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Isaiah 29
The Voice
Isaiah 29
The Voice
For generation after generation of God’s people who have watched their country being attacked repeatedly and humbled by their enemies, Isaiah’s words must provide a great deal of comfort. Nothing could be more traumatic than to know that the temple to the one True God is under siege and finally destroyed. When Isaiah’s words are heard, many audiences must think of a restored temple in Jerusalem. God Himself is promising to lay the foundation for that restored temple, assuring that those who trust in His work will never have to rush around again to figure out how to save themselves from another invader. God’s foundation will hold firm, no matter what, so there is every reason to be confident.
Early Christians see in Isaiah’s message a promise of a new temple, a temple not made with hands. Simon, whom Jesus names “Rock” (Peter), refers to this prophecy when he writes of believers coming to Jesus to form a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:6). Jesus’ followers confess Him to be the stone that forms the foundation for God’s new temple. He is the cornerstone: though rejected by some, He is chosen and precious in God’s sight.
29 O Ariel, woe to you Ariel, our Jerusalem,
where David set up his camp to stay.
Go ahead, go on with your fruitless festivals,
your calendar of events, year in and year out.
2 In the meantime, I will trouble Ariel to the point of mourning and crying.
She will be for me a fiery hearth.
3 I will surround you, enclose you, cut you off.
I will isolate you from aid or reprieve;
I will attack the city walls with towers and siege works.
4 That will humble you so low, you’ll speak from the earth itself.
And when you do, your voice will issue from the very dust where you lie;
Your voice will rise from the ground like the voice of a ghost,
like a soft whisper from the earth.
5 But in an instant your ruthless enemies, who seem too many to count,
will become as fluttering dust, as wind-driven chaff.
They will be blown away in the snap of a finger.
6 For the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, will visit you
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
With raging wind and tempest and consuming fire.
7 And all those armies intent on destroying Ariel,
that great international coalition of Jerusalem’s enemies
Battering against the city of God, will disappear.
They’ll evaporate like a night’s dream in the light of day.
8 As when a starving person dreams of eating at a banquet and wakes hungry,
or a thirsty person drinking his fill in sleepy night visions
Finds himself still parched when the morning comes,
that’s how it will be for the horde attacking Mount Zion, His chosen place.
9 But it will take some time. Wait and wonder.
In the meantime, make yourselves unable to see or understand.
Make yourselves drunk and unsteady,
but not from wine or liquor.
10 For the Eternal One has poured you a cup of sleep—
deep, heavy sleep.
O prophets and seers, He has closed your eyes and covered your heads.
11-12 Everything God is disclosing to you will be like the words recorded in a book that is sealed. When it is given to one who is literate, he can’t read it because it is sealed. When it is given to one who is illiterate, he can’t read it because he doesn’t know how.
The prophet’s message seems inaccessible or unintelligible to many. For some, a few rituals are enough. But a relationship with God demands a complete commitment to something, Someone greater.
Eternal One: 13 These people think they can draw near to Me by saying the right things,
by honoring Me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from Me.
Their worship of Me consists of man-made traditions learned by rote;
it is a meaningless sham.[a]
14 Therefore, I will do something extraordinary with this people.
I will add wonder to wonders—
Shut down the wisdom of their wise
and hide what the discerning have figured out.
15 Oh, it’ll be bad for those of you who conceal your thoughts from the Eternal,
who do your deeds in the dark and say:
“Who sees us? Who knows what we are doing?”
Do they really think that God cannot know what they have hidden, so dark and deep? They are sure to be surprised.
16 My goodness, how you’ve turned things around!
You seem to think that the potter is equal to the clay;
Should the pot say about the potter, “He didn’t make me”?
Or does the thing formed say about the one who formed it,
“He doesn’t understand anything”?
17 Surely you know that in just a little while
the forests that clothe Lebanon will become rich fields
And the fields will be considered as valuable as the forests.
18 Then the deaf will hear the words read from a book,
and darkness and gloom will fall from the eyes of the blind.
19 A renewed sense of joy will come over the humble, thanks to the Eternal;
and joyous celebrations will break out among the poor, because of the Holy One of Israel.
20 For cruelty and mean-spiritedness will come to an end,
and those who laugh dismissively will be silenced.
All those who are determined to do evil will be cut down.
21 Those who level a false charge against an innocent person,
who twist an honest testimony and tell lies
in order to incriminate the innocent, will be stopped.
22 So the Eternal One, who rescued Abraham, says concerning Jacob:
Eternal One: The people of Jacob’s line will no longer be ashamed,
nor will they grow pale with embarrassment.
