Isaiah 29

The Siege of Jerusalem

1 "Woe a to 1 Ariel, 2 to Ariel, the city b where David dwelt!
Add year to year;
Let feasts come around. 2 Yet I will distress Ariel;
There shall be heaviness and sorrow,
And it shall be to Me as Ariel. 3 I will encamp against you all around,
I will lay siege against you with a mound,
And I will raise siegeworks against you. 4 You 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, c out of the ground;
And your speech shall whisper out of the dust.

5 "Moreover the multitude of your d foes
Shall be like fine dust,
And the multitude of the terrible ones
Like e chaff that passes away;
Yes, it shall be f in an instant, suddenly. 6 g You will be punished by the LORD of hosts
With thunder and h earthquake and great noise,
With storm and tempest
And the flame of devouring fire. 7 i The multitude of all the nations who fight against 3 Ariel,
Even all who fight against her and her fortress,
And distress her,
Shall be j as a dream of a night vision. 8 k It 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."

9 Pause and wonder!
Blind yourselves and be blind!
l They are drunk, m but not with wine;
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink. 10 For n the LORD has poured out on you
The spirit of deep sleep,
And has o closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, namely, p the seers.

11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a 4 book q that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, "Read this, please." r And he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed." 12 Then the book is delivered to one who 5 is illiterate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I am not literate."

13 Therefore the Lord said:
s "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me t with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, 14 u Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work
Among this people,
A marvelous work and a wonder;
v For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden."

15 w Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD,
And their works are in the dark;
x They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?" 16 Surely you have things turned around!
Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay;
For shall the y 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"?

17 Is it not yet a very little while
Till z Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest? 18 a In 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. 19 b The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD,
And c the poor among men shall rejoice
In the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the 6 terrible one is brought to nothing,
d The scornful one is consumed,
And all who e watch for iniquity are cut off - 21 Who make a man an offender by a word,
And f lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
And turn aside the just g by empty words.

22 Therefore thus says the LORD, h who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
"Jacob shall not now be i ashamed,
Nor shall his face now grow pale; 23 But when he sees his children,
j 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. 24 These also k who erred in spirit will come to understanding,
And those who complained will learn doctrine."

