Isaiah 29:13–16

And the Lord said:

“Because this people draw near with their mouth

and honor me with their lips,

while their hearts are far from me,

and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

therefore, behold, I will again

do wonderful things with this people,

with wonder upon wonder;

and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,

and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,

whose deeds are in the dark,

and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

You turn things upside down!

Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,

that the thing made should say of its maker,

“He did not make me”;

or the thing formed say of him who formed it,

“He has no understanding”?

The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth

and honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship of me

is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

Therefore once more I will astound these people

with wonder upon wonder;

the wisdom of the wise will perish,

the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

Woe to those who go to great depths

to hide their plans from the Lord,

who do their work in darkness and think,

“Who sees us? Who will know?”

You turn things upside down,

as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!

Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,

“You did not make me”?

Can the pot say to the potter,

“You know nothing”?

The Lord said:

These people approach me with their speeches

to honor me with lip-service,

yet their hearts are far from me,

and human rules direct their worship of me.

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.

Woe to those who go to great lengths

to hide their plans from the Lord.

They do their works in the dark,

and say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

You have turned things around,

as if the potter were the same as the clay.

How can what is made say about its maker,

“He didn’t make me”?

How can what is formed

say about the one who formed it,

“He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”?

And the Lord said,

“Because this people draw near with its mouth,

and with its lips it honors me,

and its heart is far from me,

and their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught,

therefore look, I am again doing something spectacular

and a spectacle with this spectacular people.

And the wisdom of its wise men shall perish,

and the discernment of its discerning ones shall keep itself hidden.”

Ah! Those who make a plan deep, to hide it from Yahweh,

and their deeds are in a dark place.

And they say, “Who sees us?

And who knows us?”

Your perversity!

As if a potter shall be regarded as the clay!

That the product of its maker says,

“He did not make me,”

and the thing made into shape says of its potter,

“He has no understanding.”

Wherefore the Lord said,

Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth,

And with their lips do honour me,

But have removed their heart far from me,

And their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people,

Even a marvellous work and a wonder:

For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,

And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord,

And their works are in the dark,

And they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay:

For shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not?

Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?