23 For when they lay eyes on their children, the work of My hands,
they will protect My name and keep it holy.
They will recognize that I am sacred, the Holy One of Jacob,
and stand in awe of Me, the God of Israel.
24 Whoever thought otherwise and wandered off will know the truth,
and whoever said otherwise and voiced criticism will quietly learn.
Footnotes
Isaiah 29
Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 29
Christian Standard Bible
Woe to Jerusalem
29 Woe to Ariel,[a] Ariel,
the city where David camped!(A)
Continue year after year;
let the festivals recur.
2 I will oppress Ariel,
and there will be mourning and crying,
and she will be to me like an Ariel.
3 I will camp in a circle around you;
I will besiege you with earth ramps,
and I will set up my siege towers against you.
4 You will be brought down;
you will speak from the ground,
and your words will come from low in the dust.
Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground;(B)
your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 Your many foes[b] will be like fine dust,(C)
and many of the ruthless, like blowing chaff.
Then suddenly, in an instant,(D)
6 you will be punished by the Lord of Armies
with thunder, earthquake, and loud noise,
storm, tempest, and a flame of consuming fire.(E)
7 All the many nations(F)
going out to battle against Ariel—
all the attackers, the siege works against her,
and those who oppress her—
will then be like a dream, a vision in the night.(G)
8 It will be like a hungry one who dreams he is eating,
then wakes and is still hungry;
and like a thirsty one who dreams he is drinking,
then wakes and is still thirsty, longing for water.
So it will be for all the many nations
who go to battle against Mount Zion.
9 Stop and be astonished;
blind yourselves and be blind!
They are drunk,[c] but not with wine;
they stagger,[d] but not with beer.(H)
10 For the Lord has poured out on you
an overwhelming urge to[e] sleep;(I)
he has shut your eyes (the prophets)
and covered your heads (the seers).(J)
11 For you the entire vision will be like the words of a sealed document.(K) If it is given to one who can read and he is asked to read it,[f] he will say, “I can’t read it, because it is sealed.” 12 And if the document is given to one who cannot read and he is asked to read it,[g] he will say, “I can’t read.”
13 The Lord said:
These people approach me with their speeches(L)
to honor me with lip-service,[h]
yet their hearts are far from me,
and human rules direct their worship of me.[i]
14 Therefore, I will again confound these people
with wonder after wonder.(M)
The wisdom of their wise will vanish,(N)
and the perception of their perceptive will be hidden.
15 Woe to those who go to great lengths
to hide their plans from the Lord.(O)
They do their works in the dark,
and say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” (P)
16 You have turned things around,
as if the potter were the same as the clay.
How can what is made say about its maker,
“He didn’t make me”?(Q)
How can what is formed
say about the one who formed it,
“He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”?
17 Isn’t it true that in just a little while
Lebanon will become an orchard,
and the orchard will seem like a forest?(R)
18 On that day the deaf will hear(S)
the words of a document,
and out of a deep darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
19 The humble will have joy
after joy in the Lord,
and the poor people will rejoice(T)
in the Holy One of Israel.(U)
20 For the ruthless one will vanish,
the scorner will disappear,(V)
and all those who lie in wait with evil intent
will be killed—
21 those who, with their speech,
accuse a person of wrongdoing,
who set a trap for the one mediating at the city gate
and without cause deprive the righteous of justice.(W)
22 Therefore, the Lord who redeemed Abraham(X) says this about the house of Jacob:
Jacob will no longer be ashamed,
and his face will no longer be pale.
23 For when he sees his children,
the work of my hands within his nation,
they will honor my name,
they will honor the Holy One of Jacob(Y)
and stand in awe of the God of Israel.(Z)
24 Those who are confused will gain understanding,
and those who grumble will accept instruction.
Footnotes
- 29:1 Or Altar Hearth, or Lion of God; Hb obscure, also in v. 2
- 29:5 Lit foreigners
- 29:9 LXX, Tg, Vg read Be drunk
- 29:9 Tg, Vg read wine; stagger
- 29:10 Lit you a spirit of
- 29:11 Lit If one gives it to one who knows the document, saying, “Read this, please”
- 29:12 Lit who does not know the document, saying, “Read this, please”
- 29:13 Lit their mouth and honor me with its lips
- 29:13 Lit their fearing of me is a taught command of men
Isaiah 29
New International Version
Isaiah 29
New International Version
Woe to David’s City
29 Woe(A) to you, Ariel, Ariel,(B)
the city(C) where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals(D) go on.
