1 Woe to Ariel! Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts come around; 2 then I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning and lamentation. She shall be to me as an altar hearth. 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. 4 You 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.

5 But 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. 6 She 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. 7 The 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. 8 It 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.

9 Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 10 For 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. 11 All 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;" 12 and the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, "Read this, please;" and he says, "I can’t read."

13 The Lord said, "Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught; 14 therefore, 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."

15 Woe 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?" 16 You 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?"

17 Isn’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? 18 In 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. 19 The humble also will increase their joy in Yahweh, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do evil are cut off— 21 who cause a person to be indicted by a word, and lay a snare for one who reproves in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony.

22 Therefore Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall no longer be ashamed, neither shall his face grow pale. 23 But 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. 24 They also who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will receive instruction."

1 Wee Ariël, Ariël, stad waar Dawid laer opgeslaan het! Voeg jaar by jaar; laat die feeste hulle kringloop volbring --

2 dan sal Ek Ariël benoud maak, en daar sal geklaag en geklag wees, en dit sal vir My soos Ariël wees.

3 En Ek sal in 'n kring teen jou laer opslaan en jou met wagposte beleër en skanse teen jou oprig.

4 Dan sal jy diep uit die grond spreek, en op dowwe toon sal jou woord uit die stof voortkom; en jou stem sal uit die grond opkom soos die van die gees van 'n afgestorwene, en uit die stof sal jou woord piep.

5 Maar die menigte van jou vyande sal word soos dun stof, en die menigte van die tiranne soos kaf wat wegwaai; en dit sal heeltemal onverwags gebeur.

6 Vanweë die HERE van die leërskare sal jy in genade besoek word, met donder en aardbewing en groot gedruis, wind en storm en die vlam van 'n verterende vuur.

7 En soos 'n droom, 'n naggesig, sal die menigte van al die nasies wees wat oorlog toe trek teen Ariël, ja, almal wat teen hom oorlog toe trek en teen sy bergvesting en hom benoud maak.

8 En soos 'n hongerige droom dat hy eet, maar hy word wakker en -- sy siel is leeg; en soos 'n dorstige droom dat hy drink, maar hy word wakker en -- hy is moeg en sy siel versmag: so sal die menigte van al die nasies wees wat oorlog toe trek teen die berg Sion.

9 Vertoef, en verwonder julle! Wees blind en verblind! Hulle is dronk, maar nie van wyn nie; hulle waggel, maar nie van sterk drank nie.

10 Want die HERE het oor julle uitgegiet 'n gees van diepe slaap, en Hy het julle oë -- die profete -- toegesluit en julle hoofde -- die sieners -- toegebind.

11 So het dan die gesig van al hierdie dinge vir julle geword soos die woorde van 'n verseëlde boek wat hulle gee aan iemand wat kan lees, met die woorde: Lees dit tog! Maar hy sê: Ek kan nie, want dit is verseël.

12 Of hulle gee die boek aan iemand wat nie kan lees nie, met die woorde: Lees dit tog! Maar hy sê: Ek kan nie lees nie.

13 En die Here het gesê: Omdat hierdie volk nader kom met hulle mond en My eer met hulle lippe, terwyl hulle hul hart ver van My hou, sodat hulle vrees vir My 'n aangeleerde mensegebod is,

14 daarom sal Ek voortgaan om wonderlik te handel met hierdie volk, wonderlik en wonderbaar; en die wysheid van hulle wyse manne sal vergaan, en die verstand van hulle verstandige mense sal wegskuil.

15 Wee hulle wat planne diep verberg vir die HERE, wie se werk in duisternis plaasvind; en hulle sê: Wie sien ons en wie ken ons?

16 o Julle verkeerdheid! Of moet die pottebakker beskou word as klei, dat die maaksel van sy maker kan sê: Hy het my nie gemaak nie, en die vormsel van sy vormer kan sê: Hy het geen verstand nie?

17 Sal dit nie nog 'n baie kort rukkie duur dat die L¡banon in 'n vrugteboord verander word, en die vrugteboord vir 'n bos gereken word nie?

18 En in die dag sal die dowes Skrifwoorde hoor, en uit donkerheid en duisternis sal die oë van die blindes sien.

19 En die ootmoediges sal vreugde op vreugde smaak in die HERE, en die behoeftiges onder die mense sal juig in die Heilige van Israel.

20 Want gedaan is dit met die tiran, en klaar is dit met die spotter, en uitgeroei is almal wat op ongeregtigheid bedag is --

21 hulle wat 'n mens as sondaar brandmerk ter wille van 'n woord, en strikke span vir hom wat vir die reg opkom in die poort, en die regverdige met nietige voorwendsels wegstoot.

22 Daarom, so sê die HERE tot die huis van Jakob, Hy wat Abraham verlos het: Jakob sal nou nie meer beskaamd staan nie, en nou sal sy aangesig nie meer bleek word nie;

23 want as hy, as sy kinders die werk van my hande in sy midde sien, sal hulle my Naam heilig; ja, hulle sal die Heilige van Jakob heilig en vir die God van Israel met ontsag vervul wees;

24 en hulle wat dwalende van gees is, sal insig verkry, en die murmureerders sal lering aanneem.