Isaiah 29

Siege and Humiliation Isaiah 29:3–4

³Verse 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. ⁴Verse 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.

Foes Turned to Dust Isaiah 29:5–6

⁵Verse 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. ⁶Verse 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.

Spiritual Blindness Isaiah 29:7–10

⁷Verse 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. ⁸Verse 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. ⁹Verse 9. Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

¹⁰Verse 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.

The Sealed Vision Isaiah 29:11–14

¹¹Verse 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:” ¹²Verse 12. and the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, “Read this, please”; and he says, “I can’t read.” ¹³Verse 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; ¹⁴Verse 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.”

Woe to the Deceptive Isaiah 29:15–21

¹⁵Verse 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?” ¹⁶Verse 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?” ¹⁷Verse 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? ¹⁸Verse 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.

¹⁹Verse 19. The humble also will increase their joy in Yahweh, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. ²⁰Verse 20. For the ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do evil are cut off— ²¹Verse 21. who 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.

Promise of Restoration Isaiah 29:22–24

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