11 Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, And gird sackcloth on your waists.
12 People shall mourn upon their breasts For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
13aOn the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, Yes, on all the happy homes inbthe joyous city;
14aBecause 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—
15 Until athe Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And bthe wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
The Peace of God’s Reign
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
17aThe work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.
18 My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet aresting places,
19aThough hail comes down bon the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation.
20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, Who send out freely the feet of athe ox and the donkey.
One sentence in the Moffatt translation, from verse 15, catches the thought clearly: "And yet one day from the heights of heaven a spirit shall breathe unto us [or, into us]." Then follows the effects of that Spirit. In this context, just as in Psalm 104:30, things begin in a state of destruction and remain that way until God sends forth His Spirit. Then, regeneration of both the people and the land takes place, and the transformation of both occurs.
