Isaiah 29

1 Woe to Ariel. Ariel, the city where David camped. Add year to year; let the feasts come around;

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

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

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

3 And I will camp in a circle around you, and will lay siege against you with posted troops. I will raise siege works against you.

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

4 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.

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,

5 But the multitude of your arrogant 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.

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.

6 She will be visited by the LORD of hosts with thunder, with earthquake, with great noise, with whirlwind and storm, and with the flame of a devouring fire.

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

7 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.

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.

8 It will be like when a hungry man dreams, and look, he eats; but he awakes, and his hunger isn't satisfied; or like when a thirsty man dreams, and look, he drinks; but he awakes, and look, he is faint, and he is still thirsty. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion will be like that.

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.

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

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

10 For the LORD 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).

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.

11 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:"

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”;

12 and the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, "Read this, please;" and he says, "I can't read."

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.”

13 And the LORD said, "Because these people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching instructions that are the commandments of humans.

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!

14 Therefore, look, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will nullify."

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.”

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

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?”

16 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 did not make me;" or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding?"

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?”

17 Isn't 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?

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?

18 In that day, the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

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.

19 The humble also will increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among humankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

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

20 For the ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do evil are cut off—

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

21 who cause a person to be indicted by a word, and lay a snare for the arbiter in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony.

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

22 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall no longer be ashamed, neither shall his face grow pale.

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

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

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.

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

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