Isaiah 29:11-24

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 tell that person to read it. But he will say, “I can’t read the book, because it is sealed.” Or you may give the book to someone who cannot read and tell him to read it. But he will say, “I don’t know how to read.” The Lord says: “These people worship me with their mouths, and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is based on nothing but human rules. 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.” How terrible it will be for those who try to hide things from the LORD and who do their work in darkness. They think no one will see them or know what they do. You are confused. You think the clay is equal to the potter. You think that an object can tell the one who made it, “You didn’t make me.” This is like a pot telling its maker, “You don’t know anything.” In a very short time, Lebanon will become rich farmland, and the rich farmland will seem like a forest. At that time the deaf will hear the words in a book. Instead of having darkness and gloom, the blind will see. The LORD will make the poor people happy; they will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 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: those who lie about others in court, those who trap people in court, those who lie and take justice from innocent people in court. This is what the LORD who set Abraham free says to the family of Jacob: “Now the people of Jacob will not be ashamed or disgraced any longer. When they see all their children, the children I made with my hands, they will say my name is holy. They will agree that the Holy One of Jacob is holy, and they will respect the God of Israel. People who do wrong will now understand. Those who complain will accept being taught.”