Isaiah 29:1-24
29 “Woe to Arʹi·el,*+ to Arʹi·el, the town where David encamped!+ Add year upon year, YOU people; let the festivals+ run the round.
2 And I have to make things tight+ for Arʹi·el, and there must come to be mourning and lamentation,+ and she must become to me as the altar hearth of God.*+
3 And I must encamp on all sides against you,* and I must lay siege to you with a palisade* and raise up against you siegeworks.+
4 And you must become low so that you will speak from the very earth, and as from the dust your saying will sound low.+ And like a spirit medium your voice must become even from the earth, and from the dust your own saying will chirp.+
5 And the crowd of those strange to you must become just like fine powder,+ and the crowd of the tyrants+ just like the chaff that is passing away.+ And it must occur in an instant, suddenly.+
6 From Jehovah of armies you will have attention with thunder and with quaking and with a great sound, storm wind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.”+
7 And it must occur just as in a dream, in a vision of the night, regarding the crowd of all the nations that are waging war against Arʹi·el,+ even all those waging war against her, and the siege towers against her and those making things tight for her.+
8 Yes, it must occur just as when someone hungry dreams and here he is eating, and he actually awakes and his soul is empty;+ and just as when someone thirsty dreams and here he is drinking, and he actually awakes and here he is tired and his soul is dried out; thus it will occur with the crowd of all the nations that are waging war against Mount Zion.+
9 Linger, YOU men, and be amazed;+ blind yourselves, and be blinded.*+ They have become intoxicated,+ but not with wine; they have moved unsteadily, but not because of intoxicating liquor.+
10 For upon YOU men Jehovah has poured a spirit of deep sleep;+ and he closes YOUR eyes, the prophets,+ and he has covered even YOUR heads,+ the visionaries.+
11 And for YOU men the vision of everything becomes like the words of the book that has been sealed up,+ which they give to someone knowing the writing, saying: “Read this out loud, please,” and he has to say: “I am unable, for it is sealed up”;+
12 and the book must be given to someone that does not know writing, [somebody] saying: “Read this out loud, please,” and he has to say: “I do not know writing at all.”
13 And Jehovah* says: “For the reason that this people have come near with their mouth, and they have glorified me merely with their lips,+ and they have removed their heart itself far away from me,+ and their fear toward me becomes men’s commandment that is being taught,+
14 therefore here I am, the One that will act wonderfully again with this people,+ in a wonderful manner and with something wonderful; and the wisdom of their wise men must perish, and the very understanding of their discreet men will conceal itself.”+
15 Woe to those who are going very deep in concealing counsel from Jehovah himself,+ and whose deeds have occurred in a dark place,+ while they say: “Who is seeing us, and who is knowing of us?”+
16 The perversity of YOU men! Should the potter* himself be accounted just like the clay?+ For should the thing made say respecting its maker: “He did not make me”?+ And does the very thing formed actually say respecting its former: “He showed no understanding”?+
17 Is it not yet but a very little time and Lebʹa·non must be turned into an orchard+ and the orchard itself will be accounted just as a forest?+
18 And in that day the deaf ones will certainly hear the words of the book,+ and out of the gloom and out of the darkness even the eyes of the blind ones will see.+
19 And the meek+ ones will certainly increase their rejoicing in Jehovah himself, and even the poor ones of mankind* will be joyful in the Holy One of Israel himself,+
20 because the tyrant must reach his end,+ and the bragger must come to his finish,+ and all those keeping alert to do harm+ must be cut off,
21 those bringing a man into sin by [his] word,+ and those who lay bait even for the one reproving in the gate,+ and those who push aside the righteous one with empty arguments.+
22 Therefore this is what Jehovah has said to the house of Jacob, he that redeemed Abraham:+ “Jacob will not now be ashamed, nor will his own face now grow pale;+
23 for when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him,+ they will sanctify* my name,+ and they will certainly sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,+ and the God of Israel* they will regard with awe.+
24 And those who are erring in [their] spirit will actually get to know understanding, and even those who are grumbling will learn instruction.”+
Footnotes
^ Possibly meaning “The Altar Hearth of God”; or, “The Lion of God,” referring to Jerusalem.
^ Or, “as Ariel.”
^ “You,” fem. sing., referring to the town.
^ Or, “sentries; outposts.”
^ Lit., “smear yourselves over, and be smeared over.” Compare 6:10, “paste their very eyes together.”
^ One of 134 scribal changes from YHWH to ʼAdho·naiʹ. See App 1B.
^ Lit., “former.”
^ Or, “earthling man.” Heb., ʼa·dhamʹ.
^ “They will sanctify.” Heb., yaq·diʹshu; Gr., ha·gi·aʹsou·sin; Lat., sanc·ti·fi·canʹtes.
^ “God of Israel.” Heb., ʼElo·hehʹ Yis·ra·ʼelʹ.
