Isaiah 29

1 Woe [to] Ariel, Ariel, The city of the encampment of David! Add year to year, let festivals go around.

Woe to Ariel! Ariel, the city where David [Beloved] encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts come around;

2 And I have sent distress to Ariel, And it has been lamentation and mourning, And it has been to me as Ariel.

then I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning and lamentation. She shall be to me as an altar hearth.

3 And I encamped, O babbler, against you, And I laid siege against you—a camp. And I raised up bulwarks against you.

I will encamp against you all around you, and will lay siege against you with posted troops. I will raise siege works against you.

4 And you have been low, You speak from the earth, And make your saying low from the dust, And your voice has been from the earth, As one having a familiar spirit, And your saying whispers from the dust,

You will be brought down, and will speak out of the ground. Your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will be as of one who has a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and your speech will whisper out of the dust.

5 And as small dust has been The multitude of those scattering you, And as chaff passing on the multitude of the terrible, And it has been in an instant—suddenly.

But the multitude of your foes will be like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones like chaff that blows away. Yes, it will be in an instant, suddenly.

6 You are inspected by YHWH of Hosts, With thunder, and with an earthquake, And great noise, windstorm, and whirlwind, And flame of devouring fire.

She will be visited by Adonai Tzva'ot [Yahweh Commander of heaven’s armies] with thunder, with earthquake, with great noise, with whirlwind and storm, and with the flame of a devouring fire.

7 And as a dream, a vision of night, Has been the multitude of all the nations Who are warring against Ariel, And all its warriors, and its bulwark, Even of those distressing her.

The multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

8 And it has been, as when the hungry dreams, And behold, he is eating, And he has awoken, And his soul [is] empty, And as when the thirsty dreams, And behold, he is drinking, And he has awoken, And behold, he is weary, And his soul is longing, So is the multitude of all the nations Who are warring against Mount Zion.

It will be like when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he eats; but he awakes, and his hunger is not satisfied; or like when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he drinks; but he awakes, and behold, he is faint, and he is still thirsty. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion [Mountain ridge, Marking] will be like that.

9 Linger and wonder, look, indeed, look, Be drunk, and not with wine, Stagger, and not with strong drink.

Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

10 For YHWH has poured out a spirit of deep sleep on you, And He closes your eyes—the prophets, And your heads—the seers—He covered.

For Adonai has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets; and he has covered your heads, the seers.

11 And the vision of the whole is to you, As words of the sealed scroll, That they give to one knowing scrolls, Saying, “Please read this,” And he has said, “I am not able, for it [is] sealed”;

All vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is educated, saying, “Read this, please;” and he says, “I can’t, for it is sealed:”

12 And the scroll is given to him who has not known scrolls, Saying, “Please read this,” And he has said, “I have not known scrolls.”

and the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, “Read this, please;” and he says, “I can’t read.”

13 And the Lord says: “Because this people has drawn near with its mouth, And they have honored Me with its lips, And it has put its heart far off from Me, And their fear of Me is a precept taught by men!

'Adonay [Lord] said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their ‘fear of me’ is a mitzvah ·instruction· of human origin—

14 Therefore, behold, I am adding to do wonderfully with this people, A wonder, and a marvel, And the wisdom of its wise ones has perished, And the understanding of its intelligent ones hides itself.”

therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men will be hidden.”

15 Woe [to] those going deep from YHWH to hide counsel, And whose works have been in darkness. And they say, “Who is seeing us? And who is knowing us?”

Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from Adonai, and whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us?” and “Who knows us?”

16 Your perversion! Is the potter esteemed as clay, That the work says of its maker, “He has not made me?” And the framed thing said of its framer, “He did not understand?”

You turn things upside down! Should the potter be thought to be like clay; that the thing made should say about him who made it, “He didn’t make me;” or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding?”

17 Is it not yet a very little [while], And Lebanon has turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is reckoned for a forest?

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

18 And the deaf have heard the words of a scroll in that day, And out of thick darkness, and out of darkness, The eyes of the blind see.

In that day, the deaf will sh'ma ·hear obey· the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

19 And the humble have added joy in YHWH, And the poor among men Rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

The humble also will increase their joy in Adonai, and the poor among men will rejoice in haKadosh Isra'el [the Holy One of God prevails].

20 For the terrible one has ceased, And the scorner has been consumed, And all watching for iniquity have been cut off,

For the ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do vain striving of iniquity are cut off—

21 Who cause men to sin in word, And lay a snare for a reprover in the gate, And turn aside the righteous into emptiness.

who cause a person to be found in sin ·err (the standard goal)· by a word, and lay a snare for the arbiter in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony.

22 Therefore, thus said YHWH, Who ransomed Abraham, Concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob is not ashamed now, Nor does his face now become pale,

Therefore Adonai, who redeemed Abraham [Father of a multitude], says concerning the house of Jacob [Supplanter]: “Jacob [Supplanter] shall no longer be ashamed, neither shall his face grow pale.

23 For in his seeing his children, The work of My hand, in his midst, They sanctify My Name, And have sanctified the Holy One of Jacob, And they declare the God of Israel fearful.

But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the middle of him, they will sanctify my name. Yes, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob [Supplanter], and will stand in awe of the God of Israel [God prevails].

24 And the erring in spirit have known understanding, And murmurers learn doctrine!”

They also who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will receive instruction.”