¹ See, a king will reign justly
    and princes will rule rightly.^(A)
2 Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind,
    a refuge from the rain.
They will be like streams of water in a dry country,
    like the shade of a great rock in a parched land.^(B)
3 The eyes of those who see will not be closed;
    the ears of those who hear will be attentive.^(C)
4 The hasty of heart shall take thought to know,
    and tongues of stutterers shall speak readily and clearly.
⁵ No more will the fool be called noble,
    nor the deceiver be considered honorable.^(D)
6 For the fool speaks folly,
    his heart plans evil:
Godless actions,
    perverse speech against the Lord,
Letting the hungry go empty
    and the thirsty without drink.^(E)
7 The deceits of the deceiver are evil,
    he plans devious schemes:
To ruin the poor with lies,
    and the needy when they plead their case.^(F)
8 But the noble plan noble deeds,
    and in noble deeds they persist.

⁹ You women so complacent, rise up and hear my voice,
    daughters so confident, give heed to my words.^(G)
10 In a little more than a year
    your confidence will be shaken;
For the vintage will fail,
    no fruit harvest will come in.^(H)
11 Tremble, you who are so complacent!
    Shudder, you who are so confident!
Strip yourselves bare,
    with only a loincloth for cover.^(I)
12 Beat your breasts
    for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vine;^(J)
13 For the soil of my people,
    overgrown with thorns and briers;
For all the joyful houses,
    the exultant city.^(K)
14 The castle^[a] will be forsaken,
    the noisy city deserted;
Citadel and tower will become wasteland forever,
    the joy of wild donkeys, the pasture of flocks;^(L)
15 [b]Until the spirit from on high
    is poured out on us.
And the wilderness becomes a garden land
    and the garden land seems as common as forest.^(M)
16 Then judgment will dwell in the wilderness
    and justice abide in the garden land.
¹⁷ The work of justice will be peace;
    the effect of justice, calm and security forever.^(N)
18 My people will live in peaceful country,
    in secure dwellings and quiet resting places.^(O)
19 And the forest will come down completely,
    the city will be utterly laid low.^[c](P)
20 Happy are you who sow beside every stream,
    and let the ox and the donkey go freely!^(Q)