The Blindness of Disobedience

Pause and wonder!
Blind yourselves and be blind!
(A)They are drunk, (B)but not with wine;
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For (C)the Lord has poured out on you
The spirit of deep sleep,
And has (D)closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, namely, (E)the seers.

11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a [a]book (F)that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.”

(G)And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

12 Then the book is delivered to one who [b]is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.”

And he says, “I am not literate.”

13 Therefore the Lord said:

(H)“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me (I)with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14 (J)Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work
Among this people,
A marvelous work and a wonder;
(K)For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

15 (L)Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord,
And their works are in the dark;
(M)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 (N)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”?

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 29:11 scroll
  2. Isaiah 29:12 Lit. does not know books

Be stunned and amazed,(A)
    blind yourselves and be sightless;(B)
be drunk,(C) but not from wine,(D)
    stagger,(E) but not from beer.
10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:(F)
    He has sealed your eyes(G) (the prophets);(H)
    he has covered your heads (the seers).(I)

11 For you this whole vision(J) is nothing but words sealed(K) in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”

13 The Lord says:

“These people(L) come near to me with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,(M)
    but their hearts are far from me.(N)
Their worship of me
    is based on merely human rules they have been taught.[a](O)
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
    with wonder upon wonder;(P)
the wisdom of the wise(Q) will perish,
    the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.(R)
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
    to hide(S) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
    “Who sees us?(T) Who will know?”(U)
16 You turn things upside down,
    as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!(V)
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed(W) it,
    “You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,(X)
    “You know nothing”?(Y)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 29:13 Hebrew; Septuagint They worship me in vain; / their teachings are merely human rules