| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. | 1Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David camped! Continue year after year; let the festivals recur. |
| 2Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation, and she shall be to me like an Ariel. | 2I will oppress Ariel, and there will be mourning and crying, and she will be to Me like an Ariel. |
| 3And I will encamp against you all around, and will besiege you with towers and I will raise siegeworks against you. | 3I will camp in a circle around you; I will besiege you with earth ramps, and I will set up my siege towers against you. |
| 4And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. | 4You will be brought down; you will speak from the ground, and your words will come from low in the dust. Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech will whisper from the dust. |
| 5But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly, | 5Your many foes will be like fine dust, and many of the ruthless, like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant, |
| 6you will be visited by the LORD of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire. | 6you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts with thunder, earthquake, and loud noise, storm, tempest, and a flame of consuming fire. |
| 7And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night. | 7All the many nations going out to battle against Ariel-- all the attackers, the siege works against her, and those who oppress her-- will then be like a dream, a vision in the night. |
| 8As when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he is eating, and awakes with his hunger not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he is drinking, and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched, so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion. | 8It will be like a hungry one who dreams he is eating, then wakes and is still hungry; and like a thirsty one who dreams he is drinking, then wakes and is still thirsty, longing for water. So it will be for all the many nations who go to battle against Mount Zion. |
| 9Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink! | 9Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with beer. |
| 10For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers). | 10For the LORD has poured out on you an overwhelming urge to sleep; He has shut your eyes--the prophets, and covered your heads--the seers. |
| 11And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” | 11For you the entire vision will be like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to one who can read and he is asked to read it, he will say, "I can't read it, because it is sealed." |
| 12And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.” | 12And if the document is given to one who cannot read and he is asked to read it, he will say, "I can't read." |
| 13And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, | 13The Lord said: Because these people approach Me with their mouths to honor Me with lip-service-- yet their hearts are far from Me, and their worship consists of man-made rules learned by rote-- |
| 14therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” | 14therefore I will again confound these people with wonder after wonder. The wisdom of their wise men will vanish, and the understanding of the perceptive will be hidden. |
| 15Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” | 15Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their plans from the LORD. They do their works in darkness, and say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" |
| 16You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? | 16You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay. How can what is made say about its maker," He didn't make me"? How can what is formed say about the one who formed it," He doesn't understand what he's doing"? |
| 17Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? | 17Isn't it true that in just a little while Lebanon will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest? |
| 18In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. | 18On that day the deaf will hear the words of a document, and out of a deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see. |
| 19The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. | 19The humble will have joy after joy in the LORD, and the poor people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. |
| 20For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, | 20For the ruthless one will vanish, the scorner will disappear, and all those who lie in wait with evil intent will be killed-- |
| 21who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right. | 21those who, with their speech, accuse a person of wrongdoing, who set a trap at the gate for the mediator, and without cause deprive the righteous of justice. |
| 22Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. | 22Therefore, the LORD who redeemed Abraham says this about the house of Jacob: Jacob will no longer be ashamed and his face will no longer be pale. |
| 23For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. | 23For when he sees his children, the work of My hands within his nation, they will honor My name, they will honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. |
| 24And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.” | 24Those who are confused will gain understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction. |
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