1 W oe, O Ariel, Ariel the city where David once camped! Add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule.

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add yet another year; let the feasts run their round.

2 I will bring distress to Ariel, And she will be a city of lamenting and mourning; And she will be like an Ariel to me.

Then will I distress Ariel; and there shall be mourning and lamentation, yet she shall be to Me like an Ariel.

3 I will camp against you encircling you, And I will set siegeworks against you, And I will raise up battle towers against you.

And I will encamp against you round about; and I will hem you in with siege works and I will set up fortifications against you.

4 T hen 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.

And you shall be laid low, speaking from beneath the ground, and your speech shall come humbly from the dust. And your voice shall be like that of a ghost coming from the earth, and your speech shall whisper and squeak as it chatters from the dust.

5 B ut 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.

But the multitude of your strangers that assail you shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless and terrible ones like chaff that blows away. And in an instant, suddenly,

6 F rom the Lord of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

You shall be visited and delivered by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a devouring fire.

7 A nd 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.

And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night.

8 I t will be as when a hungry man dreams— And behold, he is eating; But when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied, Or as when a thirsty man dreams— And behold, he is drinking, But when he awakens, behold, he is faint And his thirst is not quenched. Thus the multitude of all the nations will be Who wage war against Mount Zion.

It shall be as when a hungry man dreams that he is eating, but he wakens with his craving not satisfied; or as when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking, but he wakens and is faint, and his thirst is not quenched. So shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

9 B e delayed and wait, Blind yourselves and be blind; They become drunk, but not with wine, They stagger, but not with strong drink.

Stop and wonder and be confounded! Blind yourselves and then be blinded. They are drunk, but not from wine; they stagger, but not from strong drink.

10 F or the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep, He has shut your eyes, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, the seers.

For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep. And He has closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, He has covered and muffled.

11 T he 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.”

And the vision of all this has become for you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, Read this, I pray you, he says, I cannot, for it is sealed.

12 T hen the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I cannot read.”

And when the book is given to him who is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray you, he says, I cannot read.

13 T hen the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,

And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition,

14 T herefore 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 concealed.”

Therefore, behold! I will again do marvelous things with this people, marvelous and astonishing things; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their discerning men will vanish or be hidden.

15 W oe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “ Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”

Woe to those who hide deep from the Lord their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, Who sees us? Who knows us?

16 Y ou 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”? Blessing after Discipline

You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be considered of no more account than the clay? Shall the thing that is made say of its maker, He did not make me; or the thing that is formed say of him who formed it, He has no understanding?

17 I s it not yet just a little while Before Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?

Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field and the fruitful field esteemed as a forest?

18 O n that day the deaf will hear words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and out of obscurity and gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.

19 T he afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord, And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice and exult in the Holy One of Israel.

20 F or the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished, Indeed all who are intent on doing evil will be cut off;

For the terrible one shall come to nought, and the scoffer shall cease, and all those who watch for iniquity shall be cut off—

21 W ho cause a person to be indicted by a word, And ensnare him who adjudicates at the gate, And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments.

Those who make a man an offender and bring condemnation upon him with a word, and lay a trap for him who upholds justice at the city gate, and thrust aside the innocent and truly righteous with an empty plea.

22 T herefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale;

Therefore thus says the Lord, Who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not then be ashamed; not then shall his face become pale.

23 B ut 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 in awe of the God of Israel.

For when he sees his children, the work of My hands in his midst, they will revere My name; they will revere the Holy One of Jacob and reverently fear the God of Israel.

24 “ Those who err in mind will know the truth, And those who criticize will accept instruction.

Those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.