Isaiah 29

Jerusalem Is Warned

1Woe, 1Ariel, 2Ariel the city where David once 3camped! Add year to year, 45keep your feasts on schedule.2I will bring distress to Ariel, And she will be a city of grieving and 6mourning; And she will be like an 7Ariel to me.3I will 8camp against you 9encircling you, And I will set up siegeworks against you, And I will raise up battle towers against you.4Then you will 10be 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 11spirit from the ground, And your speech will whisper from the dust.

5But the multitude of your 12enemies will become like fine 13dust, And the multitude of the 14ruthless ones like the chaff which 15blows away; And it will happen 16instantly, suddenly.6From the Lord of armies you will be 17punished with 18thunder and earthquake and loud noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.7And the 19multitude of all the nations who wage war against 20Ariel, Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, Will be like a dream, a 21vision of the night.8It will be as when a hungry person dreams-- And behold, he is eating; But when he awakens, his 22hunger 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 23thirst is not quenched. 24So will the multitude of all the nations be Who wage war against Mount Zion.

925Be delayed and horrified, Blind yourselves and be blind; They 26become drunk, but not with wine, They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.10For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep 27sleep, He has 28shut 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 2930book, which, when they give it to the one who 31is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12Then the 32book will be given to the one who 33is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I 34cannot read.”

13Then the Lord said, “Because 35this people approaches Me with their 36words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their 37reverence for Me 38consists of the commandment of men that is taught;14Therefore behold, I will once again deal 39marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And 40the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”

15Woe to those who deeply 41hide their 42plans from the Lord, And whose 43deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “44Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”16You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered 45as equal with the clay, That 46what 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 47Before Lebanon will be turned into a 48fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?18On that day those who are 49deaf will hear 50words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the 51eyes of those who are blind will see.19The 52afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord, And the 53needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.20For the 54ruthless will come to an end and the 55scorner will be finished, Indeed 56all who 57are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,21Who 58cause a person to be indicted by a word, And 59set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate, And 6061defraud the one in the right with 62meaningless arguments.

22Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed 63Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob 64will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;23But when 65he sees his 66children, the 67work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will 68sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.24Those who 69err in 70mind will 71know 72the truth, And those who 73criticize will 7475accept instruction.