Isaiah 29

Ottley^{(i) 1} Ah, city of Ariel, against which David made war; collect fruits year after year: for ye shall eat with Moab. ² For I will afflict Ariel, and her strength and her wealth shall be mine. ³ And I will make a circle like David against thee, and will set up a palisade around thee, and will plant towers against thee, ⁴ And thy words shall be brought low unto the earth, and thy words shall sink into the earth; and thy voice shall be as they that speak from the earth, and close to the ground shall thy voice be weak. ⁵ And like a dust cloud from a wheel shall the wealth of the ungodly be, and like chaff borne along; and it shall be like a moment, suddenly, ⁶ From the Lord of Hosts; for there shall be a visitation with crying aloud and earthquake; and with a great voice, a rushing tempest and a flame of fire devouring. ⁷ And as he that dreameth a dream shall be the wealth of all the nations that did march against Israel, and all they that marched against Jerusalem, and all that were gathered together against her and afflicted her. ⁸ And they shall be like them that in sleep drink and eat, and when they arise, their dream is vain; and like as he that is thirsty dreameth, as he that drinketh, and when he aariseth, he still thirsteth, and his soul hath hoped after an empty thing; so shall the wealth be of all the nations, as many as did march against Jerusalem and against the mount Zion. ⁹ Faint ye, and fall away, and stagger drunkenly, not with strong drink, nor with wine. ¹⁰ For the Lord hath given you to drink with a spirit of slumber, and will close their eyes, and their prophets' and their rulers' eyes; they it is that see the hidden things. ¹¹ And all these words shall be as the sayings of this book that is sealed, and if they give it to a man that knoweth letters, saying, Read these; then he shall say, I cannot read, for it is sealed. ¹² And this book shall be given into the hands of a man such as knoweth not letters, and one shall say to him, Read this; and he shall say, I know not letters. ¹³ And the Lord said, This people draweth near me, with their lips they honour me, but their heart is far from me; but in vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments of men, and doctrines. ¹⁴ Therefore behold, I will proceed further to change this people; and I will change them, and will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent will I hide. ¹⁵ Ah, they that take counsel deeply, and not through the Lord; ah, they that take counsel in secret, and their works shall be in darkness, and they shall say, Who hath seen us? and who shall find us out, or what we do? ¹⁶ Shall ye not be reckoned as the potter's clay? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed (it), Thou didst not form me: or the thing made to him that made it, Thou didst not make me with understanding? ¹⁷ Is it not yet a little while, and Lebanon shall be changed (to be) as mount Carmel, and mount Carmel shall be reckoned for a forest? ¹⁸ And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of a book, and they that are in the darkness, and that are in the mist, the eyes of the blind shall see. ¹⁹ And the poor shall exult because of the Lord, and they that were despaired for among men shall be filled with joy. ²⁰ The transgressor hath failed, and the overweening man is perished, and they that transgressed for evil doing are utterly destroyed, ²¹ And they that cause men to err in a word; and all them that convince in the gates shall they set as a stumblingblock, and they turned aside the just among the unjust. ²² Therefore thus saith the Lord upon the house of Jacob, which he separated from (among) Abraham, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor Israel now change his face: ²³ But when they see their children, my works, they shall sanctify my name because of me, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. ²⁴ And they that wander in spirit shall learn prudence, but they that murmur shall learn to hearken, and the stammering tongue shall learn to speak peace.