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).