29 It will be very bad for Ariel, the city where David lived. [ a ] Continue to have your usual feasts every year, but trouble will come!
2 I will bring trouble to Ariel. The people there will be very sad and they will weep. Ariel will become like my altar for burnt offerings. [ b ]
3 I will bring an army to attack you. There will be soldiers all round the city so that nobody can leave. I will build strong towers against the city's walls. 4 Then you will fall down to the ground. While you lie there, you will speak. Your words will come quietly from deep down in the dirt. It will seem like the voice of a dead person's spirit. You will sound like a magician who is speaking magic words.
5 Your enemies will be like an army of dust. The wind will blow away that crowd of cruel men as if they are chaff. That will all happen very suddenly! 6 The Lord Almighty will come with great power. He will come with thunder, earthquake and a loud noise. There will be a great storm with strong winds and a fire that burns up everything.
7 The great crowd of armies from all the nations that attack Ariel will quickly disappear. They will soon come to an end, like a dream that someone sees in the night. All the weapons that they bring to attack the city's walls will disappear!
8 A hungry man may dream that he is eating a big meal. But as soon as he wakes up, he knows that he is still hungry! A thirsty man may dream that he is drinking. But as soon as he wakes up, he knows that he is still weak and thirsty. That is what it will be like for the great armies from all the nations that have come to attack Mount Zion.
9 You are so surprised that you do not believe what I say. You have become completely blind. You are stupid, like people who are drunk, but not from wine! You fall over, but not because you have drunk too much beer!
10 It is the Lord who has caused you to be like that. He has caused you to be completely asleep. He has shut the eyes of your prophets and he has covered the heads of your seers.
11 You do not understand this vision that the Lord has given to me. It is like the words in a closed book. Give the book to someone who can read. Say to him, ‘Read this, please.’ But he will answer, ‘I cannot read it, because someone has closed it.’ 12 Give the book to someone who cannot read and tell them, ‘Read it, please.’ But he will answer, ‘I do not know how to read.’
13 The Lord God says, ‘These people open their mouths to worship me. They use their lips to say that I am great. But they are not really thinking about me. When they worship me, they use rules that people have taught them. 14 So now I will surprise these people again. I will surprise them with great miracles! Wise people will not seem wise any more. Clever people will no longer seem to be clever.’
15 It will be very bad for people who try to deceive the Lord . They try to hide their thoughts from him. They secretly decide to do evil things. They boast and they say, ‘Nobody can see us. Nobody knows what we are doing.’
16 Your minds are really confused! You think that the clay is more important than the person who uses it to make pots! A bowl cannot say to its maker, ‘You did not make me!’ A pot cannot say to the potter, ‘You do not know what you are doing!’
17 Very soon, Lebanon's forest will become a field of fruit trees. And the field of fruit trees will seem like a forest. 18 At that time, deaf people will be able to hear when someone is reading words from a book. Blind people who have been living in a dark place will be able see what is happening. 19 And the Lord will make weak people happy again. Poor people will sing with joy, because of what the Holy God of Israel has done.
20 Cruel people will disappear. Proud people who insult others will no longer be there. There will be no more people who love to do evil things.
21 It will be the same for people who tell lies in court. They deceive the judge at the city gate. They say false things against good people to make them guilty. People who are like that will have gone!
22 So this is what the Lord says to Jacob's descendants. He is the one who rescued Abraham. He says, ‘Jacob's descendants will no longer be ashamed. Their faces will show their shame no more. 23 They will see that I have blessed them so that they have many children. Then they will agree that I am great. They will praise me, the Holy God of Jacob. They will respect me, Israel's God.
24 At that time, people with minds that are confused will understand what is right. And people who like to complain will accept my teaching.’
29 God says, “Look at Ariel, [ a ] the city where David camped. Keep on having your festivals, year after year. 2 But I will punish Ariel. The city will be filled with sadness and crying, but it will always be my Ariel.
3 “I will put armies all around you, Ariel. I will raise war towers against you. 4 You will be pulled to the ground. Your voice will rise from the ground like the voice of a ghost. Your words come like a whisper from the dirt.”
