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Chapter 29

Judgment and Deliverance of Jerusalem

Ah! Ariel, Ariel,[a]
    city where David encamped!
Let year follow year,
    and feast follow feast,(A)
But I will bring distress upon Ariel,
    and there will be mourning and moaning.
You shall be to me like Ariel:(B)
    I will encamp like David against you;
I will circle you with outposts
    and set up siege works against you.(C)
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.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 29:1–2 Ariel: a poetic name for Jerusalem. It has been variously interpreted to mean “lion of God,” “altar hearth of God” (Ez 43:15–16), “city of God,” or “foundation of God.” In v. 2 the term refers to “altar hearth,” i.e., a place of burning for its people (cf. 30:33; 31:9). God will attack Jerusalem, as David did long ago.

Woe to David’s City

29 Woe(A) to you, Ariel, Ariel,(B)
    the city(C) where David settled!
Add year to year
    and let your cycle of festivals(D) go on.
Yet I will besiege Ariel;(E)
    she will mourn and lament,(F)
    she will be to me like an altar hearth.[a](G)
I will encamp against you on all sides;
    I will encircle(H) you with towers
    and set up my siege works(I) against you.
Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
    your speech will mumble(J) out of the dust.(K)
Your voice will come ghostlike(L) from the earth;
    out of the dust your speech will whisper.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 29:2 The Hebrew for altar hearth sounds like the Hebrew for Ariel.