Isaiah, 29

1. Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year, let the feasts come round.

1. Woe, Ariel, Ariel, city where David encamped. Let year after year pass, let the feasts make their full round,

2. But I will bring distress upon Ariel, with mourning and grief. You shall be to me like Ariel,

2. then I shall inflict trouble on Ariel, and there will be sighing and sobbing, and I shall make it truly Ariel.

3. I will encamp like David against you; I will encircle you with outposts and set up siege works against you.

3. I shall encamp all round you, I shall lay siege to you and mount siege-works against you.

4. Prostrate you shall speak from the earth, and from the base dust your words shall come. Your voice shall be like a ghost's from the earth, and your words like chirping from the dust.

4. You will be laid low, will speak from the underworld, your words will rise like a murmur from the dust. Your voice from the earth will be like a ghost's, it will whisper as though coming from the dust.

5. The horde of your arrogant shall be like fine dust, the horde of the tyrants like flying chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant,

5. The horde of your enemies will be like fine dust, the horde of the warriors like flying chaff. And suddenly, in an instant,

6. you shall be visited by the LORD of hosts, With thunder, earthquake, and great noise, whirlwind, storm, and the flame of consuming fire.

6. you will be visited by Yahweh Sabaoth with thunder, earthquake, mighty din, hurricane, tempest, flame of devouring fire.

7. Then like a dream, a vision in the night, Shall be the horde of all the nations who war against Ariel with all the earthworks of her besiegers.

7. It will be like a dream, like a vision at night: the horde of all the nations at war with Ariel, all those fighting, besieging and troubling it.

8. As when a hungry man dreams he is eating and awakens with an empty stomach, Or when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking and awakens faint and dry, So shall the horde of all the nations be, who make war against Zion.

8. It will be like the dream of a hungry man: he eats, then wakes up with an empty belly; or like the dream of a thirsty man: he drinks, then wakes up exhausted with a parched throat. So will it be with the horde of all the nations making war on Mount Zion.

9. Be irresolute, stupefied; blind yourselves and stay blind! Be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from strong drink!

9. Be stupefied and stunned, go blind, unseeing, drunk but not on wine, staggering but not through liquor.

10. For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes (the prophets) and covered your heads (the seers).

10. For Yahweh has infused you with a spirit of lethargy, he has closed your eyes (the prophets), he has veiled your heads (the seers).

11. For you the revelation of all this has become like the words of a sealed scroll. When it is handed to one who can read, with the request, "Read this," he replies, "I cannot; it is sealed."

11. For to you every vision has become like the words of a sealed book. You give it to someone able to read and say, 'Read that.' He replies, 'I cannot, because it is sealed.'

12. When it is handed to one who cannot read, with the request, "Read this," he replies, "I cannot read."

12. You then give the book to someone who cannot read, and say, 'Read that.' He replies, 'I cannot read.'

13. The Lord said: Since this people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are far from me, And their reverence for me has become routine observance of the precepts of men,

13. The Lord then said: Because this people approaches me only in words, honours me only with lip-service while their hearts are far from me, and reverence for me, as far as they are concerned, is nothing but human commandment, a lesson memorised,

14. Therefore I will again deal with this people in surprising and wondrous fashion: The wisdom of its wise men shall perish and the understanding of its prudent men be hid.

14. very well, I shall have to go on astounding this people with prodigies and wonders: for the wisdom of its wise men is doomed, the understanding of any who understand will vanish.

15. Woe to those who would hide their plans too deep for the LORD! Who work in the dark, saying, "Who sees us, or who knows us?"

15. Woe to those who burrow down to conceal their plans from Yahweh, who scheme in the dark and say, 'Who can see us? Who knows who we are?'

16. Your perversity is as though the potter were taken to be the clay: As though what is made should say of its maker, "He made me not!" Or the vessel should say of the potter, "He does not understand."

16. How perverse you are! Is the potter no better than the clay? Something that was made, can it say of its maker, 'He did not make me'? Or a pot say of the potter, 'He does not know his job'?

17. But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest!

17. Is it not true that in a very short time the Lebanon will become productive ground, so productive you might take it for a forest?

18. On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.

18. That day the deaf will hear the words of the book and, delivered from shadow and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see.

19. The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

19. The lowly will find ever more joy in Yahweh and the poorest of people will delight in the Holy One of Israel;

20. For the tyrant will be no more and the arrogant will have gone; All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,

20. for the tyrant will be no more, the scoffer has vanished and all those on the look-out for evil have been destroyed:

21. those whose mere word condemns a man, Who ensnare his defender at the gate, and leave the just man with an empty claim.

21. those who incriminate others by their words, those who lay traps for the arbitrator at the gate and groundlessly deprive the upright of fair judgement.

22. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham: Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of, nor shall his face grow pale.

22. That is why Yahweh, God of the House of Jacob, Abraham's redeemer, says this, 'No longer shall Jacob be disappointed, no more shall his face grow pale,

23. When his children see the work of my hands in his midst, They shall keep my name holy; they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob, and be in awe of the God of Israel.

23. for when he sees his children, my creatures, home again with him, he will acknowledge my name as holy, he will acknowledge the Holy One of Jacob to be holy and will hold the God of Israel in awe.

24. Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding, and those who find fault shall receive instruction.

24. Erring spirits will learn to understand and murmurers accept instruction.'