Isaiah 29
29
Night Vision of Ariel
1Oy , Ariel, Ariel! City where David camped. Year to year again—festivals in a cycle.
2But I will distress Ariel. There will be lamenting and moaning— then will she be like Ariel to Me?
3I will encamp against you all around, I will set up siege-works against you and will raise up ramps against you.
4You will be brought low, you will speak from the ground. From the dust where you are prostrate your speech will come. Your voice will be like a ghost out of the ground, and your speech will whisper out of the dust.
5Yet the multitude of your foes will become like fine dust, and the multitude of the terrifying like chaff that passes away. It will happen in an instant, suddenly.
6You will be visited by Adonai-Tzva’ot with thunder, earthquake, huge noise, whirlwind and storm-wind, and the flame of a consuming fire.
7It will be like a dream, a night vision: the multitude of all the nations warring against Ariel, yes, all warring against her, the ramparts around her and her besiegers.
8It will be like a hungry man dreaming and behold, he is eating, but awakes with his hunger unsatisfied, or like a thirsty man dreaming and behold, he is drinking, but awakes faint, his soul thirsting. So it will be with the multitude of all the nations warring against Mount Zion.
9Wait, and be astounded! Blind yourselves, and be blind! Drunk, but not with wine, Stagger, but not with strong drink.
10For Adonai has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep, and has shut your eyes—the prophets, and covered your heads—the seers.
11So this entire vision is for you like the words of a sealed scroll, which they give to one who knows books, saying, “Read this, please,” but he says, “I can’t, because it’s sealed.”
12Then the scroll is given to one who does not know books, saying, “Read this, please,” but he says, “I don’t know books.”
13So Adonai says, “Since these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, yet their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a mitzvah taught by men.
14Therefore, behold, once more I will do a marvelous work among this people— a marvel and a wonder— so the wisdom of their wise will perish, and the discernment of their discerning will be concealed.”
15Oy , those who go to great depths to hide their plans from Adonai! Their works are in the dark. They say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
16Your perversity! Should the potter be regarded the same as the clay? Should the thing made say to its maker, “You did not make me”? Or the thing formed say of its former, “You have no understanding?”
17Will it not be just a very little while before Lebanon turns into a garden, and a garden will seem like a forest?
18In that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
19The meek will add to their joy in Adonai, and the needy of humanity will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20For the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished, and all watching to do evil cut off.
21Those who make a man out to be guilty with a word, and trap him who reproves at the gate, and deny justice with meaninglessness.
22Therefore, thus says Adonai, Redeemer of Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob will no longer be ashamed, no longer will his face grow pale;
23for when he sees his children, the work of My hands in his midst, they will sanctify My Name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24Those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will learn instruction.”
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Isaiah 29: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Isaiah 29
29
Judgment and Deliverance of Jerusalem
1Ah! Ariel, Ariel,#Ariel: a poetic name for Jerusalem. It has been variously interpreted to mean “lion of God,” “altar hearth of God” (Ez 43:15–16), “city of God,” or “foundation of God.” In v. 2 the term refers to “altar hearth,” i.e., a place of burning for its people (cf. 30:33; 31:9). God will attack Jerusalem, as David did long ago.
city where David encamped!
Let year follow year,
and feast follow feast,#2 Sm 5:6–9.
2But I will bring distress upon Ariel,
and there will be mourning and moaning.
You shall be to me like Ariel:#Is 33:7.
3I will encamp like David against you;
I will circle you with outposts
and set up siege works against you.#2 Kgs 25:1; Ez 4:2.
4You shall speak from beneath the earth,
and from the dust below, your words shall come.
Your voice shall be that of a ghost from the earth,
and your words shall whisper from the dust.#Is 8:19; 1 Sm 28:14.
5The horde of your arrogant shall be like fine dust,
a horde of tyrants like flying chaff.#Is 17:13; Ps 18:43; Jb 21:18.
Then suddenly, in an instant,
6you shall be visited by the Lord of hosts,
With thunder, earthquake, and great noise,
whirlwind, storm, and the flame of consuming fire.#Is 30:27, 30.
7#Just when the attackers think their capture of Jerusalem is certain, the Lord will snatch victory from their hands and save the city. The sudden shift from the Lord’s attack on the city to its deliverance by him is surprising and unexplained; it may reflect the account related in 37:36. Then like a dream,
a vision of the night,
Shall be the horde of all the nations
who make war against Ariel:
All the outposts, the siege works against it,
all who distress it.
8As when a hungry man dreams he is eating
and awakens with an empty stomach,
Or when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking
and awakens faint, his throat parched,
So shall the horde of all the nations be,
who make war against Mount Zion.
Blindness and Perversity
9#Despite their show of piety, Judah’s leaders refused to accept the prophet’s words of assurance. They rejected prophetic advice (cf. 30:10–11), did not consult the prophetic oracle in forming their political plans (30:1–2; 31:1), and tried to hide their plans even from God’s prophet (v. 15), who, they thought, simply did not understand military and political reality. Stupefy yourselves and stay stupid;
blind yourselves and stay blind!
You who are drunk, but not from wine,
who stagger, but not from strong drink!#Is 19:14; 28:7–8.
10For the Lord has poured out on you
a spirit of deep sleep.
He has shut your eyes (the prophets)
and covered your heads (the seers).#Prophets…seers: interpretive glosses. #Is 6:10; Rom 11:8.
11For you the vision of all this has become like the words of a sealed scroll. When it is handed to one who can read, with the request, “Read this,” the reply is, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12When the scroll is handed to one who cannot read, with the request, “Read this,” the reply is, “I cannot read.”
13The Lord said:
Since this people draws near with words only
and honors me with their lips alone,
though their hearts are far from me,
And fear of me has become
mere precept of human teaching,#Ez 33:31; Mt 15:8–9; Mk 7:6–7.
14Therefore I will again deal with this people
in surprising and wondrous fashion:
The wisdom of the wise shall perish,
the prudence of the prudent shall vanish.#Jer 49:7; 1 Cor 1:19.
15Ah! You who would hide a plan
too deep for the Lord!
Who work in the dark, saying,
“Who sees us, who knows us?”#Is 30:1–2; 31:1; Ez 8:12; Jn 3:19–20.
16Your perversity is as though the potter
were taken to be the clay:
As though what is made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me!”
Or the vessel should say of the potter,
“He does not understand.”#Is 45:9; Jer 18:6; Rom 9:20.
Redemption#The prophet presents the positive aspects of God’s plan in terms of a series of reversals: an end to pride, ignorance, and injustice. Cf. 32:3–5.
17Surely, in a very little while,
Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be considered a forest!#Is 32:15.
18On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a scroll;
And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.#Is 35:5; 42:6–7.
19The lowly shall again find joy in the Lord,
the poorest rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.#Is 61:1–2.
20For the tyrant shall be no more,
the scoffer shall cease to be;
All who are ready for evil shall be cut off,#Is 28:22.
21those who condemn with a mere word,
Who ensnare the defender at the gate,
and leave the just with an empty claim.#Is 5:23; 10:1–2; Am 5:10, 12.
22Therefore thus says the Lord,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:#Who redeemed Abraham: perhaps by revealing himself and delivering Abraham from idolatrous worship; cf. Gn 12:1–3; 17:1; Jos 24:2–3.
No longer shall Jacob be ashamed,
no longer shall his face grow pale.#Is 45:17.
23For when his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall sanctify my name;
they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
be in awe of the God of Israel.#Is 8:12–13.
24Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
those who find fault shall receive instruction.
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