Isaiah 29:9–18

^9aBe delayed and wait,

Blind yourselves and be blind;

They ^bbecome drunk, but not with wine,

They stagger, but not with strong drink.

¹⁰For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep ^asleep,

He has ^bshut your eyes, the prophets;

And He has covered your heads, the seers.

¹¹The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed ^1abook, which when they give it to the one who ²is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

¹²Then the ¹book will be given to the one who ²is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I ³cannot read.”

¹³Then the Lord said,

“Because ^athis people draw near with their ¹words

And honor Me with their ²lip service,

But they remove their hearts far from Me,

And their ³reverence for Me ⁴consists of ⁵tradition learned by rote,

¹⁴Therefore behold, I will once again deal ^amarvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;

And ^bthe wisdom of their wise men will perish,

And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”

¹⁵Woe to those who deeply ^ahide their ¹plans from the Lord,

And whose ^bdeeds are done in a dark place,

And they say, “^cWho sees us?” or “Who knows us?”

¹⁶You turn things around!

Shall the potter be considered ¹as equal with the clay,

That ^awhat is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;

Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

Blessing after Discipline

¹⁷Is it not yet just a little while

¹Before Lebanon will be turned into a ^afertile field,

And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?

¹⁸On that day the ^adeaf will hear ^bwords of a book,

And out of their gloom and darkness the ^ceyes of the blind will see.