1. Ah! Ariel, Ariel,city where David encamped!Let year follow year,and feast follow feast,
2. But I will bring distress upon Ariel,and there will be mourning and moaning.You shall be to me like Ariel:
3. I will encamp like David against you;I will circle you with outpostsand set up siege works against you.
4. You shall speak from beneath the earth,and from the dust below, your words shall come.Your voice shall be that of a ghost from the earth,and your words shall whisper from the dust.
5. The horde of your arrogant shall be like fine dust,a horde of tyrants like flying chaff.Then suddenly, in an instant,
6. you shall be visited by the Lord of hosts,With thunder, earthquake, and great noise,whirlwind, storm, and the flame of consuming fire.
7. Then like a dream,a vision of the night,Shall be the horde of all the nationswho make war against Ariel:All the outposts, the siege works against it,all who distress it.
8. As when a hungry man dreams he is eatingand awakens with an empty stomach,Or when a thirsty man dreams he is drinkingand awakens faint, his throat parched,So shall the horde of all the nations be,who make war against Mount Zion.
9. Stupefy yourselves and stay stupid;blind yourselves and stay blind!You who are drunk, but not from wine,who stagger, but not from strong drink!
10. For the Lord has poured out on youa spirit of deep sleep.He has shut your eyes (the prophets)and covered your heads (the seers).
11. For you the vision of all this has become like the words of a sealed scroll. When it is handed to one who can read, with the request, “Read this,” the reply is, “I cannot, because it is sealed.”
12. When the scroll is handed to one who cannot read, with the request, “Read this,” the reply is, “I cannot read.”
13. The Lord said:Since this people draws near with words onlyand honors me with their lips alone,though their hearts are far from me,And fear of me has becomemere precept of human teaching,
14. Therefore I will again deal with this peoplein surprising and wondrous fashion:The wisdom of the wise shall perish,the prudence of the prudent shall vanish.