Isaiah (Douay: Isaias) 29

¹ Woe to Ariel! Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts come around;

² then I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning and lamentation. She shall be to me as an altar hearth.

³ I will encamp against you all around you, and will lay siege against you with posted troops. I will raise siege works against you.

⁴ 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 But the multitude of your foes 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 She will be visited by the LORD of Armies with thunder, with earthquake, with great noise, with whirlwind and storm, and with the flame of a devouring fire.

⁷ 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 It will be like when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he eats; but he awakes, and his hunger isn’t satisfied; or like when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he drinks; but he awakes, and behold, he is faint, and he is still thirsty. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion will be like that.

⁹ Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

¹⁰ 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 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 delivered to one who is not educated, saying, “Read this, please;” and he says, “I can’t read.”

¹³ The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;

¹⁴ therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men will be hidden.”

¹⁵ Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from the LORD, and whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us?” and “Who knows us?”

¹⁶ 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 didn’t make me;” or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

¹⁷ 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 In that day, the deaf will hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

¹⁹ The humble also will increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

²⁰ For the ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do evil are cut off –

²¹ who cause a person to be indicted by a word, and lay a snare for one who reproves in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony.

²² Therefore the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no longer be ashamed, neither shall his face grow pale.

²³ But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the middle 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 who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will receive instruction.”

¹ WWoe to Ariel, to Ariel the city which David took: year is added to year: the solemnities are at an end.

² And I will make a trench about Ariel, and it shall be in sorrow and mourning, and it shall be to me as Ariel.

³ And I will make a circle round about thee, and I will cast up a rampart against thee, and raise up bulwarks to besiege thee.

⁴ Thou shalt be brought down, thou shalt speak out of the earth, and thy speech shall be heard out of the ground: and thy voice shall be from the earth like that of the python, and out of the earth thy speech shall mutter.

⁵ And the multitude of them that fan thee, shall be like small dust: and as ashes passing away, the multitude of them that have prevailed against thee.

⁶ And it shall be at an instant suddenly. A visitation shall come from the Lord of hosts in thunder, and with earthquake, and with a great noise of whirlwind and tempest; and with the flame of devouring fire.

⁷ And the multitude of all nations that have fought against Ariel, shall be as the dream of a vision by night, and all that have fought, and besieged and prevailed against it.

⁸ And as he that is hungry dreameth, and eateth, but when he is awake, his soul is empty: and as he that is thirsty dreameth, and drinketh and after he is awake, is yet faint with thirst, and his soul is empty: so shall be the multitude of all the Gentiles, that have fought against mount Sion.

⁹ Be astonished, and wonder, waver, and stagger: be drunk, and not with wine: stagger, and not with drunkenness.

¹⁰ For the Lord hath mingled for you the spirit of a deep sleep, he will shut up your eyes, he will cover your prophets and princes, that see visions.

¹¹ And the vision of all shall be unto you as the words of a book that is sealed which when they shall deliver to one that is learned, they shall say: Read this: and he shall answer: I cannot, for it is sealed.

¹² And the book shall be given to one that knoweth no letters, and it shall be said to him: Read: and he shall answer: I know no letters.

¹³ And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men:

¹⁴ Therefore behold I will proceed to cause an admiration in this people, by a great and wonderful miracle: for wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

¹⁵ Woe to you that are deep of heart, to hide your counsel from the Lord: and their works are in the dark, and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?

¹⁶ This thought of yours is perverse: as if the clay should think against the potter, and the work should say to the maker thereof: Thou madest me not: or the thing framed should say to him that fashioned it: Thou understandest not.

¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while, and Libanus shall be turned into charmel, and charmel shall be esteemed as a forest?

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

¹⁹ And the meek shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

²⁰ For he that did prevail hath failed, the scorner is consumed, and they are all cut off that watched for iniquity:

²¹ That made men sin by word, and supplanted him that reproved them in the gate, and declined in vain from the just.

²² Therefore thus saith the Lord to the house of Jacob, he that redeemed Abraham: Jacob shall not now be confounded, neither shall his countenance now be ashamed:

²³ But when he shall see his children, the work of my hands in the midst of him sanctifying my name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall glorify the God of Israel:

²⁴ And they that erred in spirit, shall know understanding, and they that murmured, shall learn the law.