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 round.

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 hath been lamentation and mourning, And it hath 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 thee, And I laid siege against thee — a camp. And I raised up against thee bulwarks.

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 thou hast been low, From the earth thou speakest, And from the dust makest thy saying low, And thy voice hath been from the earth, As one having a familiar spirit, And from the dust thy saying whisperest,

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 hath been The multitude of those scattering thee, And as chaff passing on the multitude of the terrible, And it hath been at 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.

By Jehovah of Hosts thou art inspected, With thunder, and with an earthquake, And great noise, hurricane, 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, hath 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 hath been, as when the hungry dreameth, And lo, he is eating, And he hath waked, and empty [is] his soul, And as when the thirsty dreameth, And lo, he is drinking, and he hath waked, And lo, 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.

Tarry and wonder, look ye, yea, 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 poured out on you hath Jehovah a spirit of deep sleep, And He closeth 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 book, That they give unto one knowing books, Saying, 'Read this, we pray thee,' And he hath 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 book is given to him who hath not known books, Saying, 'Read this, we pray thee,' And he hath said, 'I have not known books.'

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 saith: Because drawn near hath this people, with its mouth, And with its lips they have honoured Me, And its heart it hath put far off from Me, And their fear of Me is — A precept of men is taught!

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, lo, I am adding to do wonderfully with this people, A wonder, and a marvel, And perished hath the wisdom of its wise ones, And the understanding of its intelligent ones hideth 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 Jehovah 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! as clay is the potter esteemed? That the work saith of its maker, 'He hath 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, And turned hath Lebanon to a fruitful field, And the fruitful field for a forest is reckoned?

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 heard in that day have the deaf the words of a book, And out of thick darkness, and out of darkness, The eyes of the blind do 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 Jehovah, And the poor among men In the Holy One of Israel rejoice.

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

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.

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

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 Jehovah, Who ransomed Abraham, Concerning the house of Jacob: 'Not now ashamed is Jacob, Nor now doth his face 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 the God of Israel they declare 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!'