<p class="poetry">Those who think they are wise are as good as dead,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">those who think they possess understanding.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Make the hearts of these people calloused;p> <p class="poetry">make their ears deaf and their eyes blind!p> <p class="poetry">Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears,p> <p class="poetry">their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Listen,<n id="1" /> your watchmen shout;p> <p class="poetry">in unison they shout for joy,p> <p class="poetry">for they see with their very own eyes<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s return to Zion.p>

<p class="poetry">Men will be humiliated,p> <p class="poetry">they will be brought low;p> <p class="poetry">the proud will be brought low.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes;p> <p class="poetry">their houses will be lootedp> <p class="poetry">and their wives raped.p>

<p class="poetry">Eyes<n id="1" /> will no longer be blind<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and ears<n id="3" /> will be attentive.p>

<p class="poetry">You will see a king in his splendor;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">you will see a wide land.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Then blind eyes will open,p> <p class="poetry">deaf ears will hear.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,p> <p class="poetry">those who are deaf, even though they have ears!p>

<n id="1" /><p class="poetry">Wash! Cleanse yourselves!p> <p class="poetry">Remove your sinful deeds<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">from my sight.p> <p class="poetry">Stop sinning!p>

<p class="poetry">Proud men will be brought low,p> <p class="poetry">arrogant men will be humiliated;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the <sc>Lordsc> alone will be exalted<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">in that day.p>

<p class="poetry">He will take delight in obeying the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He will not judge by mere appearances,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Their arrows will cut young men to ribbons;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they have no compassion on a person&#8217;s offspring,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">they will not<n id="3" /> look with pity on children.p>

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" /> men will trust in their creator;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">they will depend on<n id="3" /> the Holy One of Israel.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" /> the deaf will be able to hear words read from a scroll,p> <p class="poetry">and the eyes of the blind will be able to see through deep darkness.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">to open blind eyes,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">to release prisoners<n id="2" /> from dungeons,p> <p class="poetry">those who live in darkness from prisons.p>

<p class="poetry">Since you are precious and special in my sight,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and I love you,p> <p class="poetry">I will hand over people in place of you,p> <p class="poetry">nations in place of your life.p>

<p class="poetry">They do not comprehend or understand,p> <p class="poetry">for their eyes are blind and cannot see;p> <p class="poetry">their minds do not discern.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">We grope along the wall like the blind,p> <p class="poetry">we grope like those who cannot see;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.p> <p class="poetry">Though others are strong, we are like dead men.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">When you spread out your hands in prayer,p> <p class="poetry">I look the other way;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">when you offer your many prayers,p> <p class="poetry">I do not listen,p> <p class="poetry">because your hands are covered with blood.<n id="2" />p>