An Ideal Vision for the Future
1Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness,
And ministers shall govern with justice;
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.
3Then the eyes of those who have sight shall not be sealed,
And the ears of those who have hearing shall listen;
4And the minds of the thoughtless shall attend and note,
And the tongues of mumblers shall speak with fluent eloquence.
5No more shall a villain be called noble,
Nor shall “gentleman” be said of a knave.
6For the villain speaks villainy
And plots treachery;
To act impiously
And to preach disloyalty against the Lord;
To leave the hungry unsatisfied
And deprive the thirsty of drink.
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.
8But the noble has noble intentions
And is constant in noble acts.
We’re sorry. The Posen Library’s licensing agreements prevent this text from being printed or downloaded.
Credits
Reprinted from Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 1.
You may also like
Do Not Rely on Egypt, Rely on God
Isaiah 31:1–3, 6–9
Ha!
Those who go down to Egypt for help
And rely upon horses!
They have put their trust in abundance of chariots,
In vast numbers of riders,
And they have not turned to the Holy One of Israel,
They…
Comfort for the Exiles in Babylon
Isaiah 40:1–31
Comfort, oh comfort My people,
Says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
And declare to her
That her term of service is over,
That her iniquity is expiated;
For she has received at the hand of…
Idol Manufacturing
Idol manufacturing, Thebes, Egypt, 15th century BCE. This is a modern artist’s rendering of a mural from the tomb of the vizier Rekh-me-re. It shows craftsmen making idols, much like the idol…
Israel, God’s Servant
Isaiah 41, 43–44 (selections)
But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
Seed of Abraham My friend—
You whom I drew from the ends of the earth
And called from its far corners,
To whom I said: You are My…
Idol-quickening Instructions
Idol-quickening instructions, Babylonia, 6th century BCE. The “mouth-washing” ritual was a ceremony for transforming a newly manufactured idol into a living deity. The instructions include these…
God Speaks to Cyrus
Isaiah 45:1, 5–7
Thus said the Lord to Cyrus, His anointed one—
Whose right hand He has grasped,
Treading down nations before him, [ . . . ].
I am the Lord and there is none else;
Beside Me, there is no god.I engird…
Whose right hand He has grasped,
Treading down nations before him, [ . . . ].
I am the Lord and there is none else;
Beside Me, there is no god.I engird…
You may also like
Do Not Rely on Egypt, Rely on God
Isaiah 31:1–3, 6–9
Ha!
Those who go down to Egypt for help
And rely upon horses!
They have put their trust in abundance of chariots,
In vast numbers of riders,
And they have not turned to the Holy One of Israel,
They…
Comfort for the Exiles in Babylon
Isaiah 40:1–31
Comfort, oh comfort My people,
Says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
And declare to her
That her term of service is over,
That her iniquity is expiated;
For she has received at the hand of…
Idol Manufacturing
Idol manufacturing, Thebes, Egypt, 15th century BCE. This is a modern artist’s rendering of a mural from the tomb of the vizier Rekh-me-re. It shows craftsmen making idols, much like the idol…
Israel, God’s Servant
Isaiah 41, 43–44 (selections)
But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
Seed of Abraham My friend—
You whom I drew from the ends of the earth
And called from its far corners,
To whom I said: You are My…
Idol-quickening Instructions
Idol-quickening instructions, Babylonia, 6th century BCE. The “mouth-washing” ritual was a ceremony for transforming a newly manufactured idol into a living deity. The instructions include these…
God Speaks to Cyrus
Isaiah 45:1, 5–7
Thus said the Lord to Cyrus, His anointed one—
Whose right hand He has grasped,
Treading down nations before him, [ . . . ].
I am the Lord and there is none else;
Beside Me, there is no god.I engird…
Whose right hand He has grasped,
Treading down nations before him, [ . . . ].
I am the Lord and there is none else;
Beside Me, there is no god.I engird…