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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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Isaiah 29
29
Jerusalem Is Warned
1Woe (judgment is coming) to #Hebrew for “Lion of God,” referring to Jerusalem.Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David [once] camped!
Add #Lit year to year.yet another year; let the feasts run their course [but only one year more].
2Then I will harass Ariel,
And she will be a city of mourning and lamenting (crying out in grief)
Yet she will be like an #“Ariel” and the Hebrew word for “altar hearth” are spelled and pronounced the same.Ariel [an altar hearth] to Me.
3I will camp against you and encircle you,
And I will hem you in with siege works,
And I will raise fortifications against you.
4Then you [Jerusalem] will be brought low,
You will speak from the earth,
And from the dust where you lie face down
Your muffled words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a spirit from the earth [like one produced by a medium],
And your speech will whisper and squeak from the dust.
5But the multitude of your enemies [that assault you] will become like fine dust,
And the multitude of the tyrants like the chaff which #Lit passes.blows away;
And it will happen in an instant, suddenly [that your enemy is destroyed].
6You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel (Jerusalem),
Even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.
8It will be as when a hungry man dreams
That he is eating,
But when he awakens, his #Lit soul is empty.hunger is not satisfied;
Or as when a thirsty man dreams
That he is drinking,
But when he awakens, in fact, he is faint
And his thirst is not quenched.
So will the multitude of all the nations be
Who fight against Mount Zion.
9Stop and take some time and wonder [at this prophecy],
Blind yourselves and be blinded [at its fulfillment by your spiritual incompetence].
They are drunk, but not from wine;
They stagger, but not from strong drink.
10For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep.
He has closed your eyes, [you who are] the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, [you who are] the seers.
11The entire vision [of all these things] will be to you like the words of a scroll that is sealed, which they give to one who can read, saying, “Read this, please,” he shall say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12Then the book will be given to the one who cannot read, saying, “Read this, please.” And he will say, “I cannot read.”
13Then the Lord said,
“Because this nation approaches [Me only] with their words
And honors Me [only] with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me is a tradition that is learned by rote [without any regard for its meaning],
14Therefore, listen carefully, I will again do marvelous and amazing things with this people, wonderful and astonishing things;
And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the understanding of their discerning men will be hidden.”
15Woe (judgment is coming) to those who [try to] deeply hide their plans from the Lord,
Whose deeds are done in a dark place,
And who say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16You turn things upside down [with your perversity]!
Shall the potter be considered equal with the clay,
That the thing that is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or the thing that is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
Blessing after Discipline
17Is it not yet a very little while
Until Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field,
And the fertile field regarded as a forest?
18On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see [the words of the book].
19The afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord,
And the needy of mankind will rejoice and celebrate in the Holy One of Israel.
20For the tyrant will come to an end and the scorner will be finished,
Indeed all who are intent on doing evil will be cut off—
21Those who cause a person to be condemned with a [false] word,
And lay a trap for him who upholds justice at the [city] gate,
And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments.
22Therefore, the Lord, who redeemed Abraham [from paganism] says this, concerning the house of Jacob (Israel):
“Jacob will not be ashamed, nor will his face turn pale [with disappointment because of his children’s degenerate behavior];
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 will stand in awe and reverent fear of the God of Israel.
24Those who err in mind will know the truth,
And those who criticize and murmur discontentedly will accept instruction.
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