TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 33

1Ha, you ravager who are not ravaged, You betrayer who have not been betrayed! When you have done ravaging, you shall be ravaged; When you have finished betraying, you shall be betrayed.

אהוֹי שׁוֹדֵד וְאַתָּה לֹא שָׁדוּד וּבוֹגֵד וְלֹא־בָגְדוּ בוֹ כַּהֲתִמְךָ שׁוֹדֵד תּוּשַּׁד כַּנְּלֹתְךָ לִבְגֹּד יִבְגְּדוּ־בָךְ׃

2Hashem, be gracious to us! It is to You we have looked; Be their arm every morning, Also our deliverance in time of stress.

ביְהֹוָה חָנֵּנוּ לְךָ קִוִּינוּ הֱיֵה זְרֹעָם לַבְּקָרִים אַף־יְשׁוּעָתֵנוּ בְּעֵת צָרָה׃

3At [Your] roaring, peoples have fled, Before Your majesty nations have scattered;

גמִקּוֹל הָמוֹן נָדְדוּ עַמִּים מֵרוֹמְמֻתֶךָ נָפְצוּ גּוֹיִם׃

4And spoil was gathered as locusts are gathered, It was amassed as grasshoppers are amassed.

דוְאֻסַּף שְׁלַלְכֶם אֹסֶף הֶחָסִיל כְּמַשַּׁק גֵּבִים שׁוֹקֵק בּוֹ׃

5Hashem is exalted, He dwells on high! [Of old] He filled Tzion With justice and righteousness.

nis-GAV a-do-NAI KEE sho-KHAYN ma-ROM mi-LAY tzi-YON mish-PAT utz-da-KAH

הנִשְׂגָּב יְהֹוָה כִּי שֹׁכֵן מָרוֹם מִלֵּא צִיּוֹן מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה׃

 33:5   He filled Tzion with justice and righteousness

The last word of this verse is tzedaka (צדקה). In Hebrew, this word is used to mean both ‘charity’ and ‘justice.’ While in English these concepts are very different, the Hebrew word teaches that the act of giving to those who are less fortunate is not to be seen primarily as benevolence or kindness. Rather, it is an act of justice and righteousness, which fulfills a duty expected of everyone, both rich and poor.

6Faithfulness to Your charge was [her] wealth, Wisdom and devotion [her] triumph, Reverence for Hashem—that was her treasure.

ווְהָיָה אֱמוּנַת עִתֶּיךָ חֹסֶן יְשׁוּעֹת חָכְמַת וָדָעַת יִרְאַת יְהֹוָה הִיא אוֹצָרוֹ׃

7Hark! The Arielites cry aloud; Shalom's messengers weep bitterly.

זהֵן אֶרְאֶלָּם צָעֲקוּ חֻצָה מַלְאֲכֵי שָׁלוֹם מַר יִבְכָּיוּן׃

8Highways are desolate, Wayfarers have ceased. A covenant has been renounced, Cities rejected Mortal man despised.

חנָשַׁמּוּ מְסִלּוֹת שָׁבַת עֹבֵר אֹרַח הֵפֵר בְּרִית מָאַס עָרִים לֹא חָשַׁב אֱנוֹשׁ׃

9The land is wilted and withered; Lebanon disgraced and moldering, Sharon is become like a desert, And Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.

טאָבַל אֻמְלְלָה אָרֶץ הֶחְפִּיר לְבָנוֹן קָמַל הָיָה הַשָּׁרוֹן כָּעֲרָבָה וְנֹעֵר בָּשָׁן וְכַרְמֶל׃

10“Now I will arise,” says Hashem, “Now I will exalt Myself, now raise Myself high.

יעַתָּה אָקוּם יֹאמַר יְהֹוָה עַתָּה אֵרוֹמָם עַתָּה אֶנָּשֵׂא׃

11You shall conceive hay, Give birth to straw; My breath will devour you like fire.

יאתַּהֲרוּ חֲשַׁשׁ תֵּלְדוּ קַשׁ רוּחֲכֶם אֵשׁ תֹּאכַלְכֶם׃

12Peoples shall be burnings of lime, Thorns cut down that are set on fire.

יבוְהָיוּ עַמִּים מִשְׂרְפוֹת שִׂיד קוֹצִים כְּסוּחִים בָּאֵשׁ יִצַּתּוּ׃

13Hear, you who are far, what I have done; You who are near, note My might.”

יגשִׁמְעוּ רְחוֹקִים אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי וּדְעוּ קְרוֹבִים גְּבֻרָתִי׃

14Sinners in Tzion are frightened, The godless are seized with trembling: “Who of us can dwell with the devouring fire: Who of us can dwell with the never-dying blaze?”

