Isaiah 29
International Children’s Bible
Warnings to Jerusalem
29 How terrible it will be for you, Jerusalem.
You are the city where David camped.
Her festivals have continued
year after year.
2 I will attack Jerusalem.
That city will be filled with sadness and crying.
It will be like an altar to me.
3 I will put armies all around you, Jerusalem.
I will surround you with towers.
I will build devices around you to attack you.
4 You will be pulled down and will speak from the ground.
I will hear your voice rising from the ground.
It will sound like the voice of a ghost.
Your words will come like a whisper from the dirt.
5 Your many enemies will become like fine dust.
The groups of cruel people will be like chaff that is blown away.
Everything will happen very quickly.
6 The Lord of heaven’s armies will come.
He will come with thunder, earthquakes and great noises.
He will come with storms, strong winds and a fire that destroys.
7 Then all the nations that fight against Jerusalem
will be like a dream.
All the nations that surround and attack her
will be like a vision in the night.
8 They will be like a hungry man who dreams he is eating.
But when he wakes up, he is still hungry.
They will be like a thirsty man who dreams he is drinking.
But when he wakes up, he is still weak and thirsty.
It will be the same way with all the nations
who fight against Mount Zion.
9 Be surprised and amazed.
Blind yourselves so that you cannot see.
Become drunk, but not from wine.
Trip and fall, but not from beer.
10 The Lord has made you go into a deep sleep.
He has closed your eyes. (The prophets are your eyes.)
He has covered your heads. (The seers are your heads.)
11 This vision is like the words of a book that is closed and sealed. You may give the book to someone who can read. And you may tell that person to read it. But he will say, “I can’t read the book. It is closed, and I can’t open it.” 12 Or you may give the book to someone who cannot read. You may tell him to read the book. But he will say, “I can’t read it because I don’t know how to read.”
13 The Lord says:
“These people say they love me.
They show honor to me with words.
But their hearts are far from me.
The honor they show me
is nothing but human rules they have memorized.
14 So I will continue to amaze these people
by doing more and more miracles.
Their wise men will lose their wisdom.
Their wise men will not be able to understand.”
Warnings About Other Nations
15 How terrible it will be for those who try
to hide things from the Lord.
How terrible it will be for those who do their work in darkness.
They think no one will see them or know what they do.
16 You are confused.
You think the clay is equal to the potter.
You think that an object can tell the person who made it,
“You didn’t make me.”
This is like a pot telling its maker,
“You don’t know anything.”
A Better Time Is Coming
17 In a very short time, Lebanon will become rich farmland.
And the rich farmland will seem like a forest.
18 At that time the deaf will hear the words in a book.
Instead of having darkness and gloom, the blind will see.
19 The Lord will make the poor people happy.
They will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 Then the people without mercy will come to an end.
Those who do not respect God will disappear.
Those who enjoy doing evil will be gone.
21 Those who lie about others in court will be gone.
Those who trap people in court will be gone.
Those who lie and take justice from innocent people in court will be gone.
22 The Lord set Abraham free. This Lord speaks to the family of Jacob.
“Now the people of Jacob will not be ashamed.
They will not be disgraced any longer.
23 They will see all their children,
the children I made with my hands.
And they will say my name is holy.
The people will agree that the Holy One of Jacob is holy.
They will respect the God of Israel.
24 People who do wrong will now understand.
Those who complain will accept being taught.”
以賽亞書 29
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
耶路撒冷被圍
29 耶和華說：「亞利伊勒[a]，亞利伊勒，
大衛安營的城啊！
你有禍了！
儘管你年復一年地守節期，
2 我還是要叫你受苦。
你必悲傷哀號，
在我面前成為一座祭壇。
3 我必把你團團圍住，
屯兵圍困你，
修築高臺攻打你。
4 你必一敗塗地，
躺在塵土中說話，
你細微的聲音從土中傳來，
好像地下幽靈的聲音。
你耳語般的低聲從土中傳來。
5 但你的眾仇敵必像纖細的塵埃一樣消散，
眾多的殘暴之徒必如被風颳去的糠秕。
突然，刹那之間，
6 萬軍之耶和華必帶著雷轟、地震、巨響、旋風、暴風和烈火來臨。
7 攻打、圍困耶路撒冷及其堡壘的各國軍隊必如夢幻，
如夜間的異象一樣消失。
8 他們好像饑餓的人夢中吃飯，
醒來仍然饑餓；
像口渴的人夢中喝水，
醒來仍然渴得發昏。
攻打錫安山的各國軍隊結局都必如此。」
9 你們駐足驚奇吧！
你們自我蒙蔽，繼續瞎眼吧！
你們醉了，但不是因為酒；
你們東倒西歪，但不是因為烈酒。
10 因為耶和華把沉睡的靈傾倒在你們身上，
祂封住你們的眼睛，
蓋住你們的頭。
你們的眼睛就是先知，
你們的頭就是先見。
11 對你們而言，所有的啟示都好像封了印的書卷。你們把書卷交給識字的人讀，他會說：「我不能讀，這書卷是封著的。」 12 你們把書卷交給不識字的人讀，他會說：「我不識字。」
13 主說：「這些人嘴上親近我，
尊崇我，心卻遠離我。
他們敬拜我不過是遵行人定的規條。
14 所以，我要再次行奇妙無比的事，使他們震驚。
他們智者的智慧必泯滅，
明哲的聰明必消失。」
15 那些向耶和華深藏計謀的人有禍了！
他們暗中行事，
自以為無人看見也無人知道。
16 他們太愚蠢了！
窯匠怎能跟泥土相提並論？
被造的怎能對造它的說：
「你沒有造我」？
陶器怎能對陶匠說：
「你什麼也不懂」？
17 再過不久，黎巴嫩將變成沃野，
沃野上莊稼茂密如林。
18 那時，聾子必聽見那書卷上的話，
黑暗中的瞎子必能看見。
19 卑微的人必因耶和華而歡喜，
貧窮的人必因以色列的聖者而快樂。
20 殘暴之徒必消失，
嘲諷者必絕跡，
所有心懷不軌者必被剷除。
21 他們誣陷人，
暗算審判官，
冤枉無辜。
22 因此，關於雅各家，
救贖亞伯拉罕的耶和華說：
「雅各的子孫必不再羞愧，
臉上再無懼色。
23 因為他們看見我賜給他們的子孫時，
必尊我的名為聖，
必尊雅各的聖者為聖，
必敬畏以色列的上帝。
24 心裡迷惘的必明白真理，
發怨言的必欣然受教。」
Footnotes
- 29·1 「亞利伊勒」在此處用來指錫安/耶路撒冷，2節、7節同。
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
