Isaiah 29

1 Ho Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add ye year to year. Let the feasts come round.

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel the city which David took: year is added to year: the solemnities are at an end.

2 Then I will distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation, and she shall be to me as Ariel.

And I will make a trench about Ariel, and it shall be in sorrow and mourning, and it shall be to me as Ariel.

3 And I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with posted troops. And I will raise siege works against thee.

And I will make a circle round about thee, and will cast up a rampart against thee, and raise up bulwarks to besiege thee.

4 And thou shall be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground. And thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as of he who has a familiar spirit, out of the ground. And thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Thou shalt be brought down, thou shalt speak out of the earth, and thy speech shall be heard out of the ground: and thy voice shall be from the earth like that of the python, and out of the ground thy speech shall mutter.

5 But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passes away. Yea, it shall be in an instant suddenly.

And the multitude of them that fan thee, shall be like small dust: and as ashes passing away, the multitude of them that have prevailed against thee.

6 She shall be visited by Jehovah of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.

And it shall be at an instant suddenly. A visitation shall come from the Lord of hosts in thunder, and with earthquake, and with a great noise of whirlwind and tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.

7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night.

And the multitude of all nations that have fought against Ariel, shall be as the dream of a vision by night, and all that have fought, and besieged and prevailed against it.

8 And it shall be as when a hungry man dreams, and, behold, he eats. But he awakes, and his soul is empty. Or as when a thirsty man dreams, and, behold, he drinks. But he awakes, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul has appetite. So shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against mount Zion.

And as he that is hungry dreameth, and eateth, but when he is awake, his soul is empty: and as he that is thirsty dreameth, and drinketh, and after he is awake, is yet faint with thirst, and his soul is empty: so shall be the multitude of all the Gentiles, that have fought against mount Sion.

9 Tarry ye and wonder, take your pleasure and be blind. They are drunken, but not with wine. They stagger, but not with strong drink.

Be astonished, and wander, waver, and stagger: be drunk, and not with wine: stagger, and not with drunkenness.

10 For Jehovah has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes. The prophets, and your heads, the seers, he has covered.

For the Lord hath mingled for you the spirit of a deep sleep, he will shut up your eyes, he will cover your prophets and princes, that see visions.

11 And all vision has become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to a man who is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee. And he says, I cannot, for it is sealed.

And the vision of all shall be unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which when they shall deliver to one that is learned, they shall say: Read this: and he shall answer: I cannot, for it is sealed.

12 And the book is delivered to him who is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee. And he says, I am not learned.

And the book shall be given to one that knoweth no letters, and it shall be said to him: Read: and he shall answer: I know no letters.

13 And the Lord said, Inasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but have removed their heart far from me, but in vain they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men.

And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men:

14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder. I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.

Therefore behold I will proceed to cause an admiration in this people, by a great and wonderful miracle: for wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

15 Woe to those who hide deep their counsel from Jehovah, and whose works are in the dark, and who say, Who sees us? and, Who knows us?

Woe to you that are deep of heart, to hide your counsel from the Lord: and their works are in the dark, and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?

16 Ye turn things upside down! Shall the potter be esteemed as clay, that the thing made should say of him who made it, He did not make me, or the thing formed say of him who formed it, He has no understanding?

This thought of yours is perverse: as if the clay should think against the potter, and the work should say to the maker thereof: Thou madest me not: or the thing framed should say to him that fashioned it: Thou understandest not.

17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

Is it not yet a very little while, and Libanus shall be turned into charmel, and charmel shall be esteemed as a forest?

18 And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and out of darkness and obscurity the eyes of the blind shall see.

19 The meek also shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

And the meek shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the terrible one is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases. And all those who watch for iniquity are cut off,

For he that did prevail hath failed, the scorner is consumed, and they are all cut off that watched for iniquity:

21 who make a man an offender in his cause, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and turn aside the just with a thing of nothing.

That made men sin by word, and supplanted him that reproved them in the gate, and declined in vain from the just.

22 Therefore thus says Jehovah, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now grow pale.

Therefore thus saith the Lord to the house of Jacob, he that redeemed Abraham: Jacob shall not now be confounded, neither shall his countenance now be ashamed:

23 But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name. Yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel.

But when he shall see his children, the work of my hands in the midst of him sanctifying my name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall glorify the God of Israel:

24 They also who err in spirit shall come to understanding, and those who murmur shall receive instruction.

And they that erred in spirit, shall know understanding, and they that murmured, shall learn the law.