Isaiah 29:11

New Century Version

This vision is like the words of a book that is closed and sealed. You may give the book to someone who can read and tell that person to read it. But he will say, "I can't read the book, because it is sealed."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For you the entire vision will be like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to one who can read and he is asked to read it, he will say, “I can’t read it, because it is sealed.”

Hebrew Names Version
All vision is become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is learned, saying, Read this, I pray you; and he says, I can't, for it is sealed:

King James Version
And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

English Standard Version
And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."

New American Standard Bible
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, because it is sealed."

Amplified Bible
The entire vision [of all these things] will be to you like the words of a scroll that is sealed, which they give to one who can read, saying, "Read this, please," he shall say, "I cannot, for it is sealed."

World English Bible
All vision is become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is learned, saying, Read this, I pray you; and he says, I can't, for it is sealed:

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the vision of them all is become vnto you, as the wordes of a booke that is sealed vp, which they deliuer to one that can reade, saying, Reade this, I pray thee. Then shall he say, I can not: for it is sealed.

Legacy Standard Bible
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."

Berean Standard Bible
And the entire vision will be to you like the words sealed in a scroll. If it is handed to a reader, he will say, "I cannot read it, because it is sealed."

Contemporary English Version
Now his message is like a sealed letter to you. Some of you say, "We can't read it, because it's sealed."

Complete Jewish Bible
For you this whole prophetic vision has become like the message in a sealed-up scroll. When one gives it to someone who can read and says, "Please read this," he answers, "I can't, because it's sealed."

Darby Translation
And the whole vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which they give to one that can read, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed.

Easy-to-Read Version
To you my words are like the words in a book that is closed and sealed. You can give the book to someone who can read and tell that person to read it. But that person will say, "I cannot read the book. It is closed and I cannot open it."

George Lamsa Translation
And the vision of all is become to them as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is learned, saying, Read this, and he says, I cannot; for it is sealed:

Good News Translation
The meaning of every prophetic vision will be hidden from you; it will be like a sealed scroll. If you take it to someone who knows how to read and ask him to read it to you, he will say he can't because it is sealed.

Lexham English Bible
And the vision of all this has become for you like the words of a sealed document. When they give it to one who knows the document, saying, "Read this now!" He says, "I am not able, for it is sealed."

Literal Translation
And the whole vision to you is like the words of a sealed book which they give to one knowing books, saying, Please read this. Then he says, I am not able, for it is sealed.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And all visions shalbe vnto you, as the wordes that stonde in a sealed lettre, when one offreth it to a man that is lerned, and sayeth: rede vs this lettre. The he answereth: I ca not rede it, for it is shutt.

American Standard Version
And all vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed:

Bible in Basic English
And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book which is shut, which men give to one who has knowledge of writing, saying, Make clear to us what is in the book: and he says, I am not able to, for the book is shut:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the vision of all this is become unto you as the words of a writing that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying: 'Read this, I pray thee'; and he saith: 'I cannot, for it is sealed';

King James Version (1611)
And the vsion of all is become vnto you, as the wordes of a booke that is sealed, which men deliuer to one that is learned, saying, Reade this, I pray thee: and hee saith, I cannot, for it is sealed.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the vision of all the prophetes is become vnto you as the wordes of a booke that is sealed vp, whiche men deliuer to one that is learned, saying, Reade thou in it: and he saith, I can not, for it is sealed.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And all these things shall be to you as the words of this sealed book, which if they shall give to a learned man, saying, Read this, he shall then say, I cannot read it, for it is sealed.

English Revised Version
And all vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the visioun of alle profetis schal be to you as the wordis of a book aseelid; which whanne thei schulen yyue to hym that kan lettris, thei schulen seie, Rede thou this book; and he schal answere, Y may not, for it is aseelid.

Update Bible Version
And all vision has become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray you; and he says, I can't, for it is sealed:

Webster's Bible Translation
And the vision of all is become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which [men] deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it [is] sealed:

New English Translation
To you this entire prophetic revelation is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read and say, "Read this," he responds, "I can't, because it is sealed."

New King James Version
The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."

New Living Translation
All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, "We can't read it because it is sealed."

New Life Bible
And the special dream of all this will be to you like the words of a locked book. When they give it to one who can read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is locked."

New Revised Standard
The vision of all this has become for you like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to those who can read, with the command, "Read this," they say, "We cannot, for it is sealed."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
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;

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

Revised Standard Version
And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."

Young's Literal Translation
And the vision of the whole is to you, As words of the sealed book, That they give unto one knowing books, Saying, `Read this, we pray thee,' And he hath said, `I am not able, for it [is] sealed;'

THE MESSAGE
What you've been shown here is somewhat like a letter in a sealed envelope. If you give it to someone who can read and tell her, "Read this," she'll say, "I can't. The envelope is sealed." And if you give it to someone who can't read and tell him, "Read this," he'll say, "I can't read."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
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."