ידפָּחֲדוּ בְצִיּוֹן חַטָּאִים אָחֲזָה רְעָדָה חֲנֵפִים מִי יָגוּר לָנוּ אֵשׁ אוֹכֵלָה מִי־יָגוּר לָנוּ מוֹקְדֵי עוֹלָם׃

15He who walks in righteousness, Speaks uprightly, Spurns profit from fraudulent dealings, Waves away a bribe instead of grasping it, Stops his ears against listening to infamy, Shuts his eyes against looking at evil—

טוהֹלֵךְ צְדָקוֹת וְדֹבֵר מֵישָׁרִים מֹאֵס בְּבֶצַע מַעֲשַׁקּוֹת נֹעֵר כַּפָּיו מִתְּמֹךְ בַּשֹּׁחַד אֹטֵם אָזְנוֹ מִשְּׁמֹעַ דָּמִים וְעֹצֵם עֵינָיו מֵרְאוֹת בְּרָע׃

16Such a one shall dwell in lofty security, With inaccessible cliffs for his stronghold, With his food supplied And his drink assured.

טזהוּא מְרוֹמִים יִשְׁכֹּן מְצָדוֹת סְלָעִים מִשְׂגַּבּוֹ לַחְמוֹ נִתָּן מֵימָיו נֶאֱמָנִים׃

17When your eyes behold a king in his beauty, When they contemplate the land round about,

יזמֶלֶךְ בְּיָפְיוֹ תֶּחֱזֶינָה עֵינֶיךָ תִּרְאֶינָה אֶרֶץ מַרְחַקִּים׃

18Your throat shall murmur in awe, “Where is one who could count? Where is one who could weigh? Where is one who could count [all these] towers?”

יחלִבְּךָ יֶהְגֶּה אֵימָה אַיֵּה סֹפֵר אַיֵּה שֹׁקֵל אַיֵּה סֹפֵר אֶת־הַמִּגְדָּלִים׃

19No more shall you see the barbarian folk, The people of speech too obscure to comprehend, So stammering of tongue that they are not understood.

יטאֶת־עַם נוֹעָז לֹא תִרְאֶה עַם עִמְקֵי שָׂפָה מִשְּׁמוֹעַ נִלְעַג לָשׁוֹן אֵין בִּינָה׃

20When you gaze upon Tzion, our city of assembly, Your eyes shall behold Yerushalayim As a secure homestead, A tent not to be transported, Whose pegs shall never be pulled up, And none of whose ropes shall break.

כחֲזֵה צִיּוֹן קִרְיַת מוֹעֲדֵנוּ עֵינֶיךָ תִרְאֶינָה יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם נָוֶה שַׁאֲנָן אֹהֶל בַּל־יִצְעָן בַּל־יִסַּע יְתֵדֹתָיו לָנֶצַח וְכָל־חֲבָלָיו בַּל־יִנָּתֵקוּ׃

21For there Hashem in His greatness shall be for us Like a region of rivers, of broad streams, Where no floating vessels can sail And no mighty craft can travel— Their ropes are slack, They cannot steady the sockets of their masts, They cannot spread a sail.*

כאכִּי אִם־שָׁם אַדִּיר יְהֹוָה לָנוּ מְקוֹם־נְהָרִים יְאֹרִים רַחֲבֵי יָדָיִם בַּל־תֵּלֶךְ בּוֹ אֳנִי־שַׁיִט וְצִי אַדִּיר לֹא יַעַבְרֶנּוּ׃

22For Hashem shall be our ruler, Hashem shall be our prince, Hashem shall be our king: He shall deliver us.

כבכִּי יְהֹוָה שֹׁפְטֵנוּ יְהֹוָה מְחֹקְקֵנוּ יְהֹוָה מַלְכֵּנוּ הוּא יוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ׃

23Then shall indeed much spoil be divided, Even the lame shall seize booty.

כגנִטְּשׁוּ חֲבָלָיִךְ בַּל־יְחַזְּקוּ כֵן־תָּרְנָם בַּל־פָּרְשׂוּ נֵס אָז חֻלַּק עַד־שָׁלָל מַרְבֶּה פִּסְחִים בָּזְזוּ בַז׃

24And none who lives there shall say, “I am sick”; It shall be inhabited by folk whose sin has been forgiven.

כדוּבַל־יֹאמַר שָׁכֵן חָלִיתִי הָעָם הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּהּ נְשֻׂא עָוׂן׃