1 W oe to Ariel! Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the 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 t hen I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning and lamentation. She shall be to me as an altar hearth.

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 you, and will lay siege against you with posted troops. I will raise siege works 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 will be brought down, and will speak out of the ground. Your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will be as of one who has a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and your speech will 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 B ut the multitude of your foes will be like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones like chaff that blows away. Yes, it will 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 S he will be visited by Yahweh of Armies with thunder, with earthquake, with great noise, with whirlwind and storm, and with the flame of a 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 that fight against Ariel, even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

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 will be like when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he eats; but he awakes, and his hunger isn’t satisfied; or like when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he drinks; but he awakes, and behold, he is faint, and he is still thirsty. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion will be like that.

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 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 Yahweh has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets; and he has covered your heads, 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 A ll vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is educated, saying, “Read this, please”; and he says, “I can’t, 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 the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, “Read this, please”; and he says, “I can’t read.”

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

13 T he Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;

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 a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men will 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 deeply hide their counsel from Yahweh, and whose deeds are in the dark, and who 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 Y ou turn things upside down! Should the potter be thought to be like clay; that the thing made should say about him who made it, “He didn’t make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has 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 sn’t it yet a very little while, and Lebanon will be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will be regarded 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 will hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind will 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 will increase their joy in Yahweh, and the poor among men will 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 ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do evil 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 cause a person to be indicted by a word, and lay a snare for the arbiter in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony.

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 Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no longer be ashamed, neither shall his face 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 the middle of him, they will sanctify my name. Yes, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of 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 hey also who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will receive instruction.”

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