Study Desk

Woe, O ^[a]Ariel, ^[b]Ariel the city where David once ^(a)camped! Add year to year, ^[c](b)observe your feasts on schedule.

I will bring distress to Ariel, And she will be a city of lamenting and ^(c)mourning; And she will be like an Ariel to me.

I will ^(d)camp against you ^[d]encircling you, And I will set siegeworks against you, And I will raise up battle towers against you.

Then you will ^(e)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 ^[e]spirit from the ground, And your speech will whisper from the dust.

But the multitude of your ^[f]enemies will become like fine ^(f)dust, And the multitude of the ^(g)ruthless ones like the chaff which ^[g]blows away; And it will happen ^(h)instantly, suddenly.

From the Lord of hosts you will be ⁽ⁱ⁾punished with ^(j)thunder and earthquake and loud noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

And the ^(k)multitude of all the nations who wage war against ^[h]Ariel, Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, Will be like a dream, a ^(l)vision of the night.

It will be as when a hungry man dreams— And behold, he is eating; But when he awakens, his ^[i]hunger is not satisfied, Or as when a thirsty man dreams— And behold, he is drinking, But when he awakens, behold, he is faint And his ^[j]thirst is not quenched. ^(m)Thus the multitude of all the nations will be Who wage war against Mount Zion.

⁽ⁿ⁾Be delayed and wait, Blind yourselves and be blind; They ^(o)become drunk, but not with wine, They stagger, but not with strong drink.

For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep ^(p)sleep, He has ^(q)shut your eyes, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, the seers.

The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed ^[k](r)book, which when they give it to the one who ^[l]is literate, saying, "Please read this," he will say, "I cannot, for it is sealed."

Then the ^[m]book will be given to the one who ^[n]is illiterate, saying, "Please read this." And he will say, "I ^[o]cannot read."

Then the Lord said, "Because ^(s)this people draw near with their ^[p]words And honor Me with their ^[q]lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their ^[r]reverence for Me ^[s]consists of ^[t]tradition learned by rote,

Therefore behold, I will once again deal ^(t)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And ^(u)the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed."

Woe to those who deeply ^(v)hide their ^[u]plans from the Lord , And whose ^(w)deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, "^(x)Who sees us?" or "Who knows us?"

You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered ^[v]as equal with the clay, That ^(y)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"?

Is it not yet just a little while ^[w]Before Lebanon will be turned into a ^(z)fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?

On that day the ^(aa)deaf will hear ^(ab)words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the ^(ac)eyes of the blind will see.

The ^(ad)afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord , And the ^(ae)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

For the ^(af)ruthless will come to an end and the ^(ag)scorner will be finished, Indeed ^(ah)all who ^[x]are intent on doing evil will be cut off;

Who ^[y]cause a person to be indicted by a word, And ^(ai)ensnare him who adjudicates at the gate, And ^[z](aj)defraud the one in the right with ^[aa]meaningless arguments.