1 “ Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add year to year; Let feasts come around.

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 Y et I will distress Ariel; There shall be heaviness and sorrow, And it shall be to Me as 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 I will encamp against you all around, I will lay siege against you with a mound, And I will raise siegeworks against you.

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

4 Y ou shall be brought down, You shall speak out of the ground; Your speech shall be low, out of the dust; Your voice shall be like a medium’s, out of the ground; And your 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 “ Moreover the multitude of your foes Shall be like fine dust, And the multitude of the terrible ones Like chaff that passes away; Yes, 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 Y ou will be punished by the Lord of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm 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 T he multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And 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 a hungry man dreams, And look—he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look—he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, Who fight against Mount Zion.” The Blindness of Disobedience

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 P ause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with intoxicating 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 the Lord has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.

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 T he whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “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 T hen the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate.”

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

13 T herefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment 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 again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

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 to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows 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 S urely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, “He did not make me”? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? Future Recovery of Wisdom

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 Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field 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 I n that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

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 T he humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor 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 is brought to nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are 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 W ho make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words.

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 says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow 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 B ut when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And 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 T hese also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, And those who complained will learn doctrine.”

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