5 There will be so many foreigners that they will be like dust. Cruel people will be like the chaff blowing in the wind. Then suddenly, 6 the Lord All-Powerful will punish you with earthquakes, thunder, and loud noises. There will be storms, strong winds, and a burning, destructive fire. 7 Many nations will fight against Ariel. It will be a nightmare. Armies will surround Ariel and punish her. 8 But it will also be like a dream to those armies. They will not get what they want. It will be like a hungry man dreaming about food. When the man wakes up, he is still hungry. It will be like a thirsty man dreaming about water. When the man wakes up, he is still thirsty. The same thing is true about all the nations fighting against Zion. Those nations will not get what they want.
9 Be surprised and amazed!
You will become drunk, but not from wine.
Look and be amazed!
You will stumble and fall, but not from beer.
10 The Lord will make you sleepy.
He will close your eyes. (The prophets are your eyes.)
He will cover your heads. (The prophets are your heads.)
11 To you my words are like the words in a book that is closed and sealed. [ b ] You can give the book to someone who can read and tell that person to read it. But that person will say, “I cannot read the book. It is closed and I cannot open it.” 12 Or you can give the book to someone who cannot read and tell that person to read it. That person will say, “I cannot read the book because I don’t know how to read.”
13 The Lord says, “These people come to honor me with words, but I am not really important to them. The worship they give me is nothing but human rules they have memorized. 14 So I will continue to amaze them by doing powerful and amazing things. Their wise men will lose their wisdom. Even the most intelligent among them will not be able to understand.”
15 Look at them! They try to hide things from the Lord . They think he will not understand. They do their evil things in darkness. They tell themselves: “No one can see us. No one will know who we are.”
16 You turn things upside down. You think the clay is equal to the potter. You think that something that is made can tell the one who made it, “You did not make me!” This is like a pot telling its maker, “You know nothing.”
17 This is the truth: After a very short time, Lebanon will become rich farmland, and the farmland will be like thick forests. 18 The deaf will hear the words in the book. The blind will see through the darkness and fog. 19 The Lord will make poor people happy. The poorest people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 This will happen when the people who are mean and cruel have come to an end. It will happen when those who enjoy doing bad things are gone. 21 (They lie about good people. They try to trap people in court. They try to destroy innocent people.)
22 So the Lord , who made Abraham free, speaks to Jacob’s family. He says, “Now the people of Jacob will not be embarrassed and ashamed.
23 Yes, when they see all their children,
the children I myself have made for them,
they will honor [ c ] my name as holy.
They will respect the God of Israel.
24 Many of these people did not understand, so they did what was wrong. They complained, but now they will learn their lesson.”
29 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.
2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.
3 And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.
4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.
5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
6 Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.
7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.
8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.
9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord , and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?
18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord , and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:
21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.
22 Therefore thus saith the Lord , who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.
23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.
24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
29 Woe, [ a ] Ariel, [ b ] Ariel the city where David once ( A ) camped!
Add year to year, [ c ] ( B ) keep your feasts on schedule.
2 I will bring distress to Ariel,
And she will be a city of grieving and ( C ) mourning;
And she will be like an [ d ] Ariel to me.
3 I will ( D ) camp against you [ e ] encircling you ,
And I will set up siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up battle towers against you.
4 Then you will ( E ) be 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 [ f ] spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 But the multitude of your [ g ] enemies will become like fine ( F ) dust,
And the multitude of the ( G ) ruthless ones like the chaff which [ h ] blows away;
And it will happen ( H ) instantly, suddenly.
6 From the Lord of armies you will be ( I ) punished with ( J ) thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 And the ( K ) multitude of all the nations who wage war against [ i ] Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a ( L ) vision of the night.
8 It will be as when a hungry person dreams—
And behold, he is eating;
But when he awakens, his [ j ] hunger 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 [ k ] thirst is not quenched.
( M ) So will the multitude of all the nations be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
9 ( N ) Be delayed and horrified,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They ( O ) become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep ( P ) sleep,
He has ( Q ) shut your eyes—the prophets;
And He has covered your heads—the seers.
11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [ l ] ( R ) book, which, when they give it to the one who [ m ] is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12 Then the [ n ] book will be given to the one who [ o ] is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [ p ] cannot read.”
