Isaiah 29

1Ho Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! add ye year to year; let the feasts come round:

1Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David lived! Go ahead and let your years go by; let your annual feasts keep coming around.

2then will I distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation; and she shall be unto me as Ariel.

2But I will bring trouble to Ariel; there will be crying and sadness. The city will become like a sacrificial altar hearth to me.

3And I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with posted troops, and I will raise siege works against thee.

3I will set up camp all around you; I will surround you with towers and build siege walls against you.

4And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust; and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

4You will be brought low and speak from the ground; your words will come muffled from the dust. Your voice will sound like a ghost's from the earth, whispering out of the dirt.

5But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be in an instant suddenly.

5But your many enemies will become like fine dust, and the huge crowd of cruel people will be like blowing chaff. It will all happen suddenly, in a single moment.

6She shall be visited of Jehovah of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.

6The LORD of Armies will come to help with thunder, earthquakes, and great noise—with whirlwinds, storms, and the flames of a consuming fire.

7And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night.

7Then all the many nations that fight against Ariel, everyone who attacks her and her fortress and causes her distress, will be like a dream or a vision in the night.

8And it shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

8It will be like a hungry man who dreams he is eating, but wakes up and is still empty; or like a thirsty man who dreams he is drinking, but wakes up feeling faint and parched. That is how it will be for all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.

9Tarry ye and wonder; take your pleasure and be blind: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

9Stop and be amazed! Blind yourselves so that you cannot see! They are drunk, but not from wine; they stumble, but not from beer.

10For Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, hath he covered.

10The LORD has poured out a spirit of deep sleep on you. He has closed your eyes—the prophets—and he has covered your heads—the seers.

11And all vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed:

11For you, this entire vision is like words in a sealed scroll. If you give it to someone who can read and say, 'Please read this,' he will answer, 'I can't; it is sealed.'

12and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I am not learned.

12Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read and say, 'Please read this,' he will answer, 'I don't know how to read.'

13And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them;

13The Lord says: 'These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based only on human rules they have been taught.'

14therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

14'Therefore, once again I will do amazing things with these people—wonderful and marvelous things. The wisdom of their wise men will vanish, and the intelligence of their clever people will disappear.'

15Woe unto them that hide deep their counsel from Jehovah, and whose works are in the dark, and that say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

15Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in the dark and think, 'Who sees us? Who will know?'

16Ye turn things upside down! Shall the potter be esteemed as clay; that the thing made should say of him that made it, He made me not; or the thing formed say of him that formed it, He hath no understanding?

16You turn things upside down! Is the potter no better than the clay? Can the thing that was made say about its maker, 'He didn't make me'? Can the pottery say of the potter, 'He doesn't understand anything'?

17Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

17In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field, and the fertile field be seen as a forest?

18And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

18In that day the deaf will hear the words of the book, and out of their gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see.

19The meek also shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

19The humble will find even more joy in the LORD, and the poorest people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scoffer ceaseth, and all they that watch for iniquity are cut off;

20The cruel will vanish, those who mock will disappear, and everyone who looks for ways to do evil will be cut down.

21that make a man an offender in his cause, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just with a thing of nought.

21These are the people who make a person out to be a sinner with a mere word, who trap the judge in court, and who cheat the innocent with empty arguments.

22Therefore thus saith Jehovah, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

22Therefore, this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the family of Jacob: 'Jacob will no longer be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale with fear.'

23But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name; yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel.

23'When they see their children, the work of my hands among them, they will keep my name holy. They will honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel.'

24They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmur shall receive instruction.

24'Those who are confused in spirit will gain understanding, and those who complain will accept instruction.'