Isaiah 29
29
The Siege of David’s City
1“Woe to Ariel # 29:1 Ariel is a name for the altar in the temple (see Ezek. 43:13–27, including footnote on 43:18). It is used as a metonymy for the entire city of Jerusalem. The meaning of Ariel is “lion of God” or “altar hearth.” —Ariel, the town where David encamped! # 29:1 Or “the town David besieged.”
Go ahead—keep your annual feasts,
and year after year celebrate your annual festivals.
2I will bring distress to Ariel and there will be great mourning.
Jerusalem will be to me as the meaning of the name Ariel—a burning altar hearth.
3I will lay siege to you on all sides, # 29:3 Or “Like David I will encamp against you” (LXX). encircling you with towers
and raising up my siege works against you.
4Brought low, you will speak from the dust of the earth.
Your voice will be heard speaking from the ground,
and like the voice of a ghost, you will whisper out of the dust. # 29:4 Isaiah is using a series of metaphors to describe Israel’s defeated condition, as though Israel is speaking out of the dust of defeat.
5Then suddenly, in an instant, your ruthless enemies
will become nothing more than dust in the wind
and your vile tyrants like wind-driven chaff!
6She will be visited by the Lord Yahweh,
Commander of Angel Armies,
with thunder, earthquake, and deafening noise,
with whirlwind, tempest, and the blaze of a consuming fire!
7As quickly as a fading dream or as fleeting as a vision of the night,
so will all the vast hordes of all the nations fade away
and all who war against Ariel # 29:7 Or “attack her and besiege her.” and her fortress disappear.
8Just as a hungry man dreams that he is eating
but wakes up still hungry, # 29:8 Or “Empty is his soul.”
or as a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking
but wakes up weak and still longing for water, # 29:8 Or “His soul is craving.”
so it will be for the vast hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.”
Insensitive to God
9Be totally shocked and amazed by what I am about to say to you:
“Blind yourselves—and be totally blind!
(They are drunk but not from wine.
They stagger but not from hard liquor.)
10For Yahweh has poured out over you
the spirit of a deep, deep sleep # 29:10 See Rom. 11:8. —
putting the covers over your slumbering seers # 29:10 Or “He has covered the heads of the seers.”
and rocking all your prophets to sleep.”
11This entire prophetic revelation will become to you like the words of a sealed book. If it’s given to one who can read it with the command “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t because it is sealed.” 12Or if it’s given to one who is illiterate with the command “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t because I cannot read.”
13This is what the Lord says about these people:
“They come near to me with hollow words
and honor me superficially with their lips;
all the while their hearts run far away from me!
Their worship is nothing more than man-made rules. # 29:13 Or “Their fear of me is motivated by man’s teaching [of a fear of punishment].” The Hebrew word for “teaching” is lamed, which traced back to its Semitic roots means “an oxgoad,” something used to punish or prod. It is teaching motivated by the fear of punishment.
14So therefore, I will again jolt this people awake
with astonishing wonders upon wonders!
And the wisdom of their wise ones will fail,
and the intelligent know-it-alls will have no explanations. # 29:14 Or “the discernment of the discerning ones will be kept hidden.” See 1 Cor. 1:18–31.
15Woe to you who think you can hide
your plan from the Lord Yahweh.
Ha! Do you actually think your secret schemes are so hidden
that you say, ‘Who sees us doing this?
No one knows what we’re doing!’
16Oh, how great is your perversion!
Who is more intelligent—the potter or the clay?
Should a created thing say to its creator,
‘You didn’t make # 29:16 Or “imagine” (Hb. yêtser). The root word of yêtser is yâtsar and has the primary meaning of “to form, fashion, frame, or make, especially as a potter.” Before you can form or frame something, it has to be imagined. The first use of yâtsar in the Bible is Yahweh forming man from the dust of the ground (see Gen. 2:7). me’?
Should a clay pot say to the potter, ‘You don’t understand’?”
