Isaiah 29:19

ה֚וֹי אֲרִיאֵ֣ל אֲרִיאֵ֔ל קִרְיַ֖ת חָנָ֣ה דָוִ֑ד סְפ֥וּ שָׁנָ֛ה עַל־שָׁנָ֖ה חַגִּ֥ים יִנְקֹֽפוּ׃ “Ah, Ariel,^aAriel A poetic name of Jerusalem; cf. 33.7. Ariel,
City where David camped!
Add year to year,
Let festivals come in their cycles!

וַהֲצִיק֖וֹתִי לַאֲרִיאֵ֑ל וְהָיְתָ֤ה תַֽאֲנִיָּה֙ וַאֲנִיָּ֔ה וְהָ֥יְתָה לִּ֖י כַּאֲרִיאֵֽל׃ And I will harass Ariel,
And there shall be sorrow and sighing.
She shall be to Me like Ariel.^bShe shall be to Me like Ariel Meaning of Heb. uncertain.

וְחָנִ֥יתִי כַדּ֖וּר עָלָ֑יִךְ וְצַרְתִּ֤י עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ מֻצָּ֔ב וַהֲקִימֹתִ֥י עָלַ֖יִךְ מְצֻרֹֽת׃ And I will camp against you round about;^cround about Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Septuagint reads “like David”; cf. v. 1.
I will lay siege to you with a mound,^dwith a mound Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
And I will set up siegeworks against you.

וְשָׁפַלְתְּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ תְּדַבֵּ֔רִי וּמֵעָפָ֖ר תִּשַּׁ֣ח אִמְרָתֵ֑ךְ וְֽ֠הָיָ֠ה כְּא֤וֹב מֵאֶ֙רֶץ֙ קוֹלֵ֔ךְ וּמֵעָפָ֖ר אִמְרָתֵ֥ךְ תְּצַפְצֵֽף׃ And you shall speak from lower than the ground,
Your speech shall be humbler than the sod;
Your speech shall sound like a ghost’s from the ground,
Your voice shall chirp from the sod.

וְהָיָ֛ה כְּאָבָ֥ק דַּ֖ק הֲמ֣וֹן זָרָ֑יִךְ וּכְמֹ֤ץ עֹבֵר֙ הֲמ֣וֹן עָרִיצִ֔ים וְהָיָ֖ה לְפֶ֥תַע פִּתְאֹֽם׃ And like fine dust shall be
The multitude of your strangers;^eyour strangers Manuscript 1QIsᵃ reads “those insolent toward you.”
And like flying chaff,
The multitude of tyrants.”
And suddenly, in an instant,

מֵעִ֨ם יְהֹוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ תִּפָּקֵ֔ד בְּרַ֥עַם וּבְרַ֖עַשׁ וְק֣וֹל גָּד֑וֹל סוּפָה֙ וּסְעָרָ֔ה וְלַ֖הַב אֵ֥שׁ אוֹכֵלָֽה׃ She shall be remembered of GOD of Hosts
With roaring, and shaking, and deafening noise,
Storm, and tempest, and blaze of consuming fire.

וְהָיָ֗ה כַּֽחֲלוֹם֙ חֲז֣וֹן לַ֔יְלָה הֲמוֹן֙ כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם הַצֹּבְאִ֖ים עַל־אֲרִיאֵ֑ל וְכׇל־צֹבֶ֙יהָ֙ וּמְצֹ֣דָתָ֔הּ וְהַמְּצִיקִ֖ים לָֽהּ׃ Then, like a dream, a vision of the night,
Shall be the multitude of nations
That war upon Ariel,
And all her besiegers, and the siegeworks against her,
And those who harass her.

