1 W oe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city of David's encampment! Add ye year to year; let the feasts come round.

It is bad for Ariel, Ariel the city where David once set up his tents! Add year to year. Keep your special suppers at the right times.

2 B ut I will distress Ariel, and there shall be sorrow and sadness; and it shall be unto me as an Ariel.

I will bring trouble to Ariel. She will be a city of sorrow and crying. She will be like an altar covered with blood to me.

3 A nd I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with watch-posts, and I will raise forts against thee.

I will camp against you, all around you. And I will build battle walls against you, and towers from which to fight you.

4 A nd thou shalt be brought low, thou shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall come low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Then you will be brought low. From the earth you will speak. Your words will come from the dust. Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground. Your quiet speaking will come from the dust.

5 A nd the multitude of thine enemies shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passeth away; and it shall be in an instant, suddenly.

But the many who hate you will become like fine dust. The many who show no pity will be like the part of the grain that is of no worth and blows away. It will happen all at once.

6 T hou shalt be visited by Jehovah of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

You will be visited by the Lord of All, with thunder and earth-shaking and loud noise, and with wind and storm and a destroying fire.

7 A nd the multitude of all the nations that war against Ariel, even all that war against her and her fortifications, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

And the many nations that fight against Ariel, all who fight against her and her strong-place and bring trouble to her, will be like a dream. They will be like a special dream of the night.

8 I t shall even be as when the hungry dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; and he awaketh, and his soul is empty; or as when the thirsty dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; and he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul craveth: so shall the multitude of all the nations be that war against mount Zion.

It will be as when a hungry man dreams he is eating, but when he wakes up, he is not filled. It will be as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking, but when he wakes up, he is weak and still thirsty. This is how the many nations will be that fight against Mount Zion. The Locked Book

9 B e astounded and astonished, blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

Stop and wait. Blind yourselves and be blind. They are drunk, but not with wine. They walk from side to side, but not because of strong drink.

10 F or Jehovah hath poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your chiefs, the seers, hath he covered.

For the Lord has given you a deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, you who speak for God. He has covered your heads, men of God.

11 A nd the whole vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which they give to one that can read, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed.

And the special dream of all this will be to you like the words of a locked book. When they give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is locked.”

12 A nd they give the book to him that cannot read, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot read.

Then they will give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this.” And he will say, “I cannot read.”

13 A nd the Lord saith, Forasmuch as this people draw near with their mouth, and honour me with their lips, but their heart is removed far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught of men;

The Lord said, “These people show respect to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Their worship of Me is worth nothing. They teach rules that men have made.

14 t herefore, behold, I will proceed to do marvellously with this people, to do marvellously, even with wonder, and the wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the understanding of their intelligent ones shall be hid.

So see, I will once again do great things with these people, great and wonderful things. And the wisdom of their wise men will be gone. The understanding of their wise men will be hidden.” Hope for the Future

15 W oe unto them that hide deep, far from Jehovah, their counsel! And their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

It is bad for those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, and whose works are done in a dark place. They say, “Who sees us?” or, “Who knows us?”

16 y our perverseness!—Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay, so that the work should say of him that made it, He made me not; or the thing formed say of him that formed it, He hath no understanding?

You turn things up-side-down! Is the pot-maker the same as the clay? Should what is made say to its maker, “He did not make me”? Should what is made say to him who made it, “He has no understanding”?

17 I s 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?

Is it not yet a very little while before Lebanon will be turned into a rich good field? The rich good field will be thought of as being full of many trees.

18 A nd in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and, out of obscurity and out of darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see;

In that day those who cannot hear will hear the words of a book. And the eyes of the blind will see out of the darkness.

19 a nd the meek shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the needy among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Those who have suffered will be happier in the Lord. Those who are in need will have joy in the Holy One of Israel.

20 F or the terrible one shall come to nought, and the scorner shall be no more, and all that watch for iniquity shall be cut off,

For those who show no pity will come to an end. And those who laugh at the truth will be stopped. All who want to be sinful will be cut off.

21 t hat make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and pervert the righteous by futility.

Those who say something to make a man seem to be in the wrong, and who trap the one who acts as a judge at the gate, and who tell lies to cause a good man to be punished, will be cut off.

22 T herefore thus saith Jehovah who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now be pale;

So this is what the Lord, Who made Abraham free, said about the family of Jacob: “Jacob will not be ashamed. No more will their faces become white with fear.

23 f or when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall hallow my name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

But when they see their children with them, the work of My hands, they will keep My Name holy, and will give honor to the Holy One of Jacob. They will stand in wonder of the God of Israel.

24 A nd they that are of erring spirit shall know understanding, and the disobedient shall learn doctrine.

Those who do wrong in spirit will understand the truth. And those who complain will receive teaching.”