| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, And princes will rule with justice. | 1Indeed, a king will reign righteously, and rulers will rule justly. |
| 2A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, And a cover from the tempest, As rivers of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. | 2Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the rain, like streams of water in a dry land and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land. |
| 3The eyes of those who see will not be dim, And the ears of those who hear will listen. | 3Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. |
| 4Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly. | 4The reckless mind will gain knowledge, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently. |
| 5The foolish person will no longer be called generous, Nor the miser said to be bountiful; | 5A fool will no longer be called a noble, nor a scoundrel said to be important. |
| 6For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the LORD, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. | 6For a fool speaks foolishness and his mind plots iniquity. He lives in a godless way and speaks falsely about the LORD. He leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink. |
| 7Also the schemes of the schemer are evil; He devises wicked plans To destroy the poor with lying words, Even when the needy speaks justice. | 7The scoundrel's weapons are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies, even when the poor says what is right. |
| 8But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand. | 8But a noble person plans noble things; he stands up for noble causes. |
| 9Rise up, you women who are at ease, Hear my voice; You complacent daughters, Give ear to my speech. | 9Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Pay attention to what I say, you overconfident daughters. |
| 10In a year and some days You will be troubled, you complacent women; For the vintage will fail, The gathering will not come. | 10In a little more than a year you overconfident ones will shudder, for the vintage will fail and the harvest will not come. |
| 11Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, And gird sackcloth on your waists. | 11Shudder, you complacent ones; tremble, you overconfident ones! Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists. |
| 12People shall mourn upon their breasts For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. | 12Beat your breasts in mourning for the delightful fields and the fruitful vines, |
| 13On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, Yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city; | 13for the ground of my people growing thorns and briers, indeed, for every joyous house in the joyful city. |
| 14Because the palaces will be forsaken, The bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks— | 14For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become barren places forever, the joy of wild donkeys, and a pasture for flocks, |
| 15Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. | 15until the Spirit from heaven is poured out on us. Then the desert will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest. |
| 16Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field. | 16Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the orchard. |
| 17The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. | 17The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever. |
| 18My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, | 18Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and secure dwellings. |
| 19Though hail comes down on the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation. | 19But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink into the depths. |
| 20Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey. | 20Those who sow seed are happy beside abundant waters; they let ox and donkey range freely. |
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