וְהָיָ֡ה כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ יַחֲלֹ֨ם הָרָעֵ֜ב וְהִנֵּ֣ה אוֹכֵ֗ל וְהֵקִיץ֮ וְרֵיקָ֣ה נַפְשׁוֹ֒ וְכַאֲשֶׁ֨ר יַחֲלֹ֤ם הַצָּמֵא֙ וְהִנֵּ֣ה שֹׁתֶ֔ה וְהֵקִיץ֙ וְהִנֵּ֣ה עָיֵ֔ף וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹ שׁוֹקֵקָ֑ה כֵּ֣ן יִֽהְיֶ֗ה הֲמוֹן֙ כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם הַצֹּבְאִ֖ים עַל־הַ֥ר צִיּֽוֹן׃ {פ}
Like someone hungry who dreams of eating,
But wakes up still hungry;
And like someone thirsty who dreams of drinking,
But wakes faint
And utterly parched—
So shall be all the multitude of nations
That war upon Mount Zion.

הִתְמַהְמְה֣וּ וּתְמָ֔הוּ הִשְׁתַּעַשְׁע֖וּ וָשֹׁ֑עוּ שָׁכְר֣וּ וְלֹא־יַ֔יִן נָע֖וּ וְלֹ֥א שֵׁכָֽר׃ Act stupid and be stupefied!
Act blind and be blinded!
(They are drunk, but not from wine,
They stagger, but not from liquor.)

כִּֽי־נָסַ֨ךְ עֲלֵיכֶ֤ם יְהֹוָה֙ ר֣וּחַ תַּרְדֵּמָ֔ה וַיְעַצֵּ֖ם אֶת־עֵינֵיכֶ֑ם אֶת־הַנְּבִיאִ֛ים וְאֶת־רָאשֵׁיכֶ֥ם הַחֹזִ֖ים כִּסָּֽה׃ For GOD has spread over you
A spirit of deep sleep,
And has shut your eyes, the prophets,
And covered your heads, the seers;

וַתְּהִ֨י לָכֶ֜ם חָז֣וּת הַכֹּ֗ל כְּדִבְרֵי֮ הַסֵּ֣פֶר הֶחָתוּם֒ אֲשֶֽׁר־יִתְּנ֣וּ אֹת֗וֹ אֶל־יוֹדֵ֥עַ (הספר) [סֵ֛פֶר] לֵאמֹ֖ר קְרָ֣א נָא־זֶ֑ה וְאָמַר֙ לֹ֣א אוּכַ֔ל כִּ֥י חָת֖וּם הֽוּא׃ So that all prophecy has been to you
Like the words of a sealed document.
If it is handed to one who can read with a request to read it, the response will be, “I can’t, because it is sealed”;

וְנִתַּ֣ן הַסֵּ֗פֶר עַל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹא־יָדַ֥ע סֵ֛פֶר לֵאמֹ֖ר קְרָ֣א נָא־זֶ֑ה וְאָמַ֕ר לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְתִּי סֵֽפֶר׃ {ס}         and if the document is handed with the same request to one who cannot read, the response will be, “I can’t read.”

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲדֹנָ֗י יַ֚עַן כִּ֤י נִגַּשׁ֙ הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה בְּפִ֤יו וּבִשְׂפָתָיו֙ כִּבְּד֔וּנִי וְלִבּ֖וֹ רִחַ֣ק מִמֶּ֑נִּי וַתְּהִ֤י יִרְאָתָם֙ אֹתִ֔י מִצְוַ֥ת אֲנָשִׁ֖ים מְלֻמָּדָֽה׃ My Sovereign said:
Because that people has approached [Me] with its mouth
And honored Me with its lips,
But has kept its heart far from Me,
And its worship of Me has been
A social obligation,^fsocial obligation Lit. “commandment of men.” learned by rote—

לָכֵ֗ן הִנְנִ֥י יוֹסִ֛ף לְהַפְלִ֥יא אֶת־הָעָם־הַזֶּ֖ה הַפְלֵ֣א וָפֶ֑לֶא וְאָֽבְדָה֙ חׇכְמַ֣ת חֲכָמָ֔יו וּבִינַ֥ת נְבֹנָ֖יו תִּסְתַּתָּֽר׃ {ס}         Truly, I shall further baffle that people
With bafflement upon bafflement;
And the wisdom of its wise shall fail,
And the prudence of its prudent shall vanish.

