Isaiah 32:9-11

The Lord Will Give True Security

32:9 You complacent ¹  women,

get up and listen to me!

You carefree ²  daughters,

pay attention to what I say!

32:10 In a year’s time ³ 

you carefree ones will shake with fear,

for the grape ⁴  harvest will fail,

and the fruit harvest will not arrive.

32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones!

Shake with fear, you carefree ones!

Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves –

put sackcloth on your waist! ⁵ 

[32:9]  ¹ tn Or “self-assured”; NASB, NRSV “who are at ease.”

[32:9]  ² tn Or “self-confident”; NAB “overconfident.”

[32:10]  ³ tn Heb “days upon a year.”

[32:10]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps, “olive.” See 24:13.

[32:11]  ⁵ tn The imperatival forms in v. 11 are problematic. The first (חִרְדוּ, khirdu, “tremble”) is masculine plural in form, though spoken to a feminine plural addressee (שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, sha’anannot, “complacent ones”). The four imperatival forms that follow (רְגָזָה, rÿgazah, “shake with fear”; פְּשֹׁטָה, pÿshotah, “strip off your clothes”; עֹרָה, ’orah, “expose yourselves”; and חֲגוֹרָה, khagorah, “put on”) all appear to be lengthened (so-called “emphatic”) masculine singular forms, even though they too appear to be spoken to a feminine plural addressee. GKC 131-32 §48.i suggests emending חִרְדוּ (khirdu) to חֲרָדָה (kharadah) and understanding all five imperatives as feminine plural “aramaized” forms.