Isaiah 29

1Ho! Ariel, Ariel, the town against which David made war; put year to year, let the feasts come round:

1Woe <FI>to<Fi> Ariel, Ariel, The city of the encampment of David! Add year to year, let festivals go round.

2And I will send trouble on Ariel, and there will be weeping and cries of grief; and she will be to me as Ariel.

2And I have sent distress to Ariel, And it hath been lamentation and mourning, And it hath been to me as Ariel.

3And I will make war on you like David, and you will be shut in by earthworks, and I will make towers round you.

3And I encamped, O babbler, against thee, And I laid siege against thee--a camp. And I raised up against thee bulwarks.

4And you will be made low, and your voice will come out of the earth, and your words will be low out of the dust; and your voice will come out of the earth like that of a spirit, making bird-like noises out of the dust.

4And 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,

5And the army of your attackers will be like small dust, and all the cruel ones like dry stems gone before the wind; suddenly it will come about.

5And 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.

6The Lord of armies will come in with thunder and earth-shaking and great noise, with rushing wind and storm, and the flame of burning fire.

6By Jehovah of Hosts thou art inspected, With thunder, and with an earthquake, And great noise, hurricane, and whirlwind, And flame of devouring fire.

7And all the nations making war on Ariel, and all those who are fighting against her and shutting her in with their towers, will be like a dream, like a vision of the night.

7And 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.

8And it will be like a man desiring food, and dreaming that he is feasting; but when he is awake there is nothing in his mouth: or like a man in need of water, dreaming that he is drinking; but when he is awake he is feeble and his soul is full of desire: so will all the nations be which make war on Mount Zion.

8And it hath been, as when the hungry dreameth, And lo, he is eating, And he hath waked, and empty <FI>is<Fi> 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.

9Be surprised and full of wonder; let your eyes be covered and be blind: be overcome, but not with wine; go with uncertain steps, but not because of strong drink.

9Tarry and wonder, look ye, yea, look, Be drunk, and not with wine, Stagger, and not with strong drink.

10For the Lord has sent on you a spirit of deep sleep; and by him your eyes, the prophets, are shut, and your heads, the seers, are covered.

10For 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.

11And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book which is shut, which men give to one who has knowledge of writing, saying, Make clear to us what is in the book: and he says, I am not able to, for the book is shut:

11And 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 <FI>is<Fi> sealed;'

12And they give it to one without learning, saying, Make clear to us what is in the book: and he says, I have no knowledge of writing.

12And 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.'

13And the Lord said, because this people come near to me with their mouths, and give honour to me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and their fear of me is false, a rule given them by the teaching of men;

13And 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!

14For this cause I will again do a strange thing among this people, a thing to be wondered at: and the wisdom of their wise men will come to nothing, and the sense of their guides will no longer be seen.

14Therefore, 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.'

15Cursed are those who go deep to keep their designs secret from the Lord, and whose works are in the dark, and who say, Who sees us? and who has knowledge of our acts?

15Woe <FI>to<Fi> 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?'

16You are turning things upside down! Is the wet earth the same to you as the one who is forming it? will the thing made say of him who made it, He made me not: or the thing formed say of him who gave it form, He has no knowledge?

16Your 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?'

17In a very short time Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will seem like a wood.

17Is it not yet a very little, And turned hath Lebanon to a fruitful field, And the fruitful field for a forest is reckoned?

18And in that day those whose ears are stopped will be hearing the words of the book; and the eyes of the blind will see through the mist and the dark.

18And 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.

19And the poor will have their joy in the Lord increased, and those in need will be glad in the Holy One of Israel.

19And the humble have added joy in Jehovah, And the poor among men In the Holy One of Israel rejoice.

20For the cruel one has come to nothing; and those who make sport of the Lord are gone; and those who are watching to do evil are cut off:

20For ceased hath the terrible one, And consumed hath been the scorner, And cut off have been all watching for iniquity,

21Who give help to a man in a wrong cause, and who put a net for the feet of him who gives decisions in the public place, taking away a man's right without cause.

21Causing men to sin in word, And for a reprover in the gate lay a snare, And turn aside into emptiness the righteous.

22For this reason the Lord, the saviour of Abraham, says about the family of Jacob, Jacob will not now be put to shame, or his face be clouded with fear.

22Therefore, thus said Jehovah, Who ransomed Abraham, Concerning the house of Jacob: `Not now ashamed is Jacob, Nor now doth his face become pale,

23But when they, the children of Jacob, see the work of my hands among them, they will give honour to my name; yes, they will give honour to the Holy One of Jacob, and go in fear of the God of Israel.

23For 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.

24Those whose hearts were turned away from him will get knowledge, and those who made an outcry against him will give attention to his teaching.

24And the erring in spirit have known understanding, And murmurers learn doctrine!'