Isaiah

¹ Woe, O Ariel, Ariel the city where David once camped! Add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule.

² And she will be a city of mourning and moaning; And she will be like an Ariel to me.

³ And I will fortify siegeworks against you, And I will raise up fortifications against you.

⁴ 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 spirit from the ground, And your speech will whisper from the dust.

⁵ And the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which blows away; And it will happen instantly, suddenly.

⁶ With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

⁷ Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

⁸ And behold, he is eating; But he awakens, and his soul is empty, Or as when a thirsty man dreams— And behold, he is drinking, But he awakens, and behold, he is faint, And his soul is not quenched. Thus the multitude of all the nations will be Who wage war against Mount Zion.

⁹ Blind yourselves and be blind; They become drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with strong drink.

¹⁰ He has 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 book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

¹² Then the book will be given to the one who does not know how to read a book, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I do not know how to read a book.”

¹³ And honor Me with their lips, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their fear of Me is in the command of men learned by rote,

¹⁴ And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be hidden.”

¹⁵ And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”

¹⁶ Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, That 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”?

¹⁷ Is it not yet just a little while Before Lebanon will be turned into a fruitful orchard, And the fruitful orchard will be counted as a forest?

¹⁸ And out of darkness and thick darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

¹⁹ And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

²⁰ Indeed all who are watching out to do evil will be cut off;

²¹ And ensnare him who reproves at the gate, And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments.

²³ They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob And will stand trembling before the God of Israel.

²⁴ And those who criticize will gain learning.