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 where David dwelt! Add year to year, Let the festivals go round,

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

Then will I distress Ariel; Mourning and sorrow shall be there; Yet shall she be to me as Ariel [[the lion of God]].

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.

I will encamp against thee round about, And I will lay siege against thee with a mound, And I will raise towers against 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, and speak from the ground, And thy speech shall be low from the dust; Thy voice shall be like that of a spirit under ground, And thy speech shall chirp as from the dust.

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.

Yet shall the multitude of thine enemies be like fine dust; The multitude of the terrible like flying chaff; It shall take place suddenly, in a moment.

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.

From Jehovah of hosts cometh the visitation With thunder, and earthquake, and great noise, With storm and tempest, And flames 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.

As a dream, a vision of the night, Shall be the multitude of all the nations That fight against Ariel, That fight against her and her fortress, And distress her.

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.

As a hungry man dreameth, and lo! he eateth, But awaketh and is still hungry; And as a thirsty man dreameth, and lo! he drinketh, But awaketh, and lo! he is faint and thirsty; So shall it be with the multitude of all the nations That fight against mount Zion.

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 in amazement and be amazed! Be blinded and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with strong drink!

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 Jehovah hath poured upon you a spirit of slumber; He hath closed your eyes, the prophets, And covered your heads, the seers;

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 so every vision is to you as the words of a sealed book, Which is given to a man that is skilled in writing, Saying, “Read this, I pray thee”; But he answereth, “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.

Or, if he give it to one that is not skilled in writing, Saying, “Read this, I pray thee,” He answereth, “I am not skilled in writing.”

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.

Therefore saith the Lord, Since this people draweth near to me with their mouth, And honoreth me with their lips, While their heart is far from me, And their worship of me is according to the commandments 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 deal marvellously with this people; Marvellously and wonderfully, For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the prudence of the prudent 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 them that hide deep their purposes from Jehovah, Whose work is in darkness; That say, Who seeth us? 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?

Alas, your perverseness! Is the potter to be esteemed as the clay, That the work should say of its maker, He made me not? And the thing formed say of him that formed it, He hath no understanding?

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 Lebanon shall be changed to a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed 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 shall the deaf hear the words of the book, And out of mist and darkness shall the eyes of the blind see.

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

The afflicted shall exceedingly rejoice in Jehovah, And the poor shall exult 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 the oppressor hath come to naught; the scoffer is destroyed; And all that watched for iniquity are cut off;

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.

Who condemned a man in his cause, And laid snares for him who defended himself in the gate, And with falsehood caused the righteous to fail.

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 concerning the house of Jacob thus saith Jehovah, He that redeemed Abraham: No more shall Jacob be ashamed, And no more shall his face grow pale.

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.

For when his children behold the work of my hands in the midst of them, They shall honor my name. They shall honor the Holy One of Jacob, And reverence the God of Israel.

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

They that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, And the obstinate shall receive instruction.