Open English Translation ISA Chapter 29

29 You won’t end well Ariel—the town where David camped.

Year follows year—let the holidays come around,

2 but I’ll bring distress to Ariel

and there’ll be mourning and wailing

and it’ll become like an altar hearth[fn] to me.

3 Then I’ll get troops to camp all around you and besiege you—

building towers and ramps against your fortified walls.

4 You’ll be brought down and will speak from the ground,

≈ and your words will come from the dust.

Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking out of the ground,

and your speech will whisper from the dust.

5 But the multitude of foreigners will be like fine dust,

≈ and that mass of ruthless people will be like chaff that gets blown away.

and it will happen so suddenly.

6 Commander-in-chief Yahweh will send thunder, an earthquake, and a loud noise,

a strong gale, a windstorm and a fire burning things up.

7 It’ll be like a dream—a vision in the night.

Many of the world’s nations will go to war against Ariel.

All those will attack its fortifications and put her under distress.

8 It’ll be like a hungry person dreaming and eating in the dream, then waking up with an empty stomach.

≈ Or like a thirsty person dreaming and drinking in the dream, then waking up with a dry throat and feeling faint.

That’s what it’ll be like for all those nations which go to war against Mt. Tsiyyon (Zion).

9 Astonish yourselves and be astonished.

≈ Blind yourselves and be blind.

Get drunk, but not with wine.

≈ Stagger, but not from strong drink,

10 because Yahweh has poured a spirit of deep sleep out onto you all,[ref]

and has shut your prophets’ eyes,

≈ and has covered your visionaries’ heads.

11 Then to you all, the entire vision will be like the words sealed in a scroll—

if it’s handed to a person who’s educated to read out, they’ll say, ‘I can’t, because it is sealed up.’

12 ^ Or if the scroll is given to an uneducated person to read out, they’ll say, ‘I can’t read.’

13 My master says,

“Yes, those people come close to me with what their mouths say,

≈ and honour me with lipservice,

but their heart is far from me,

≈ and their respect for me is just something that they’ve been taught to do.[ref]

14 Because of that, I’ll confound those people again with wonder upon wonder.

The wisdom of the wise will vanish,

≈ and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”[fn][ref]

15 Those who keep their plans down deep to hide them from Yahweh, won’t end well,

and they did what they wanted in dark places, saying, “Who can see us? Who could know what we’re doing?”

16 Your thinking is crazy!

It’s as if the potter’s clay, the thing that was made by him, would be considered to say, ‘He didn’t make me.’

≈ Or if the pot said to the potter, ‘He doesn’t understand.’[ref]

17 Hasn’t it been just a little while,

and Lebanon will turn into an orchard,

and the orchard will be considered as a forest?[ref]

18 At that time, deaf people will be able to hear the words from a scroll,

≈ and from their gloom and darkness, the eyes of blind people will be able to see.

19 The people of low status will be happy again because of Yahweh,

≈ and the poor people among us will celebrate because of Yisrael’s holy one,

20 because ruthless people and mockers will come to an end,

≈ and all those who plan wicked schemes will be eliminated—

21 those who give false evidence against a person,

and lay a trap at the city gate for the person who arbitrates,

and who deprive the innocent person of justice.

22 That’s why Yahweh (who redeemed Avraham) says this to Yakob’s descendants:

“My people will no longer be ashamed—

no longer will their faces be pale with fear,

23 because when they see their children who are the result of my work among them,

they will regard my name and reputation as sacred

≈ and they will regard me as sacred and and will show respect to me.

24 Then those whose spirits go astray, will know understanding,

≈ and those who murmur will learn insight.