Isaiah 33 completes the six woes of chapters 28-33. It begins against the treacherous destroyer. In response, Isaiah offers a model prayer: "Yahweh, be gracious to us. We have waited for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble." God's reign brings "stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Yahweh is your treasure."
When the envoys weep and the land withers, God steps in: "Now I will arise." Isaiah then asks a question like Psalms 15 and 24: who can dwell with God's consuming holiness? The answer is ethical: "He who walks righteously and speaks blamelessly, he who despises the gain of oppressions," who refuses bribes and turns from violence and evil. Such a person "will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks."
The chapter ends with a vision of the King and his city. "Your eyes will see the king in his beauty." Jerusalem becomes "a quiet habitation, a tent that won't be removed." Verse 22 gathers God's roles: "For Yahweh is our judge. Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king. He will save us." Finally, sickness and sin are both removed: "The inhabitant won't say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity." In the New Testament, Revelation 21:4 and 22:3 also promise the end of pain and of the curse.