Contextual Overview

⁹ Be surprised and amazed. Blind yourselves so that you cannot see. Become drunk, but not from wine. Trip and fall, but not from beer. ¹⁰ The Lord has made you go into a deep sleep. He has closed your eyes. (The prophets are your eyes.) He has covered your heads. (The seers are your heads.) ¹¹ This vision is like the words of a book that is closed and sealed. You may give the book to someone who can read and tell that person to read it. But he will say, "I can't read the book, because it is sealed." ¹² Or you may give the book to someone who cannot read and tell him to read it. But he will say, "I don't know how to read." ¹³ The Lord says: "These people worship me with their mouths, and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is based on nothing but human rules. ¹⁴ So I will continue to amaze these people by doing more and more miracles. Their wise men will lose their wisdom; their wise men will not be able to understand." ¹⁵ How terrible it will be for those who try to hide things from the Lord and who do their work in darkness. They think no one will see them or know what they do. ¹⁶ You are confused. You think the clay is equal to the potter. You think that an object can tell the one who made it, "You didn't make me." This is like a pot telling its maker, "You don't know anything."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

book: or, letter

that is sealed: Isaiah 8:16

I cannot: Daniel 12:4, Daniel 12:9, Matthew 11:25, Matthew 13:11, Matthew 16:17, Revelation 5:1-9, Revelation 6:1

Reciprocal: Isaiah 29:24 - also Isaiah 48:8 - thou heardest Luke 7:32 - are Luke 14:18 - all 1 Corinthians 14:16 - unlearned Revelation 5:2 - Who Revelation 10:4 - Seal up

Cross-References

Genesis 27:26
Then Isaac said to him, "My son, come near and kiss me."

Genesis 29:13
When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him. Laban hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house, where Jacob told Laban everything that had happened.

Genesis 29:14
Then Laban said, "You are my own flesh and blood." Jacob stayed there a month.

Genesis 29:15
Then Laban said to Jacob, "You are my relative, but it is not right for you to work for me without pay. What would you like me to pay you?"

Genesis 43:30
Then Joseph hurried off because he had to hold back the tears when he saw his brother Benjamin. So Joseph went into his room and cried there.

Genesis 45:2
Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and the people in the king's palace heard about it.

Exodus 4:27
Meanwhile the Lord said to Aaron, "Go out into the desert to meet Moses." When Aaron went, he met Moses at Sinai, the mountain of God, and kissed him.

Exodus 18:7
So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. After the two men asked about each other's health, they went into Moses' tent.

Romans 16:16
Greet each other with a holy kiss. All of Christ's churches send greetings to you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed,.... The prophecies of all the prophets contained in the Scriptures; or all the prophecies in the book of Isaiah, concerning the Messiah, were no more seen, known, and understood, both by the priests and the people, than if they had been in a book, written, rolled up, and sealed. And this was owing, not to the obscurity of these writings, or because they were really sealed up, but to the blindness and stupidity of the people, whose eyes were closed, and their heads covered; and the prophecies of the Scriptures were only so to them, "unto you", not unto others; not to the apostles of Christ, whose understandings were opened by him, to understand the things written concerning him, in the law, in the prophets, and in the psalms; but the Jewish rulers, civil and ecclesiastical, as well as the common people, understood them not, though they were the means of fulfilling many of them; and they were as ignorant of the prophecies concerning their own ruin and destruction, for their rejection of Christ; see Luke 24:27:

which [men] deliver to one that is learned; or, "that knows the book" u; or "letters", as the Septuagint; see John 7:15 such were the Scribes, called γραμματεις, or "letter men", men that could read well, and understood language:

saying, Read this, I pray thee; or read this now, as the Targum, and interpret it, and tell the meaning of it:

and he saith, I cannot, for it [is] sealed; which Kimchi says was an excuse invented, because he had no mind to read it, or otherwise he could have said, open, and I will read it; or he might have broke off the seal; but knowing there were difficult things, and things hard to be understood, in it, did not care to look into it, and read it, and attempt to explain it to others.

u יודע הספר "scienti librum", Montanus; επισταμενω γραμματα, Sept.; "scienti literas", V. L. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the vision of all - The vision of all the prophets; that is, all the revelations which God has made to you (see the note at Isaiah 1:1). The prophet refers not only to his own communications, but to those of his contemporaries, and of all who had gone before him. The sense is, that although they had the communications which God had made to them, yet they did not understand them. They were as ignorant of their true nature as a man who can read is of the contents of a letter that is sealed up, or as a man who cannot read is of the contents of a book that is handed to him.

As the words of a book - Margin, ‘Letter.’ The word ספר sêpher may mean either. It properly means anything which is “written” (Deuteronomy 24:1, Deuteronomy 24:3; Jeremiah 32:11; Daniel 1:4), but is commonly applied to a book Exodus 17:14; Joshua 1:8; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 40:8.

That is sealed - (see the note at Isaiah 8:16).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 29:11. I cannot; for it is sealed - "I cannot read it; for it is sealed up."] An ancient MS. and the Septuagint have preserved a word here, lost out of the text; לקרות likroth, (for לקראות,) αναγνωναι, read it.