2 Yet I will besiege Ariel;(E)
she will mourn and lament,(F)
she will be to me like an altar hearth.[a](G)
3 I will encamp against you on all sides;
I will encircle(H) you with towers
and set up my siege works(I) against you.
4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble(J) out of the dust.(K)
Your voice will come ghostlike(L) from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.(M)
5 But your many enemies will become like fine dust,(N)
the ruthless(O) hordes like blown chaff.(P)
Suddenly,(Q) in an instant,
6 the Lord Almighty will come(R)
with thunder(S) and earthquake(T) and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest(U) and flames of a devouring fire.(V)
7 Then the hordes of all the nations(W) that fight against Ariel,(X)
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,(Y)
with a vision in the night—
8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
but awakens(Z) hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
but awakens faint and thirsty still.(AA)
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.(AB)
9 Be stunned and amazed,(AC)
blind yourselves and be sightless;(AD)
be drunk,(AE) but not from wine,(AF)
stagger,(AG) but not from beer.
10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:(AH)
He has sealed your eyes(AI) (the prophets);(AJ)
he has covered your heads (the seers).(AK)
11 For you this whole vision(AL) is nothing but words sealed(AM) in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
13 The Lord says:
“These people(AN) come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,(AO)
but their hearts are far from me.(AP)
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.[b](AQ)
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;(AR)
the wisdom of the wise(AS) will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.(AT)”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide(AU) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us?(AV) Who will know?”(AW)
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!(AX)
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed(AY) it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,(AZ)
“You know nothing”?(BA)
17 In a very short time,(BB) will not Lebanon(BC) be turned into a fertile field(BD)
and the fertile field seem like a forest?(BE)
18 In that day(BF) the deaf(BG) will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness(BH)
the eyes of the blind will see.(BI)
19 Once more the humble(BJ) will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy(BK) will rejoice in the Holy One(BL) of Israel.
20 The ruthless(BM) will vanish,(BN)
the mockers(BO) will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil(BP) will be cut down—
21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court(BQ)
and with false testimony(BR) deprive the innocent of justice.(BS)
22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed(BT) Abraham,(BU) says to the descendants of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;(BV)
no longer will their faces grow pale.(BW)
23 When they see among them their children,(BX)
the work of my hands,(BY)
they will keep my name holy;(BZ)
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One(CA) of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward(CB) in spirit will gain understanding;(CC)
those who complain will accept instruction.”(CD)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 29:2 The Hebrew for altar hearth sounds like the Hebrew for Ariel.
- Isaiah 29:13 Hebrew; Septuagint They worship me in vain; / their teachings are merely human rules
Isaías 29
La Biblia de las Américas
Isaías 29
La Biblia de las Américas
Ariel y sus enemigos
29 ¡Ay, Ariel[a], Ariel[b] la ciudad donde acampó David(A)!
Añadid año sobre año, celebrad las fiestas a su tiempo[c](B).
2 Y traeré angustias a Ariel,
y será una ciudad de lamento y de duelo(C);
será para mí como un Ariel.
3 Acamparé contra ti rodeándote[d](D),
pondré contra ti vallas de asedio,
y levantaré contra ti baluartes.
4 Entonces serás humillada,
desde el suelo hablarás,
y desde el polvo donde estás postrada
saldrá tu habla.
Tu voz será también como la de un espíritu[e] de la tierra,
y desde el polvo susurrará tu habla(E).
5 Pero la multitud de tus enemigos[f] será como polvo fino(F),
y la multitud de los crueles(G) como paja que se va volando[g];
sucederá en un instante, de repente(H).
6 Serás castigada[h](I) por el Señor de los ejércitos con truenos y terremotos(J) y gran ruido,
con torbellino y tempestad y con llama de fuego consumidor.
7 Y será como un sueño, una visión nocturna(K),
la multitud de todas las naciones(L) que combaten contra Ariel,
todos los que combaten contra ella y su fortaleza, y los que la afligen.
8 Y será como cuando un hambriento sueña,
y he aquí, está comiendo;
pero cuando despierta, su hambre no ha sido satisfecha[i].
O como cuando un sediento sueña,
y he aquí, está bebiendo;
pero cuando despierta, he aquí, está desfallecido,
y su sed no ha sido aplacada[j].
Así será la multitud de todas las naciones
que combaten contra el monte Sión(M).
9 Deteneos y esperad(N),
cegaos y sed ciegos.
