Isaiah 29:1-12 ▼

1 Woe, O Ariel, Ariel the city where David once camped! Add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule.

2 I will bring distress to Ariel, And she will be a city of mourning and moaning; And she will be like an Ariel to me.

3 And I will camp against you encircling you, And I will fortify siegeworks against you, And I will raise up fortifications against you.

4 Then you will 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 spirit from the ground, And your speech will whisper from the dust.

5 But it will be that the multitude of your enemies will become like fine dust, And the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which blows away; And it will happen instantly, suddenly.

6 From Yahweh of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

7 And it will be that the multitude of all the nations who wage war against Ariel, Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

8 And it will be as when a hungry man dreams— And behold, he is eating; But he awakens, and his soul is empty, Or as when a thirsty man dreams— And behold, he is drinking, But he awakens, and behold, he is faint, And his soul is not quenched. Thus the multitude of all the nations will be Who wage war against Mount Zion.

9 Astonish yourselves and be astonished, Blind yourselves and be blind; They become drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with strong drink.

10 For Yahweh has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep; He has 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 book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

12 Then the book will be given to the one who does not know how to read a book, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I do not know how to read a book.”