Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.
Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.
The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty is broken, its witnesses are despised, no one is respected. “Now will I arise,” says the Lord. “Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up. You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw; your breath is a fire that consumes you. You who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my power!
The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil— they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them. Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar. In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror: “Where is that chief officer? Where is the one who took the revenue? Where is the officer in charge of the towers?” You will see those arrogant people no more, people whose speech is obscure, whose language is strange and incomprehensible.
Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us. No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
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Isaiah 33 is a prophecy directed at the people of Jerusalem to give them hope in the face of an Assyrian invasion. The prophet addresses Assyria as destroyer and betrayer. They will fall to the same misbehavior. The Lord will rouse the host of heaven and conquer Assyria's army.
Isaiah offers a beautiful prayer in this chapter. Lord, we long for you. Be our strength and salvation! The Lord will fill Jerusalem with righteousness and justice. God will be the foundation on which the city stands. Full salvation with wisdom will be found in Him. Proper reverence will be the key to receiving all this.
The people of Jerusalem and the whole countryside are terrified, but God will deliver them. Assyria's plan to take Jerusalem will lead to nothing. They have given birth to straw, the Lord says to the Assyrians.
His saving of Jerusalem will terrify the sinners within Jerusalem. Because they see that God is with them, they wonder how they can possibly dwell with the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah answers their mournful question. Those who live right and speak right words, according to the law of Moses and the just character of the Lord, will be able to dwell with Him in Jerusalem.
Similar lists appear in the psalms, New Testament letters, and the book of Revelation. These recount what God's people do and do not do. In Isaiah 32 it's refusing bribes, not extorting funds from others by intimidation or power of position, and turning away from evil schemes and murderous plots. In short right behavior as revealed in scripture is how those in the city of God will live. They will live secure under the protection and providence of God. Jerusalem will become a peaceable place, secure in the Lord, not to be moved and never to be a place of war again. For the Lord dwells among God's holy people which He Himself will redeem. The city dwells secure precisely because of God's presence.
Isaiah 33:22 NIV
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.
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