Our Future Hope
17Before you know it, Lebanon will be transformed
into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will seem like a forest. # 29:17 Isaiah frequently used Lebanon as a metaphor for mighty ones and those with great influence (see Isa. 2:13; 10:34; 35:2). This phrase refers to a restoration of God’s people who have experienced humiliation.
18In that day the deaf will begin to hear
the words that have been written, # 29:18 That is, their hearts are now open and tender toward God.
and out of the darkness and gloom,
the eyes of the blind will be opened to see.
19The meek will overflow with fresh joy in the Lord Yahweh,
and the poor will shout their praises
to the Holy One of Israel!
20For the terrible one # 29:20 See 2 Thess. 2:3–8. will be no more,
the scornful jester will not be found,
and all the lovers of evil # 29:20 Or “all the watchers of wrong [those diligent to do evil].” This would include those who use their political power or influence to harm others. will be cut off.
21Those who make the innocent appear guilty,
those who ensnare others with deceitful tactics,
and those who lie to keep the innocent from getting justice
will likewise be destroyed.
22So now, listen to what Yahweh, the God of Israel, who redeemed Abraham, has to say to Jacob’s tribes:
“My people # 29:22 Or “Jacob,” a metonymy for God’s people, Israel. will no longer be disgraced,
and their shame-faces will disappear.
23For when they see the miracle of the many children
that I give them, they will see me as holy and honor me. # 29:23 Or “they will sanctify my name.”
Yes, they will honor the Holy One of Jacob
and stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24Those who are in spiritual error
will come to understanding,
and those who are always complaining
will be glad to accept instruction.”
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Isaiah 29: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationIsaiah 29
29
A Message about Jerusalem
1“What sorrow awaits Ariel,#29:1 Ariel sounds like a Hebrew term that means “hearth” or “altar.” the City of David.
Year after year you celebrate your feasts.
2Yet I will bring disaster upon you,
and there will be much weeping and sorrow.
For Jerusalem will become what her name Ariel means—
an altar covered with blood.
3I will be your enemy,
surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls.
I will build siege towers
and destroy it.
4Then deep from the earth you will speak;
from low in the dust your words will come.
Your voice will whisper from the ground
like a ghost conjured up from the grave.
5“But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be crushed
like the finest of dust.
Your many attackers will be driven away
like chaff before the wind.
Suddenly, in an instant,
6I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will act for you
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire.
7All the nations fighting against Jerusalem#29:7 Hebrew Ariel.
will vanish like a dream!
Those who are attacking her walls
will vanish like a vision in the night.
8A hungry person dreams of eating
but wakes up still hungry.
A thirsty person dreams of drinking
but is still faint from thirst when morning comes.
So it will be with your enemies,
with those who attack Mount Zion.”
9Are you amazed and incredulous?
Don’t you believe it?
Then go ahead and be blind.
You are stupid, but not from wine!
You stagger, but not from liquor!
10For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep.
He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries.
11All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, “We can’t read it because it is sealed.” 12When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say, “We don’t know how to read.”
13And so the Lord says,
“These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.#29:13 Greek version reads Their worship is a farce, / for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. Compare Mark 7:7.
14Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites
with amazing wonders.
The wisdom of the wise will pass away,
and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
15What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their evil deeds in the dark!
“The Lord can’t see us,” they say.
“He doesn’t know what’s going on!”
16How foolish can you be?
He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!
Should the created thing say of the one who made it,
“He didn’t make me”?
Does a jar ever say,
“The potter who made me is stupid”?
17Soon—and it will not be very long—
the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field,
and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.
18In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book,
and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.
19The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord.
The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20The scoffer will be gone,
the arrogant will disappear,
and those who plot evil will be killed.
21Those who convict the innocent
by their false testimony will disappear.
A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice
and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.
22That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel,#29:22 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 14:1.
“My people will no longer be ashamed
or turn pale with fear.
23For when they see their many children
and all the blessings I have given them,
they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob.
They will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24Then the wayward will gain understanding,
and complainers will accept instruction.
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