Isaiæ 29
1 Væ Ariel, Ariel civitas, quam expugnavit David: additus est annus ad annum: sollemnitates evolutæ sunt.
Alas for Ariel, Ariel, The city against which, David encamped, —Add ye a year to a year. Let the festivals, come round;
2 Et circumvallabo Ariel, et erit tristis et mœrens, et erit mihi quasi Ariel.
Yet will I bring Ariel into straits, —And she shall become a bewailing and wailing, Yea she shall become to me a veritable Hearth of God.
3 Et circumdabo quasi sphæram in circuitu tuo, et iaciam contra te aggerem, et munimenta ponam in obsidionem tuam.
And I will encamp round about against thee, —And lay siege against thee with a fort, And raise against thee siege-works;
4 Humiliaberis, de terra loqueris, et de humo audietur eloquium tuum: et erit quasi pythonis de terra vox tua, et de humo eloquium tuum mussitabit.
And thou shalt be brought low—Out of the earth, shalt thou speak, And out of the dust, shalt thou lower thine utterance, —And as one that hath a familiar spirit, Out of the earth, shall come thy voice, And out of the dust, thy speech shall chirp;
5 Et erit sicut pulvis tenuis multitudo ventilantium te: et sicut favilla pertransiens multitudo eorum, qui contra te prævaluerunt:
Then shall be as fine dust the multitude of thy foreigners, —And as chaff that passeth away, the multitude of tyrants; And it shall come to pass, in a twinkling, Suddenly,
6 eritque repente confestim. A Domino exercituum visitabitur in tonitruo, et commotione terræ, et voce magna turbinis et tempestatis, et flammæ ignis devorantis.
From Yahweh of hosts, shalt thou be visited, With thunder, and with earthquake and a great noise, hurricane and storm and flame of fire devouring;
7 Et erit sicut somnium visionis nocturnæ multitudo omnium gentium, quæ dimicaverunt contra Ariel, et omnes qui militaverunt, et obsederunt, et prævaluerunt adversus eam.
And it shall be like the dream of a night vision, With the multitude of all the nations who have been making war against Ariel, —Even with all who have been making war against her and her stronghold and who have been laying siege to her;
8 Et sicut somniat esuriens, et comedit, cum autem fuerit expergefactus, vacua est anima eius: et sicut somniat sitiens, et bibit, et postquam fuerit expergefactus, lassus adhuc sitit, et anima eius vacua est: sic erit multitudo omnium Gentium, quæ dimicaverunt contra montem Sion.
Yea it shall be As when the hungry man dreameth and lo! he is eating, But he awaketh, and his soul, is empty, Or as when the thirsty man dreameth and lo! he is drinking, But he awaketh and lo! he is faint and his soul, is craving, So, shall it be with the multitude of all the nations, that have come forth to war against Mount Zion.
9 Obstupescite, et admiramini, fluctuate, et vacillate: inebriamini, et non a vino: movemini, et non ab ebrietate.
Stand ye stock still and stare, Besmear your eyes and be blind, —They are drunken but not with wine, They reel, but not with strong drink;
10 Quoniam miscuit vobis Dominus spiritum soporis, claudet oculos vestros, prophetas et principes vestros, qui vident visiones, operiet.
For Yahweh, hath poured out upon you, a spirit of deep sleep, Yea hath tightly shut your eyes—the prophets, —And, your heads—the seers, hath he covered,
11 Et erit vobis visio omnium sicut verba libri signati, quem cum dederint scienti litteras, dicent: Lege istum: et respondebit: Non possum, signatus est enim:
And so all vision hath become unto you as the words of a writing that is sealed, Which is delivered unto one acquainted with writing, saying, Pray thee read this, And he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed;
12 Et dabitur liber nescienti litteras, diceturque ei: Lege: et respondebit: Nescio litteras.
And then the writing is delivered to one unacquainted with writing, saying, Pray thee read this, And he saith I am not acquainted with writing.
13 Et dixit Dominus: Eo quod appropinquat populus iste ore suo, et labiis suis glorificat me, cor autem eius longe est a me, et timuerunt me mandato hominum et doctrinis:
Wherefore My Lord hath said, —Because this people, hath drawn near with their mouth, And with their lips, have honoured me, But their heart, have they moved far from me, And so their reverence of me hath become A commandment of men in which they have been schooled,
14 Ideo ecce ego addam ut admirationem faciam populo huic miraculo grandi et stupendo: peribit enim sapientia a sapientibus eius, et intellectus prudentium eius abscondetur.
Therefore, behold me! again dealing wonderfully with this people, doing wonderfully a wonderful thing, —So shall perish, the wisdom of their wise men, And the intelligence of their intelligent men, shall vanish!
15 Væ qui profundi estis corde, ut a Domino abscondatis consilium: quorum sunt in tenebris opera, et dicunt: Quis videt nos, et, Quis novit nos?
Alas! for them who would fain have been too deep for Yahweh by giving secret counsel, —and therefore in the dark, have been their doings, and they have said Who can see us? and—Who can understand us?
16 Perversa est hæc vestra cogitatio: quasi si lutum contra figulum cogitet, et dicat opus factori suo: Non fecisti me: et figmentum dicat fictori suo: Non intelligis.
Your perverseness! As if like clay, the potter could be reckoned; For shall, the thing made say of him that made it, he made me not? Or hath the thing fashioned ever said of him that fashioned it, He hath no understanding.
17 Nonne adhuc in modico et in brevi convertetur Libanus in charmel, et charmel in saltum reputabitur.
Is it not yet a very little while, And Lebanon shall be turned, into garden land, —And garden land, for a forest, be reckoned?
18 Et audient in die illa surdi verba libri, et de tenebris et caligine oculi cæcorum videbunt.
Therefore, in that day, shall the deaf hear the words of a book, —And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see;
19 Et addent mites in Domino lætitiam, et pauperes homines in Sancto Israel exultabunt:
And again shall the humbled in Yahweh, have joy, —And the needy of mankind in the Holy One of Israel, exult;
20 quoniam defecit qui prævalebat, consummatus est illusor, et succisi sunt omnes qui vigilabant super iniquitatem:
For the tyrant, hath vanished, And the scoffer, is no more, Yea cut off are all who watch for iniquity: —
21 qui peccare faciebant homines in verbo, et arguentem in porta supplantabant, et declinaverunt frustra a iusto.
Who bring a man into condemnation with a rumour, And for him that decideth in the gate, lay a snare, —And have driven away, for a thing of nought, one who was righteous.
22 Propter hoc, hæc dicit Dominus ad domum Iacob, qui redemit Abraham: Non modo confundetur Iacob, nec modo vultus eius erubescet:
Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh, concerning the house of Jacob, [even he saith it] who redeemed Abraham, —Not now, shall, Jacob turn pale, And, not now, shall their faces whiten;
23 sed cum viderit filios suos, opera manuum mearum in medio sui sanctificantes nomen meum, et sanctificabunt Sanctum Iacob, et Deum Israel prædicabunt,
For, when he seeth his children the work of my hands, in his midst, They will hallow my Name, —Yea they will hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And the God of Israel, will they regard with awe.
24 et scient errantes spiritu intellectum, et mussitatores discent legem.
Then will they who erred in spirit comprehend, And the murmurers, accept instruction.
