Isaiah

Jerusalem Is Warned

29 
Woe, [a]Ariel, [b]Ariel the city where David once camped!

Add year to year, [c]keep your feasts on schedule.

I will bring distress to Ariel,

And she will be a city of grieving and mourning;

And she will be like an [d]Ariel to me.

I will camp against you [e]encircling you,

And I will set up siegeworks against you,

And I will raise up battle towers against you.

Then you will be brought low;

From the earth you will speak,

And from the dust where you are prostrate

Your words will come.

Your voice will also be like that of a [f]spirit from the ground,

And your speech will whisper from the dust.

But the multitude of your [g]enemies will become like fine dust,

And the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which [h]blows away;

And it will happen instantly, suddenly.

From the Lord of armies you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise,

With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

And the multitude of all the nations who wage war against [i]Ariel,

Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,

Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

It will be as when a hungry person dreams—

And behold, he is eating;

But when he awakens, his [j]hunger is not satisfied,

Or as when a thirsty person dreams—

And behold, he is drinking,

But when he awakens, behold, he is faint

And his [k]thirst is not quenched.

So will the multitude of all the nations be

Who wage war against Mount Zion.

Be delayed and horrified,

Blind yourselves and be blind;

They become drunk, but not with wine,

They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.

10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep,

He has shut your eyes—the prophets;

And He has covered your heads—the seers.

11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [l]book, which, when they give it to the one who [m]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12 Then the [n]book will be given to the one who [o]is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [p]cannot read.”

13 Then the Lord said,

“Because this people approaches Me with their [q]words

And honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far away from Me,

And their [r]reverence for Me [s]consists of the commandment of men that is taught;

14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;

And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,

And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”

15 Woe to those who deeply hide their [t]plans from the Lord,

And whose deeds are done in a dark place,

And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”

16 You turn things around!

Shall the potter be considered [u]as equal with the clay,

That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;

Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

Blessing after Discipline

17 Is it not yet just a little while

[v]Before Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field,

And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?

18 On that day those who are deaf will hear words of a book,

And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of those who are blind will see.

19 The afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord,

And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished,

Indeed all who [w]are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,

21 Who [x]cause a person to be indicted by a word,

And set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate,

And [y]defraud the one in the right with [z]meaningless arguments.

22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob:

“Jacob will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;

23 But when [aa]he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst,

They will sanctify My name;

Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,

And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24 Those who err in [ab]mind will know [ac]the truth,

And those who [ad]criticize will [ae]accept instruction.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 29:1 I.e., Lion of God, or Jerusalem
  2. Isaiah 29:1 I.e., Lion of God, or Jerusalem
  3. Isaiah 29:1 Lit let your feasts run their round
  4. Isaiah 29:2 Ariel (i.e., Jerusalem) is a Heb word for “altar hearth” where offerings were burned
  5. Isaiah 29:3 Lit like a circle
  6. Isaiah 29:4 Or ghost
  7. Isaiah 29:5 Lit strangers
  8. Isaiah 29:5 Lit passes away
  9. Isaiah 29:7 See note 1 v 1
  10. Isaiah 29:8 Lit soul
  11. Isaiah 29:8 Lit soul
  12. Isaiah 29:11 Or scroll
  13. Isaiah 29:11 Lit knows books
  14. Isaiah 29:12 Or scroll
  15. Isaiah 29:12 Lit does not know books
  16. Isaiah 29:12 Lit do not know books
  17. Isaiah 29:13 Lit mouth
  18. Isaiah 29:13 Lit fear of Me
  19. Isaiah 29:13 Lit is
  20. Isaiah 29:15 Lit counsel
  21. Isaiah 29:16 Lit like
  22. Isaiah 29:17 Lit And
  23. Isaiah 29:20 Lit watch evil
  24. Isaiah 29:21 Lit bring a person under condemnation
  25. Isaiah 29:21 Lit turn aside
  26. Isaiah 29:21 Lit confusion
  27. Isaiah 29:23 Or his children see
  28. Isaiah 29:24 Lit spirit
  29. Isaiah 29:24 Lit understanding
  30. Isaiah 29:24 Lit murmur
  31. Isaiah 29:24 Lit learn