Isaiah 29

1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the town where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let the festivals come round in order;

Woe to Ariel. Ariel, the city where David camped. Add year to year; let the feasts come around;

2 Yet will I distress Ariel, and there shall be groaning and wailing: and it shall be unto me like Ariel.

then I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning and lamentation. She shall be to me as an altar hearth.

3 And I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with hostile posts, and I will raise up entrenchments against thee.

And I will camp in a circle around you, and will lay siege against you with posted troops. I will raise siege works against you.

4 And brought down low, shalt thou speak [as though] out of the earth, and out of the dust shall come forth thy speech; and like one of a familiar spirit out of the earth shall be thy voice, and out of the dust shalt thou whisper forth thy speech.

You will be brought down, and will speak out of the ground. Your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will be as of one who has a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and your speech will whisper out of the dust.

5 And like the small dust shall be the multitude of thy barbarian enemies, and like the passing chaff the multitude of tyrants; and [this] shall be at unawares, suddenly.

But the multitude of your arrogant will be like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones like chaff that blows away. Yes, it will be in an instant, suddenly.

6 From the Lord of hosts shall the visitation come with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the devouring flame of fire.

She will be visited by the LORD of hosts with thunder, with earthquake, with great noise, with whirlwind and storm, and with the flame of a devouring fire.

7 And as a dream of a night-vision shall be the multitude of all the nations that go to war against Ariel, even all that fight against her and raise towers against her, and that distress her.

The multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

8 And it shall even be as when a hungry man dreameth, that, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty; or as when a thirsty man dreameth, that, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul yet longeth: so shall it be with the multitude of all the nations, that go to war against mount Zion.

It will be like when a hungry man dreams, and look, he eats; but he awakes, and his hunger isn't satisfied; or like when a thirsty man dreams, and look, he drinks; but he awakes, and look, he is faint, and he is still thirsty. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion will be like that.

9 Stay but still and wonder; turn your eyes away, and be blinded; they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

Pause and wonder. Blind yourselves and be blind. They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

10 For the Lord hath poured out over you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: [over] the prophets, and your chiefs, the seers, hath he cast a vail.

For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and he has covered your heads (the seers).

11 And the vision of every thing is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that can read, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

All vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is educated, saying, "Read this, please;" and he says, "I can't, for it is sealed:"

12 And the book is then delivered to one that cannot read, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot read.

and the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, "Read this, please;" and he says, "I can't read."

13 And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is but the acquired precept of men;

And the LORD said, "Because these people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching instructions that are the commandments of humans.

14 Therefore, behold, I will do yet farther a marvelous work with this people, doing wonder on wonder; so that the wisdom of their wise men shall be lost, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.

Therefore, look, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will nullify."

15 Woe unto those that seek to hide deeply their counsel from the Lord, so that their works may be in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from the LORD, and whose works are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us?" and "Who knows us?"

16 Oh your perverseness! shall the potter be esteemed as the clay? that the work shall say of its maker, He hath not made me? or shall the thing framed say of its framer, He had no understanding?

You turn things upside down. Should the potter be thought to be like clay; that the thing made should say about him who made it, "He did not make me;" or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding?"

17 Lo! but yet a very little while more, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest!

Isn't it yet a very little while, and Lebanon will be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will be regarded as a forest?

18 And on that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and out of obscurity, and out of darkness, shall the eyes of the blind see.

In that day, the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

19 And the sufferers shall have abundant joy in the Lord, and the needy among men shall be glad in the Holy One of Israel.

The humble also will increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among humankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the tyrant is no more, and consumed is the scorner, and cut off are all that watch for injustice;

For the ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do evil are cut off—

21 That cause mankind to sin by [their] word; and lay a snare for him that reproveth [them] in the gate; and pervert through fraud the cause of the just.

who cause a person to be indicted by a word, and lay a snare for the arbiter in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony.

22 Therefore thus hath said the Lord unto the house of Jacob, he who hath redeemed Abraham, Not now shall Jacob be ashamed, and not now shall his face be made pale.

Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall no longer be ashamed, neither shall his face grow pale.

23 For when he seeth his children, the work of my hands in the midst of him, how they sanctify my name: then will they sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and the God of Israel will they reverence.

But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they will sanctify my name. Yes, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24 They also that were erring in spirit shall acquire understanding, and they that murmured shall obtain instruction.

They also who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will receive instruction."