ה֛וֹי הַמַּעֲמִיקִ֥ים מֵיְהֹוָ֖ה לַסְתִּ֣ר עֵצָ֑ה וְהָיָ֤ה בְמַחְשָׁךְ֙ מַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י רֹאֵ֖נוּ וּמִ֥י יֹֽדְעֵֽנוּ׃ Ha! Those who would hide their plans
Deep from GOD!
Who do their work in dark places
And say, “Who sees us, who takes note of us?”

הַ֨פְכְּכֶ֔ם אִם־כְּחֹ֥מֶר הַיֹּצֵ֖ר יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב כִּֽי־יֹאמַ֨ר מַעֲשֶׂ֤ה לְעֹשֵׂ֙הוּ֙ לֹ֣א עָשָׂ֔נִי וְיֵ֛צֶר אָמַ֥ר לְיֹצְר֖וֹ לֹ֥א הֵבִֽין׃ How perverse of you!
Should the potter be accounted as the clay?^gHow perverse of you! / Should the potter be accounted as the clay? Meaning of first line uncertain; emendation yields “Should the potter be accounted / Like the jugs or like the clay?”
Should what is made say of its Maker,
“This One did not make me,”
And what is formed say of the One who formed it,
“That One did not understand”?^hThat One did not understand Emendation yields “That One did not fashion me.”

הֲלוֹא־עוֹד֙ מְעַ֣ט מִזְעָ֔ר וְשָׁ֥ב לְבָנ֖וֹן לַכַּרְמֶ֑ל וְהַכַּרְמֶ֖ל לַיַּ֥עַר יֵחָשֵֽׁב׃ Surely, in a little while,
Lebanon will be transformed into farmland,
And farmland accounted as mere brush.

וְשָׁמְע֧וּ בַיּוֹם־הַה֛וּא הַחֵרְשִׁ֖ים דִּבְרֵי־סֵ֑פֶר וּמֵאֹ֣פֶל וּמֵחֹ֔שֶׁךְ עֵינֵ֥י עִוְרִ֖ים תִּרְאֶֽינָה׃ In that day, the deaf shall hear even written words,
And the eyes of the blind shall see
Even in darkness and obscurity.

כִּי־אָפֵ֥ס עָרִ֖יץ וְכָ֣לָה לֵ֑ץ וְנִכְרְת֖וּ כׇּל־שֹׁ֥קְדֵי אָֽוֶן׃ For the tyrant shall be no more,
The scoffer shall cease to be;
And those diligent for evil shall be wiped out,

מַחֲטִיאֵ֤י אָדָם֙ בְּדָבָ֔ר וְלַמּוֹכִ֥יחַ בַּשַּׁ֖עַר יְקֹשׁ֑וּן וַיַּטּ֥וּ בַתֹּ֖הוּ צַדִּֽיק׃ {פ}
Who cause people to lose their lawsuits,
Laying a snare for the arbiter at the gate,
And wronging by falsehood
One who was in the right.

לָכֵ֗ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר פָּדָ֖ה אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם לֹֽא־עַתָּ֤ה יֵבוֹשׁ֙ יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְלֹ֥א עַתָּ֖ה פָּנָ֥יו יֶחֱוָֽרוּ׃ Assuredly, thus said GOD to the House of Jacob, Who redeemed Abraham:ⁱWho redeemed Abraham Emendation yields “Whose fathers were redeemed.”
No more shall Jacob be shamed,
No longer his face grow pale.

כִּ֣י בִ֠רְאֹת֠וֹ יְלָדָ֞יו מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָדַ֛י בְּקִרְבּ֖וֹ יַקְדִּ֣ישֽׁוּ שְׁמִ֑י וְהִקְדִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ אֶת־קְד֣וֹשׁ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְאֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יַעֲרִֽיצוּ׃ For when he—that is, his progeny—behold what My hands have wrought in his midst, they will hallow My name.
They will hallow the Holy One of Jacob
And stand in awe of the God of Israel.

וְיָדְע֥וּ תֹֽעֵי־ר֖וּחַ בִּינָ֑ה וְרוֹגְנִ֖ים יִלְמְדוּ־לֶֽקַח׃ {ס}         And the confused shall acquire insight
And grumblers accept instruction.