1Woe, [a]Ariel, [b]Ariel the city where David once camped!

Add year to year, [c]keep your feasts on schedule.

2I will bring distress to Ariel,

And she will be a city of grieving and mourning;

And she will be like an [d]Ariel to me.

3I will camp against you [e]encircling you,

And I will set up siegeworks against you,

And I will raise up battle towers against you.

4Then you will be brought low;

From the earth you will speak,

And from the dust where you are prostrate

Your words will come.

Your voice will also be like that of a [f]spirit from the ground,

And your speech will whisper from the dust.

5But the multitude of your [g]enemies will become like fine dust,

And the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which [h]blows away;

And it will happen instantly, suddenly.

6From the LORD of armies you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise,

With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

7And the multitude of all the nations who wage war against [i]Ariel,

Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,

Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

8It will be as when a hungry person dreams—

And behold, he is eating;

But when he awakens, his [j]hunger is not satisfied,

Or as when a thirsty person dreams—

And behold, he is drinking,

But when he awakens, behold, he is faint

And his [k]thirst is not quenched.

So will the multitude of all the nations be

Who wage war against Mount Zion.

9Be delayed and horrified,

Blind yourselves and be blind;

They become drunk, but not with wine,

They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.

10For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep,

He has shut your eyes—the prophets;

And He has covered your heads—the seers. 11The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [l]book, which, when they give it to the one who [m]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12Then the [n]book will be given to the one who [o]is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [p]cannot read.”

13Then the Lord said,

“Because this people approaches Me with their [q]words

And honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far away from Me,

And their [r]reverence for Me [s]consists of the commandment of men that is taught;

14Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;

And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,

And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”

15Woe to those who deeply hide their [t]plans from the LORD,

And whose deeds are done in a dark place,

And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”

16You turn things around!

Shall the potter be considered [u]as equal with the clay,

That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;

Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

Blessing after Discipline