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Updated Bible Version
Isaiah 29
1 Ho Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! add year to year; let the feasts come round:2 then I will distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation; and she shall be to me as Ariel.3 And I will encamp against you round about, and will lay siege against you with posted troops, and I will raise siege works against you.4 And you shall be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground, and your speech shall be low out of the dust; and your voice shall be as a spirit out of the ground, and your speech shall whisper out of the dust.5 But the multitude of your strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passes away: yes, it shall be suddenly in an instant.6 She shall be visited of Yahweh of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night.8 And it shall be as when a hungry man dreams, and, look, he eats; but he awakes, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreams, and, look, he drinks; but he awakes, and, look, he is faint, and his soul has appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.
9 Tarry and wonder; take your pleasure and be blind: they are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.10 For Yahweh has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, he has covered.11 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:12 and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray you; and he says, I am not learned.13 And the Lord said, Since this people draw near [to me], and with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught [to them];14 therefore, look, 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 shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.15 Woe to those that hide deep their counsel from Yahweh, and whose works are in the dark, and that say, Who sees us? and who knows us?16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be esteemed as clay; that the thing made should say of him that made it, He didn't make me; or the thing formed say of him that formed it, He has no understanding?
17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?18 And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.19 The meek also shall increase their joy in Yahweh, and the poor among man shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.20 For the terrible one is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those that watch for iniquity are cut off;21 that make man an offender in [his] cause, and lay a snare for him that reproves in the gate, and turn aside the just with a thing of nothing.22 Therefore thus says Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.23 But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name; yes, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel.24 They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding, and those that murmur shall receive instruction.
Updated Bible Version
Scripture quotations are from the UPDV® Updated Bible Version 1.9, Copyright © 2003-4 by Updated Publishers. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.