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because ( S ) this people approaches Me with their [ q ] words
And honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me,
And their [ r ] reverence for Me [ s ] consists of the commandment of men that is taught;
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal ( T ) marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And ( U ) the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”
15 Woe to those who deeply ( V ) hide their [ t ] plans from the Lord ,
And whose ( W ) deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “ ( X ) Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered [ u ] as equal with the clay,
That ( Y ) what 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”?
17 Is it not yet just a little while
[ v ] Before Lebanon will be turned into a ( Z ) fertile field,
And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
18 On that day those who are ( AA ) deaf will hear ( AB ) words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the ( AC ) eyes of those who are blind will see.
19 The ( AD ) afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord ,
And the ( AE ) needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ( AF ) ruthless will come to an end and the ( AG ) scorner will be finished,
Indeed ( AH ) all who [ w ] are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,
21 Who [ x ] cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And ( AI ) set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate,
And [ y ] ( AJ ) defraud the one in the right with [ z ] meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore this is what the Lord , who redeemed ( AK ) Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob ( AL ) will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;
23 But when [ aa ] he sees his ( AM ) children, the ( AN ) work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will ( AO ) sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who ( AP ) err in [ ab ] mind will ( AQ ) know [ ac ] the truth,
And those who [ ad ] criticize will [ ae ] ( AR ) accept instruction.
29 Woe ( A ) to you, Ariel, Ariel, ( B )
the city ( C ) where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals ( D ) go on.
2 Yet I will besiege Ariel; ( E )
she will mourn and lament, ( F )
she will be to me like an altar hearth. [ a ] ( G )
3 I will encamp against you on all sides;
I will encircle ( H ) you with towers
and set up my siege works ( I ) against you.
4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble ( J ) out of the dust. ( K )
Your voice will come ghostlike ( L ) from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper. ( M )
5 But your many enemies will become like fine dust, ( N )
the ruthless ( O ) hordes like blown chaff. ( P )
Suddenly, ( Q ) in an instant,
6 the Lord Almighty will come ( R )
with thunder ( S ) and earthquake ( T ) and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest ( U ) and flames of a devouring fire. ( V )
7 Then the hordes of all the nations ( W ) that fight against Ariel, ( X )
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream, ( Y )
with a vision in the night—
8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
but awakens ( Z ) hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
but awakens faint and thirsty still. ( AA )
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion. ( AB )
9 Be stunned and amazed, ( AC )
blind yourselves and be sightless; ( AD )
be drunk, ( AE ) but not from wine, ( AF )
stagger, ( AG ) but not from beer.
10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep: ( AH )
He has sealed your eyes ( AI ) (the prophets); ( AJ )
he has covered your heads (the seers). ( AK )
11 For you this whole vision ( AL ) is nothing but words sealed ( AM ) in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
13 The Lord says:
“These people ( AN ) come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips, ( AO )
but their hearts are far from me. ( AP )
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught. [ b ] ( AQ )
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder; ( AR )
the wisdom of the wise ( AS ) will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. ( AT ) ”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide ( AU ) their plans from the Lord ,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? ( AV ) Who will know?” ( AW )
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! ( AX )
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed ( AY ) it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter, ( AZ )
“You know nothing”? ( BA )
17 In a very short time, ( BB ) will not Lebanon ( BC ) be turned into a fertile field ( BD )
and the fertile field seem like a forest? ( BE )
18 In that day ( BF ) the deaf ( BG ) will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness ( BH )
the eyes of the blind will see. ( BI )
19 Once more the humble ( BJ ) will rejoice in the Lord ;
the needy ( BK ) will rejoice in the Holy One ( BL ) of Israel.
20 The ruthless ( BM ) will vanish, ( BN )
the mockers ( BO ) will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil ( BP ) will be cut down—
21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court ( BQ )
and with false testimony ( BR ) deprive the innocent of justice. ( BS )
22 Therefore this is what the Lord , who redeemed ( BT ) Abraham, ( BU ) says to the descendants of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed; ( BV )
no longer will their faces grow pale. ( BW )
23 When they see among them their children, ( BX )
the work of my hands, ( BY )
they will keep my name holy; ( BZ )
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One ( CA ) of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward ( CB ) in spirit will gain understanding; ( CC )
those who complain will accept instruction.” ( CD )