Se embriagan, pero no con vino(O);
se tambalean, pero no con licor.
10 Porque el Señor ha derramado sobre vosotros espíritu de sueño profundo(P),
Él ha cerrado vuestros ojos: los profetas(Q),
y ha cubierto vuestras cabezas: los videntes.
11 Y toda la visión será para vosotros como las palabras de un libro[k] sellado(R), que cuando se le da al que sabe leer[l], diciéndole: Lee esto, por favor; y él dirá: No puedo, porque está sellado. 12 Entonces el libro[m] será dado al que no sabe leer[n], diciéndole: Lee esto, por favor; y él dirá: No sé leer[o].
Hipocresía de Israel
13 Dijo entonces el Señor:
Por cuanto este pueblo se me acerca con sus palabras[p]
y me honra con sus labios,
pero aleja de mí su corazón,
y su veneración[q] hacia mí es solo una tradición[r] aprendida de memoria(S),
14 por tanto, he aquí, volveré a hacer maravillas(T) con este pueblo, prodigiosas maravillas;
y perecerá la sabiduría de sus sabios,
y se eclipsará el entendimiento de sus entendidos(U).
15 ¡Ay de los que van muy hondo
para esconder sus planes[s](V) al Señor,
y realizan[t] sus obras en tinieblas(W)
y dicen: ¿Quién nos ve(X), o quién nos conoce?
16 ¡Qué equivocación la vuestra!
¿Es acaso el alfarero como el barro,
para que lo que está hecho diga a su hacedor: Él no me hizo;
o lo que está formado diga al que lo formó(Y): Él no tiene entendimiento?
Redención de Israel
17 ¿Acaso no queda ya muy poco tiempo
para que[u] el Líbano se convierta en campo fértil(Z),
y el campo fértil sea considerado bosque?
18 En aquel día los sordos oirán(AA) las palabras de un libro(AB),
y desde la oscuridad y desde las tinieblas los ojos de los ciegos verán(AC).
19 Los afligidos(AD) aumentarán también su alegría en el Señor,
y los necesitados(AE) de la humanidad se regocijarán en el Santo de Israel.
20 Porque el violento tendrá su fin(AF), el escarnecedor(AG) será acabado,
y serán cortados todos los que se desvelan por hacer el mal(AH);
21 los que hacen que una persona sea acusada[v] por una palabra,
tienden lazos al que juzga en la puerta(AI),
y defraudan[w] al justo con vanos argumentos[x](AJ).
22 Por tanto el Señor, que redimió a Abraham(AK), dice así acerca de la casa de Jacob:
Jacob no será ahora avergonzado(AL), ni palidecerá ahora su rostro;
23 porque cuando vea a sus hijos[y](AM), la obra de mis manos(AN), en medio suyo,
ellos santificarán mi nombre;
ciertamente, santificarán(AO) al Santo de Jacob,
y tendrán temor al Dios de Israel.
24 Los descarriados(AP) de espíritu conocerán la verdad[z](AQ),
y los murmuradores aceptarán[aa] instrucción(AR).
Footnotes
- Isaías 29:1 I.e., León de Dios; refiriéndose a Jerusalén
- Isaías 29:1 I.e., León de Dios; refiriéndose a Jerusalén
- Isaías 29:1 Lit., que las fiestas sigan su curso
- Isaías 29:3 Lit., como un círculo
- Isaías 29:4 O, fantasma
- Isaías 29:5 Lit., extraños
- Isaías 29:5 Lit., que pasa
- Isaías 29:6 Lit., visitada
- Isaías 29:8 Lit., su alma está vacía
- Isaías 29:8 Lit., su alma está reseca
- Isaías 29:11 O, rollo
- Isaías 29:11 Lit., sabe de libros
- Isaías 29:12 O, rollo
- Isaías 29:12 Lit., no sabe de libros
- Isaías 29:12 Lit., No sé de libros
- Isaías 29:13 Lit., boca
- Isaías 29:13 Lit., temor de mí
- Isaías 29:13 Lit., un mandamiento de hombres
- Isaías 29:15 Lit., el consejo
- Isaías 29:15 Lit., están
- Isaías 29:17 Lit., y
- Isaías 29:21 Lit., ponen bajo condenación a una persona
- Isaías 29:21 Lit., desvían
- Isaías 29:21 Lit., con confusión
- Isaías 29:23 O, sus hijos vean
- Isaías 29:24 Lit., el entendimiento
- Isaías 29:24 Lit., aprenderán
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
