Isaiah 29:1-30:17
New American Standard Bible
Jerusalem Is Warned
29 Woe, [a]Ariel, [b]Ariel the city where David once (A)camped!
Add year to year, [c](B)keep your feasts on schedule.
2 I will bring distress to Ariel,
And she will be a city of grieving and (C)mourning;
And she will be like an [d]Ariel to me.
3 I will (D)camp against you [e]encircling you,
And I will set up siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up battle towers against you.
4 Then you will (E)be brought low;
From the earth you will speak,
And from the dust where you are prostrate
Your words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a [f]spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 But the multitude of your [g]enemies will become like fine (F)dust,
And the multitude of the (G)ruthless ones like the chaff which [h]blows away;
And it will happen (H)instantly, suddenly.
6 From the Lord of armies you will be (I)punished with (J)thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 And the (K)multitude of all the nations who wage war against [i]Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a (L)vision of the night.
8 It will be as when a hungry person dreams—
And behold, he is eating;
But when he awakens, his [j]hunger is not satisfied,
Or as when a thirsty person dreams—
And behold, he is drinking,
But when he awakens, behold, he is faint
And his [k]thirst is not quenched.
(M)So will the multitude of all the nations be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
9 (N)Be delayed and horrified,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They (O)become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep (P)sleep,
He has (Q)shut your eyes—the prophets;
And He has covered your heads—the seers.
11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [l](R)book, which, when they give it to the one who [m]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12 Then the [n]book will be given to the one who [o]is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [p]cannot read.”
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because (S)this people approaches Me with their [q]words
And honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me,
And their [r]reverence for Me [s]consists of the commandment of men that is taught;
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal (T)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And (U)the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”
15 Woe to those who deeply (V)hide their [t]plans from the Lord,
And whose (W)deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “(X)Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered [u]as equal with the clay,
That (Y)what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
Blessing after Discipline
17 Is it not yet just a little while
[v]Before Lebanon will be turned into a (Z)fertile field,
And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
18 On that day those who are (AA)deaf will hear (AB)words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the (AC)eyes of those who are blind will see.
19 The (AD)afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord,
And the (AE)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the (AF)ruthless will come to an end and the (AG)scorner will be finished,
Indeed (AH)all who [w]are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,
21 Who [x]cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And (AI)set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate,
And [y](AJ)defraud the one in the right with [z]meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed (AK)Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob (AL)will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;
23 But when [aa]he sees his (AM)children, the (AN)work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will (AO)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who (AP)err in [ab]mind will (AQ)know [ac]the truth,
And those who [ad]criticize will [ae](AR)accept instruction.
Judah Warned against Egyptian Alliance
30 “Woe to the (AS)rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who (AT)execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [af](AU)make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who (AV)proceed down to Egypt
Without (AW)consulting [ag]Me,
(AX)To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh,
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be (AY)your shame,
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 For (AZ)their officials are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 Everyone will be (BA)ashamed because of a people who do not benefit them,
Who are (BB)not a help or benefit, but a source of shame and also disgrace.”
6 The pronouncement concerning the (BC)animals of the (BD)Negev:
Through a land of (BE)distress and anguish,
From [ah]where come lioness and lion, viper and (BF)flying serpent,
They (BG)carry their riches on the [ai]backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on (BH)camels’ humps,
To a people who will not benefit them;
7 Even Egypt, whose (BI)help is vain and empty.
Therefore, I have called [aj]her
“[ak](BJ)Rahab who has been exterminated.”
8 Now go, (BK)write it on a tablet in their presence
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may [al]serve in the time to come
[am]As a witness forever.
9 For this is a (BL)rebellious people, (BM)false sons,
Sons who [an]refuse to (BN)listen
To the [ao]instruction of the Lord;
10 Who say to the (BO)seers, “You must not see visions”;
And to the prophets, “You must not (BP)prophesy the truth to us.
(BQ)Speak to us [ap]pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
11 Get out of the way, (BR)turn aside from the path,
(BS)Stop speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel!”
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“(BT)Since you have rejected this word
And have put your trust in (BU)oppression and crookedness, and have relied on them,
13 Therefore this (BV)wrongdoing will be to you
Like a (BW)breach about to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose collapse comes (BX)suddenly in an instant,
14 Whose collapse is like the smashing of a (BY)potter’s jar,
[aq]So ruthlessly shattered
That a shard will not be found among its pieces
To [ar]take fire from a hearth
Or to scoop water from a cistern.”
15 For this is what the Lord [as]God, the Holy One of Israel, has said:
“In [at]repentance and (BZ)rest you will be saved,
In (CA)quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on (CB)horses!”
Therefore you shall flee!
“And we will ride on swift horses!”
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 (CC)One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left like a signal post on a mountain top,
And like a flag on a hill.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 29:1 I.e., Lion of God, or Jerusalem
- Isaiah 29:1 I.e., Lion of God, or Jerusalem
- Isaiah 29:1 Lit let your feasts run their round
- Isaiah 29:2 Ariel (i.e., Jerusalem) is a Heb word for “altar hearth” where offerings were burned
- Isaiah 29:3 Lit like a circle
- Isaiah 29:4 Or ghost
- Isaiah 29:5 Lit strangers
- Isaiah 29:5 Lit passes away
- Isaiah 29:7 See note 1 v 1
- Isaiah 29:8 Lit soul
- Isaiah 29:8 Lit soul
- Isaiah 29:11 Or scroll
- Isaiah 29:11 Lit knows books
- Isaiah 29:12 Or scroll
- Isaiah 29:12 Lit does not know books
- Isaiah 29:12 Lit do not know books
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit mouth
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit fear of Me
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit is
- Isaiah 29:15 Lit counsel
- Isaiah 29:16 Lit like
- Isaiah 29:17 Lit And
- Isaiah 29:20 Lit watch evil
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit bring a person under condemnation
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit turn aside
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit confusion
- Isaiah 29:23 Or his children see
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit spirit
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit understanding
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit murmur
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit learn
- Isaiah 30:1 Lit pour out a drink offering
- Isaiah 30:2 Lit My mouth
- Isaiah 30:6 Lit them
- Isaiah 30:6 Lit shoulders
- Isaiah 30:7 Lit this one
- Isaiah 30:7 MT They are Rahab or arrogance, to remain; i.e., Egypt, as a sea monster; see note Job 26:12
- Isaiah 30:8 Lit be
- Isaiah 30:8 As in most ancient versions; MT Forever and ever
- Isaiah 30:9 Lit are not willing
- Isaiah 30:9 Or Law
- Isaiah 30:10 Lit smooth things
- Isaiah 30:14 Lit Crushed, it will not be spared
- Isaiah 30:14 Lit snatch up
- Isaiah 30:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 30:15 Lit returning
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