Isaiah 29:14-15

29:14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people –

an absolutely extraordinary deed. ¹ 

Wise men will have nothing to say,

the sages will have no explanations.” ² 

29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, ³ 

who do their work in secret and boast, ⁴ 

“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?” ⁵ 

[29:14]  ¹ tn Heb “Therefore I will again do something amazing with these people, an amazing deed, an amazing thing.” This probably refers to the amazing transformation predicted in vv. 17-24, which will follow the purifying judgment implied in vv. 15-16.

[29:14]  ² tn Heb “the wisdom of their wise ones will perish, the discernment of their discerning ones will keep hidden.”

[29:15]  ³ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who deeply hide counsel from the Lord.” This probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance. See 30:1-2 and 31:1.

[29:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “and their works are in darkness and they say.”

[29:15]  ⁵ tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “no one.” They are confident that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.