¶ Behold, a king¹ shall reign in righteousness, and princes² shall rule in judgment.

And a man³ shall be as an hiding⁴ place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers⁵ of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great⁶ rock in a weary land.

⁷And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

The heart⁸ also of the rash⁹ shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly¹⁰.

The vile¹¹ person shall be no more called liberal, nor¹² the churl said to be bountiful.

For the vile¹³ person will speak villany, and his heart¹⁴ will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty¹⁵ the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

The instruments¹⁶ also of the churl are evil: he deviseth¹⁷ wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying¹⁸ words, even when the needy speaketh right¹⁹.

But the liberal²⁰ deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand²¹.

¶ Rise up, ye women²² that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear²³ unto my speech.

¶ Many days and years²⁴ shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for²⁵ the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.

Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled²⁶, ye careless ones: strip²⁷ you, and make you bare, and gird²⁸ sackcloth upon your loins.

They shall lament²⁹ for the teats, for the pleasant fields³⁰, for the fruitful vine.

Upon the land of my people shall come³¹ up thorns and briers; yea, upon³² all the houses of joy in the³³ joyous city:

Because the palaces³⁴ shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers³⁵ shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

Until the spirit³⁶ be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness³⁷ be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

³⁸Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

And the work³⁹ of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness⁴⁰ and assurance for ever.

⁴¹And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

When it shall⁴² hail, coming down on the⁴³ forest; and the city shall be low⁴⁴ in a low place.

¶ Blessed⁴⁵ are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox⁴⁶ and the ass.