Isaiah29

Isaiah pronounces woe upon Ariel (Jerusalem), predicting distress and siege, yet promises that its enemies will suddenly vanish. He condemns the people's spiritual blindness and hypocrisy, likening their understanding to a sealed book and their worship to lip service. However, the chapter concludes with a promise of future restoration, where the deaf will hear, the blind will see, and those who erred will gain understanding, as God performs a marvellous work among His people.

Woe to Ariel: Jerusalem Under Siege

1
Ah altar, altar of the citie that Dauid dwelt in: adde yere vnto yere: let them kill lambs.
2
But I wil bring the altar into distresse, and there shalbe heauines and sorowe, and it shall be vnto me like an altar.
3
And I wil besiege thee as a circle, and fight against thee on a mount, and will cast vp ramparts against thee.
4
So shalt thou be humbled, and shalt speake out of the ground, and thy speach shalbe as out of the dust: thy voyce also shall be out of the ground like him that hath a spirite of diuination, and thy talking shall whisper out of the dust.
5
Moreouer, the multitude of thy strangers shalbe like small dust, and the multitude of strong men shalbe as chaffe that passeth away, and it shall be in a moment, euen suddenly.
6
Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hostes with thunder, and shaking, and a great noyse, a whirlewinde, and a tempest, and a flame of a deuouring fire.
7
And the multitude of all the nations that fight against the altar, shalbe as a dreame or vision by night: euen all they that make the warre against it, and strong holdes against it, and lay siege vnto it.
8
And it shalbe like as an hungry man dreameth, and beholde, he eateth: and when he awaketh, his soule is emptie: or like as a thirsty man dreameth, and loe, he is drinking, and when he awaketh, beholde, he is faint, and his soule longeth: so shall the multitude of all nations be that fight against mount Zion.

Spiritual Blindness and Stupor

9
Stay your selues, and wonder: they are blinde, and make you blinde: they are drunken but not with wine: they stagger, but not by strong drinke.
10
For the Lord hath couered you with a spirite of slumber, and hath shut vp your eyes: the Prophets, and your chiefe Seers hath he couered.
11
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.
12
And the booke is giuen vnto him that can not reade, saying, Reade this, I pray thee. And he shall say, I can not reade.

Hypocrisy Condemned

13
Therefore the Lord sayd, Because this people come neere vnto me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips, but haue remooued their heart farre from me, and their feare toward me was taught by the precept of men,
14
Therefore behold, I wil againe doe a marueilous worke in this people, euen a marueilous worke, and a wonder: for the wisdome of their wise men shall perish, and the vnderstanding of their prudent men shalbe hid.
15
Wo vnto them that seeke deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord: for their workes are in darkenes, and they say, Who seeth vs? and who knoweth vs?
16
Your turning of deuises shall it not be esteemed as the potters clay? for shall the worke say of him that made it, Hee made me not? or the thing formed, say of him that facioned it, He had none vnderstanding?

The Promise of Future Renewal

17
Is it not yet but a litle while, and Lebanon shall be turned into Carmel? and Carmel shall be counted as a forest?
18
And in that day shall the deafe heare the wordes of the booke, and the eyes of the blinde shall see out of obscuritie, and out of darkenesse.
19
The meeke in the Lord shall receiue ioye againe, and the poore men shall reioyce in the holy one of Israel.
20
For the cruel man shall cease, and the scornefull shalbe consumed: and all that hasted to iniquitie, shalbe cut off:
21
Which made a man to sinne in ye worde, and tooke him in a snare: which reproued them in the gate, and made the iust to fall without cause.
22
Therefore thus sayth the Lord vnto the house of Iaakob, euen hee that redeemed Abraham, Iaakob shall not now be confounded, neither now shall his face be pale.
23
But when he seeth his children, the worke of mine hands, in the mids of him, they shall sanctifie my Name, and sanctifie the holy one of Iaakob, and shall feare the God of Israel.
24
Then they that erred in spirit, shall haue vnderstanding, and they that murmured, shall learne doctrine.
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