29
XXIX
1Wo to Ariel, to Ariel,
The city where David dwelt!
Add ye year to year;
Let the feasts go round in their course.
2Yet I will bring distress upon Ariel;
And there shall be mourning and sorrow:
And it shall be unto me as Ariel.
3And I will encamp against thee round about,
And I will distress thee by a garrison;
And I will erect bulwarks against thee.
4And thou shalt be brought low; and thou shalt speak out of the ground,
And from out of the dust shall thy speech be heard in a low tone;
And thy voice shall come out of the ground, like that of a necromancer:
And from out of the dust shall thy speech whisper.
5Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust,
And like the flitting chaff the multitude of the terrible ones;
Yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
6From Jehovah of hosts cometh the visitation,
With thunder, and earthquake, and a mighty voice;
With storm, and tempest, and flame of devouring fire.
7And like a dream, a night vision, shall be
The multitude of all the nations,
That fight against Ariel;
Even all that fight against her, and her fortresses,
And that distress her.
8It shall even be,
As when a hungry man dreameth, and behold, he eateth;
But he awaketh, and his soul is empty:
Or, as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh;
But he awaketh, and behold, he is faint; and his soul hath a craving desire:
So shall the multitude of all nations be,
That fight against mount Zion.
9Stare ye now, and wonder!
Be ye dazzled and blinded!
They are drunken, but not with wine;
They stagger, but not with strong drink.
10For Jehovah hath poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep,
And he hath closed up your eyes:
The prophets, and your rulers, the seers hath he blindfolded.
11So that the whole vision is to you like the words of a sealed book,
Which men deliver to one that knoweth letters,
Saying, Read this, I pray thee;
And he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed up:
12And the book is delivered to one that knoweth not letters,
Saying, Read this, I pray thee;
And he saith, I know not letters.
13Wherefore the Lord hath said:
Forasmuch as this people draw near me
With their mouth, and with their lips do honour me,
But have removed their heart far from me;
And their fear of me is a precept taught of men:
14Therefore, behold, I will proceed to deal wonderfully
With this people; so wonderfully and astonishingly,
That the wisdom of the wise shall perish.
And the understanding of the prudent shall disappear.
15Wo unto them that seek with deep cunning to hide their counsel from Jehovah;
Whose deeds are in the dark;
And they say,
Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
16O your perverseness!
Shall the potter be esteemed as the day?
Shall the work say of the workman, He hath not made me?
And shall the thing formed say of the former of it, He hath no understanding?
17Is it not yet a very little while,
And Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
And the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?
18And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of this book;
And out of obscurity, and out of darkness,
Shall the eyes of the blind see.
19The meek also shall increase their joy in Jehovah;
And the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20For the oppressor hath ceased, and the scoffer is no more;
And all that were watching to do evil are utterly cut off:
21They who would bring in a man guilty for a word,
And lay snare for him when pleading his cause in the gate;
And for nought turn aside the just.
22Wherefore thus saith Jehovah to the house of Jacob,
He who hath redeemed Abraham:
Jacob shall no more be ashamed,
Neither shall his face any more wax pale:
23For when his children shall see the work of my hands in the midst of themselves,
They shall sanctify my name:
Yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
And shall fear the God of Israel.
24They also that have erred in spirit shall be full of understanding,
And murmurers shall learn knowledge.