Isaiah 29

¹Woe to Ariel, to Ariel the city against which David fought: year has been added to year, the solemnities have unfolded.

²And I will surround Ariel with siege works, and it will be in sorrow and mourning, and it will be like Ariel to me.

³And I will surround you like a sphere all around you, and I will raise up a rampart against you, and I will set up fortifications to blockade you.

⁴You will be brought low. You will speak from the ground, and your eloquence will be heard from the dirt. And, from the ground, your voice will be like that of the python, and your eloquence will mumble from the dirt.

⁵And the multitude of those who fan you will be like fine dust. And the multitude of those who have prevailed against you will be like embers fading away.

⁶And this will happen suddenly and swiftly. It will be visited from the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquakes, and with the great noise of a whirlwind and a storm, and with a flame of devouring fire.

⁷And the multitude of all the nations that have struggled against Ariel will be like the dream of a vision by night, along with all who have battled, and besieged, and prevailed against it.

⁸And it will be like one who is hungry and dreams of eating, but, when he has been awakened, his soul is empty. And it will be like one who is thirsty and dreams of drinking, but, after he has been awakened, he still languishes in thirst, and his soul is empty. So shall the multitude of all the nations be, who have struggled against Mount Zion.

⁹Be stupefied and in wonder! Shake and quiver! Be inebriated, but not from wine! Stagger, but not from drunkenness!

¹⁰For the Lord has mixed for you a spirit of deep sleep. He will close your eyes. He will cover your prophets and leaders, who see visions.

¹¹And the vision of all will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which, when they have given it to someone who knows how to read, they will say, “Read this,” but he will respond, “I cannot; for it has been sealed.”

¹²But if the book is given to someone who does not know how to read, and it is said to him, “Read,” then he will respond, “I do not know how to read.”

¹³And the Lord said: Since this people have drawn near to me only with their mouth, and their lips glorify me while their heart is far from me, and their fear of me is based on the commandments and doctrines of men,

¹⁴for this reason, behold, I will proceed to accomplish a wonder for this people, a great and mystifying miracle. For wisdom will perish from their wise, and the understanding of their prudent will be concealed.

¹⁵Woe to you who use the depths of the heart, so that you may hide your intentions from the Lord. Their works are done in darkness, and so they say: “Who sees us?” and “Who knows us?”

¹⁶This intention of yours is perverse. It is as if the clay were to plan against the potter, or as if the work were to say to its maker: “You did not make me.” Or it is as if what has been formed were to say to the one who formed it, “You do not understand.”

¹⁷In not more than a little while and a brief time, Lebanon will be turned into a fruitful field, and a fruitful field will be considered to be a forest.

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

¹⁹And the meek will increase their rejoicing in the Lord, and the poor among men will exult in the Holy One of Israel.

²⁰For the one who was prevailing has failed, the one who was mocking has been consumed, and all those who were standing guard over iniquity have been cut down.

²¹For they caused men to sin by a word, and they supplanted him who argued against them at the gates, and they turned away from justice in vain.

²²Because of this, thus says the Lord, he who has redeemed Abraham, to the house of Jacob: From now on, Jacob will not be confounded; from now on his countenance will not blush with shame.

²³Instead, when he sees his children, they will be the work of my hands in his midst, sanctifying my name, and they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and they will preach the God of Israel.

²⁴And those who had gone astray in spirit will know understanding, and those who had murmured will learn the law.

Isaiah 29

¹Woe to Ariel, to Ariel the city which David took: year is added to year. the solemnities are at an end.

²And I will make a trench about Ariel, and it shall be in sorrow and mourning, and it shall be to me as Ariel.

³And I will make a circle round about thee, and I will cast up a rampart against thee, and raise up bulwarks to besiege thee.

⁴Thou shalt be brought down, thou shall speak out of the earth, and thy speech shall be heard out of the ground: and thy voice shall be from the earth like that of the python, and out of the earth thy speech shall mutter.

⁵And the multitude of them that fan thee, shall be like small dust: and as ashes passing away, the multitude of them that have prevailed against thee.

⁶And it shall be at an instant suddenly. A visitation shall come from the Lord of hosts in thunder, and with earthquake, and with a great noise of whirlwind and tempest; and with the flame of devouring fire.

⁷And the multitude of all nations that have fought against Ariel, shall be as the dream of a vision by night, and all that have fought, and besieged and prevailed against it.

⁸And as he that is hungry dreameth, and eateth, but when he is awake, his soul is empty: and as he that is thirsty dreameth, and drinketh and after he is awake, is yet faint with thirst, and his soul is empty: so shall be the multitude of all the Gentiles, that have fought against mount Sion.

⁹Be astonished, and wonder, waver, and stagger: be drunk, and not with wine: stagger, and not with drunkenness.

¹⁰For the Lord hath mingled for you the spirit of a deep sleep, he will shut up your eyes, he will cover your prophets and princes, that see visions.

¹¹And the vision of all shall be unto you as the words of a book that is sealed which when they shall deliver to one that is learned, they shall say: Read this: and he shall answer: I cannot, for it is sealed.

¹²And the book shall be given to one that knoweth no letters, and it shall be said to him: Read: and he shall answer: I know no letters.

¹³And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men:

¹⁴Therefore behold I will proceed to cause an admiration in this people, by a great and wonderful miracle: for wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

¹⁵Woe to you that are deep of heart, to hide your counsel from the Lord: and their works are in the dark, and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?

¹⁶This thought of yours is perverse: as if the clay should think against the potter, and the work should say to the maker thereof: Thou madest me not: or the thing framed should say to him that fashioned it: Thou understandest not.

¹⁷Is it not yet a very little while, and Libanus shall be turned into charmel, and charmel shall be esteemed as a forest?

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

¹⁹And the meek shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

²⁰For he that did prevail hath failed, the scorner is consumed, and they are all cut off that watched for iniquity:

²¹That made men sin by word, and supplanted him that reproved them in the gate, and declined in vain from the just.

²²Therefore thus saith the Lord to the house of Jacob, he that redeemed Abraham: Jacob shall not now be confounded, neither shall his countenance now be ashamed:

²³But when he shall see his children, the work of my hands in the midst of him sanctifying my name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall glorify the God of Israel:

²⁴And they that erred in spirit, shall know understanding, and they that murmured, shall learn the law.