  1. Cross References
    Ezekiel 24:6
    Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the bloody city, To the pot whose scum is in it, And whose scum is not gone from it! Bring it out piece by piece, On which no lot has fallen.
    Ezekiel 24:9
    Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the bloody city! I too will make the pyre great.
  2. Cross References
    2 Samuel 5:9
    Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 8:19
    And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?
  4. Cross References
    Isaiah 25:5
    You will reduce the noise of aliens, As heat in a dry place; As heat in the shadow of a cloud, The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.
  5. Cross References
    Job 21:18
    They are like straw before the wind, And like chaff that a storm carries away.
    Isaiah 17:13
    The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
  6. Cross References
    Isaiah 30:13
    Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.
    Isaiah 47:11
    Therefore evil shall come upon you; You shall not know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; You will not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, Which you shall not know.
    1 Thessalonians 5:3
    For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
  7. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:2
    Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.
    Isaiah 30:30
    The LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard, And show the descent of His arm, With the indignation of His anger And the flame of a devouring fire, With scattering, tempest, and hailstones.
  8. Cross References
    1 Samuel 2:10
    The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in ...
    Zechariah 14:4
    And in that day His feet will stand on the Moun...
    Matthew 24:7
    For nation will rise against nation, and kingdo...
    Mark 13:8
    For nation will rise against nation, and kingdo...
    Luke 21:11
    And there will be great earthquakes in various ...
    Revelation 16:18
    And there were noises and thunderings and light...
    Revelation 16:19
    Now the great city was divided into three parts...
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 37:36
    Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses - all dead.
    Micah 4:11
    Now also many nations have gathered against you, Who say, "Let her be defiled, And let our eye look upon Zion.
    Micah 4:12
    But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, Nor do they understand His counsel; For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
    Zechariah 12:9
    It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
  10. Cross References
    Job 20:8
    He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
  11. Cross References
    Psalms 73:20
    As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.
  12. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:7
    But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
    Isaiah 28:8
    For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 51:21
    Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, And drunk but not with wine.
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 69:23
    Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually.
    Isaiah 6:9
    And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.
    Isaiah 6:10
    "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed."
    Micah 3:6
    Therefore you shall have night without vision, And you shall have darkness without divination; The sun shall go down on the prophets, And the day shall be dark for them.
    Romans 11:8
    Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 69:23
    Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually.
    Isaiah 6:10
    "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed."
  16. Cross References
    1 Samuel 9:9
    (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: "Come, let us go to the seer"; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)
    Isaiah 44:18
    They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.
    Micah 3:6
    Therefore you shall have night without vision, And you shall have darkness without divination; The sun shall go down on the prophets, And the day shall be dark for them.
    2 Thessalonians 2:9 - 12
    The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.
  17. Cross References
    Isaiah 8:16
    Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples.
  18. Cross References
    Daniel 12:4
    "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
    Daniel 12:9
    And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
    Matthew 13:11 - 16
    He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
    Revelation 5:1 - 5
    And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
    Revelation 5:9
    And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
  19. Cross References
    Psalms 78:36
    Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mout...
    Ezekiel 33:31
    So they come to you as people do, they sit befo...
    Matthew 15:8
    These people draw near to Me with their mouth, ...
    Matthew 15:9
    And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctri...
    Mark 7:6
    He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah ...
    Mark 7:7
    And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctri...
  20. Cross References
    Colossians 2:22
    Which all concern things which perish with the using - according to the commandments and doctrines of men?
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 6:9
    And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.
    Isaiah 6:10
    "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed."
    Isaiah 28:21
    For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon - That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.
    Habakkuk 1:5
    Look among the nations and watch - Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 44:25
    Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness.
    Jeremiah 49:7
    Against Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts: " Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?
    1 Corinthians 1:19
    For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 30:1
    Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin.
  24. Cross References
    Psalms 10:11
    He has said in his heart, "God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.
    Psalms 94:7
    Yet they say, "The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand.
    Isaiah 47:10
    "For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, 'No one sees me'; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one else besides me.'
    Ezekiel 8:12
    Then He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'
    Malachi 2:17
    You have wearied the LORD with your words; Yet you say, "In what way have we wearied Him? " In that you say, "Everyone who does evil Is good in the sight of the LORD, And He delights in them," Or, "Where is the God of justice?
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:9
    Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'?
    Jeremiah 18:1 - 6
    The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:
    Romans 9:19 - 21
    You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?
  26. Cross References
    Isaiah 32:15
    Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
  27. Cross References
    Isaiah 35:5
    Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
    Matthew 11:5
    The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
    Mark 7:37
    And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.
  28. Cross References
    Psalms 25:9
    The humble He guides in justice, And the humble...
    Psalms 37:11
    But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall...
    Isaiah 11:4
    But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,...
    Isaiah 61:1
    The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because ...
    Matthew 5:5
    Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit th...
    Matthew 11:29
    Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I ...
  29. Cross References
    Isaiah 14:30
    The firstborn of the poor will feed, And the needy will lie down in safety; I will kill your roots with famine, And it will slay your remnant.
    Matthew 5:3
    Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    Matthew 11:5
    The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
    James 2:5
    Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
  30. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:14
    Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem.
  31. Cross References
    Isaiah 59:4
    No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
    Micah 2:1
    Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand.
  32. Cross References
    Amos 5:10
    They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.
    Amos 5:12
    For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.
  33. Cross References
    Proverbs 28:21
    To show partiality is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.
  34. Cross References
    Joshua 24:3
    Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.
  35. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:17
    But Israel shall be saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever.
  36. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:11
    Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.
    Isaiah 49:20 - 26
    The children you will have, After you have lost the others, Will say again in your ears, 'The place is too small for me; Give me a place where I may dwell.
    Ephesians 2:10
    For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
  37. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:7
    But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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