּר אֶל־יְהֹוָה תּוֹעָה לְהָרִיק נֶפֶשׁ רָעֵב וּמַשְׁקֶה צָמֵא יַחְסִיר׃

7As for the knave, his tools are knavish. He forges plots To destroy the poor with falsehoods And the needy when they plead their cause.

זוְכֵלַי כֵּלָיו רָעִים הוּא זִמּוֹת יָעָץ לְחַבֵּל ענוים [עֲנִיִּים] בְּאִמְרֵי־שֶׁקֶר וּבְדַבֵּר אֶבְיוֹן מִשְׁפָּט׃

8But the noble has noble intentions And is constant in noble acts.

חוְנָדִיב נְדִיבוֹת יָעָץ וְהוּא עַל־נְדִיבוֹת יָקוּם׃

9You carefree women, Attend, hear my words! You confident ladies, Give ear to my speech!

טנָשִׁים שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת קֹמְנָה שְׁמַעְנָה קוֹלִי בָּנוֹת בֹּטחוֹת הַאְזֵנָּה אִמְרָתִי׃

10In little more than a year, You shall be troubled, O confident ones, When the vintage is over And no ingathering takes place.

ייָמִים עַל־שָׁנָה תִּרְגַּזְנָה בֹּטְחוֹת כִּי כָּלָה בָצִיר אֹסֶף בְּלִי יָבוֹא׃

11Tremble, you carefree ones! Quake, O confident ones! Strip yourselves naked, Put the cloth about your loins!

יאחִרְדוּ שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת רְגָזָה בֹּטְחוֹת פְּשֹׁטָה וְעֹרָה וַחֲגוֹרָה עַל־חֲלָצָיִם׃

12Lament upon the breasts, For the pleasant fields, For the spreading grapevines,

יבעַל־שָׁדַיִם סֹפְדִים עַל־שְׂדֵי־חֶמֶד עַל־גֶּפֶן פֹּרִיָּה׃

13For my people's soil— It shall be overgrown with briers and thistles— Aye, and for all the houses of delight, For the city of mirth.

יגעַל אַדְמַת עַמִּי קוֹץ שָׁמִיר תַּעֲלֶה כִּי עַל־כָּל־בָּתֵּי מָשׂוֹשׂ קִרְיָה עַלִּיזָה׃

14For the castle shall be abandoned, The noisy city forsaken; Citadel and tower shall become Bare places forever, A stamping ground for wild asses, A pasture for flocks—

ידכִּי־אַרְמוֹן נֻטָּשׁ הֲמוֹן עִיר עֻזָּב עֹפֶל וָבַחַן הָיָה בְעַד מְעָרוֹת עַד־עוֹלָם מְשׂוֹשׂ פְּרָאִים מִרְעֵה עֲדָרִים׃

15Till a spirit from on high is poured out on us, And wilderness is transformed into farm land, While farm land rates as mere brush.

טועַד־יֵעָרֶה עָלֵינוּ רוּחַ מִמָּרוֹם וְהָיָה מִדְבָּר לַכַּרְמֶל וכרמל [וְהַכַּרְמֶל] לַיַּעַר יֵחָשֵׁב׃

16Then justice shall abide in the wilderness And righteousness shall dwell on the farm land.

טזוְשָׁכַן בַּמִּדְבָּר מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בַּכַּרְמֶל תֵּשֵׁב׃

17For the work of righteousness shall be peace, And the effect of righteousness, calm and confidence forever.

יזוְהָיָה מַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה שָׁלוֹם וַעֲבֹדַת הַצְּדָקָה הַשְׁקֵט וָבֶטַח עַד־עוֹלָם׃

18Then my people shall dwell in peaceful homes, In secure dwellings, In untroubled places of rest.

v'-ya-SHAV a-MEE bin-VAY sha-LOM uv-mish-k'-NOT miv-ta-KHEEM u-vim-nu-KHOT sha-a-na-NOT

יחוְיָשַׁב עַמִּי בִּנְוֵה שָׁלוֹם וּבְמִשְׁכְּנוֹת מִבְטַחִים וּבִמְנוּחֹת שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת׃

 32:18   Then my people shall dwell in peaceful homes

Rambam (1135-1204)

The ultimate hope that Yeshayahu holds for his people is that they can dwell calmly in the Land of Israel. His supplications are the prayers of all the prophets. For example, Hoshea writes, “In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field; the birds of the air and the creeping things of the ground; I will also banish bow, sword and war from the land. Thus I will let them lie down in safety” (2:20). Rambam similarly concludes the Mishneh Torah, his monumental work summarizing Jewish law, with the declaration that the reason the Jewish people want the Mashiach to come is not because they want to rule over other nations, but rather out of desire to dwell in quiet and peace in their land so they can pursue righteousness. This remains the hope and dream of the Jewish people today: that the Mashiach will come quickly and bring peace to the entire world.

19And the brush shall sink and vanish, Even as the city is laid low.

יטוּבָרַד בְּרֶדֶת הַיָּעַר וּבַשִּׁפְלָה תִּשְׁפַּל הָעִיר׃

20Happy shall you be who sow by all waters, Who send out cattle and asses to pasture.

כאַשְׁרֵיכֶם זֹרְעֵי עַל־כָּל־מָיִם מְשַׁלְּחֵי רֶגֶל־הַשּׁוֹר וְהַחֲמוֹר׃