Isaiah 29

Jerusalem Is Warned

1Woe, O 1Ariel, 2Ariel the city where David once 3camped! Add year to year, 45observe your feasts on schedule.2I will bring distress to Ariel, And she will be a city of lamenting and 6mourning; And she will be like an Ariel to me.3I will 7camp against you 8encircling you, And I will set siegeworks against you, And I will raise up battle towers against you.4Then you will 9be 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 10spirit from the ground, And your speech will whisper from the dust.

5But the multitude of your 11enemies will become like fine 12dust, And the multitude of the 13ruthless ones like the chaff which 14blows away; And it will happen 15instantly, suddenly.6From the Lord of hosts you will be 16punished with 17thunder and earthquake and loud noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.7And the 18multitude of all the nations who wage war against 19Ariel, Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, Will be like a dream, a 20vision of the night.8It will be as when a hungry man dreams-- And behold, he is eating; But when he awakens, his 21hunger is not satisfied, Or as when a thirsty man dreams-- And behold, he is drinking, But when he awakens, behold, he is faint And his 22thirst is not quenched. 23Thus the multitude of all the nations will be Who wage war against Mount Zion.

924Be delayed and wait, Blind yourselves and be blind; They 25become drunk, but not with wine, They stagger, but not with strong drink.10For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep 26sleep, He has 27shut your eyes, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, the seers. 11The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed 2829book, which when they give it to the one who 30is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12Then the 31book will be given to the one who 32is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I 33cannot read.”

13Then the Lord said, “Because 34this people draw near with their 35words And honor Me with their 36lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their 37reverence for Me 38consists of 39tradition learned by rote,14Therefore behold, I will once again deal 40marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And 41the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”

15Woe to those who deeply 42hide their 43plans from the Lord, And whose 44deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “45Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”16You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered 46as equal with the clay, That 47what 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

17Is it not yet just a little while 48Before Lebanon will be turned into a 49fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?18On that day the 50deaf will hear 51words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the 52eyes of the blind will see.19The 53afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord, And the 54needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.20For the 55ruthless will come to an end and the 56scorner will be finished, Indeed 57all who 58are intent on doing evil will be cut off;21Who 59cause a person to be indicted by a word, And 60ensnare him who adjudicates at the gate, And 6162defraud the one in the right with 63meaningless arguments.

22Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed 64Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob 65shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale;23But when 66he sees his 67children, the 68work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will 69sanctify the Holy One of Jacob And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.24Those who 70err in 71mind will 72know 73the truth, And those who 74criticize will 7576accept instruction.