Isaiah 29: a lament and a hope for Jerusalem

 In Isaiah 29 we read a lament for Ariel/Jerusalem:

1 Woe to Ariel,[a] Ariel,

the city where David camped!

4 You will be brought down;

you will speak from the ground,

and your words will come from low in the dust.

Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground;

your speech will whisper from the dust.

However, the Lord will free Jerusalem from his enemies:

7 All the many nations

going out to battle against Ariel—

all the attackers, the siege works against her,

and those who oppress her—

will then be like a dream, a vision in the night.

The Lord hides a better understanding of his Word :

13 The Lord said:

These people approach me with their speeches

to honor me with lip-service,[h]

yet their hearts are far from me,

and human rules direct their worship of me.[i]

14 Therefore, I will again confound these people

with wonder after wonder.

The wisdom of their wise will vanish,

and the perception of their perceptive will be hidden.

However, there will be a future day, when even the deafs will hear:

18 On that day the deaf will hear

the words of a document,

and out of a deep darkness

the eyes of the blind will see.

19 The humble will have joy

after joy in the Lord,

and the poor people will rejoice

in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the ruthless one will vanish,

the scorner will disappear,

and all those who lie in wait with evil intent

will be killed—

21 those who, with their speech,

accuse a person of wrongdoing,

who set a trap for the one mediating at the city gate

and without cause deprive the righteous of justice.

23 For when he sees his children,

the work of my hands within his nation,

they will honor my name,

they will honor the Holy One of Jacob

and stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24 Those who are confused will gain understanding,

and those who grumble will accept instruction.