Woe to Ariel

1Woe, O [†]Ariel, [†]Ariel the city where David once camped!

Add year to year, [†]observe your feasts on schedule.

2I will bring distress to [†]Ariel,

And she will be a city of mourning and moaning;

And she will be like an Ariel to me.

3And I will camp against you [†]encircling you,

And I will fortify siegeworks against you,

And I will raise up fortifications against you.

4Then you will be brought low;

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.

5But it will be that the multitude of your [†]enemies will become like fine dust,

And the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which [†]blows away;

And it will happen instantly, suddenly.

6From Yahweh of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise,

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

7And it will be that the multitude of all the nations who wage war against [†]Ariel,

Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,

Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

8And it will be as when a hungry man dreams—

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.

9Astonish yourselves and be astonished,

Blind yourselves and be blind;

They become drunk, but not with wine;

They stagger, but not with strong drink.

10For Yahweh has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep;

He has shut your eyes, the prophets;

And He has covered your heads, the seers.

11The 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.” 12Then 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.”

13Then the Lord said,

“Because this people draw near with their mouth

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,

14Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;

And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,

And the discernment of their discerning men will be hidden.”

15Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from Yahweh,

And whose deeds are done in a dark place,

And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”

16You turn things around!

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”?

The Afflicted Will Rejoice

17Is 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?

18On that day the deaf will hear words of a book,

And out of [†]darkness and thick darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

19The afflicted also will increase their gladness in Yahweh,

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

20For the ruthless will come to an end and the scoffer will be finished,

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

21Who [†]cause a person to sin by a word,

And ensnare him who reproves at the gate,

And [†]defraud the one in the right with [†]meaningless arguments.

22Therefore thus says Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

“Jacob shall not now be ashamed, and now his face shall not turn pale;

23But when [†]he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst,

They will sanctify My name;

Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob

And will stand trembling before the God of Israel.

24Those who err in spirit will know discernment,

And those who [†]criticize will [†]gain learning.