Isaiah 28

1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley of those who are overcome with wine!

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower the glory of his joy, who were on the head of the fat valley, staggering with wine.

2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one. As a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty waters overflowing, he will cast down to the earth with the hand.

Behold the Lord is mighty and strong, as a storm of hail: a destroying whirlwind, as the violence of many waters overflowing, and sent forth upon a spacious land.

3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot.

The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under feet.

4 And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer, which, when he who looks upon it sees, while it is yet in his hand, he eats it up.

And the fading flower the glory of his joy, who is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as a hasty fruit before the ripeness of autumn: which when he that seeth it shall behold, as soon as he taketh it in his hand, he will eat it up.

5 In that day Jehovah of hosts will become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people,

In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of joy to the residue of his people:

6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

And a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them that return out of the battle to the gate.

7 And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up of wine. They stagger with strong drink; they err in vision; they stumble in judgment.

But these also have been ignorant through wine, and through drunkenness have erred: the priest and the prophet have been ignorant through drunkenness, they are swallowed up with wine, they have gone astray in drunkenness, they have not known him that seeth, they have been ignorant of judgment.

8 For all tables are full of vomit, filthiness, no place clean.

For all tables were full of vomit and filth, so that there was no more place.

9 Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand the hearing? them that are weaned from the milk, that are drawn away from the breasts.

10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.

For command, command again; command, command again; expect, expect again; expect, expect again: a little there, a little there.

11 No, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue he will speak to this people,

For with the speech of lips, and with another tongue he will speak to this people.

12 to whom he said, This is the rest. Give ye rest to him who is weary. And this is the refreshing. Yet they would not hear.

To whom he said: This is my rest, refresh the weary, and this is my refreshing: and they would not hear.

13 Therefore the word of Jehovah shall be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

And the word of the Lord shall be to them: Command, command again; command, command again: expect, expect again; expect, expect again: a little there, a little there: that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

14 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, ye scoffers, who rule this people that is in Jerusalem.

Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, who rule over my people that is in Jerusalem.

15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and we are at agreement with Sheol. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through it shall not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hid ourselves under falsehood. (Sheol h7585)

For you have said: We have entered into a league with death, and we have made a covenant with hell. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come upon us: for we have placed our hope in lies, and by falsehood we are protected. (Sheol h7585)

16 Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation. He who believes in him shall, no, not be shamed.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will lay a stone in the foundations of Sion, a tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation. He that believeth, let him not hasten.

17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet. And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.

And I will set judgment in weight, and justice in measure: and hail shall overturn the hope of falsehood: and waters shall overflow its protection.

18 And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. (Sheol h7585)

And Sour league with death shall be abolished, and your covenant with hell shall not stand: when the overflowing scourge shall pass, you shall be trodden down by it. (Sheol h7585)

19 As often as it passes though, it shall take you. For morning by morning it shall pass through, by day and by night. And it shall be nothing but terror to understand the report.

Whensoever it shall pass through, it shall take you away: because in the morning early it shall pass through, in the day and in the night, and vexation alone shall make you understand what you hear.

20 For the bed is shorter than what a man can stretch himself on it, and the covering narrower than what he can wrap himself in it.

For the bed is straitened, so that one must fall out, and a short covering cannot cover both.

21 For Jehovah will rise up as in mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

For the Lord shall stand up as in the mountain of divisions: he shall be angry as in the valley which is in Gabaon: that he may do his work, his strange work: that he may perform his work, his work is strange to him.

22 Now therefore be ye not scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong. For I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, upon the whole earth.

And now do not mock, lest your bonds be tied strait. For I have heard of the Lord the God of hosts a consumption and a cutting short upon all the earth.

23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice, hearken, and hear my speech.

Give ear, and hear my voice, hearken, and hear my speech.

24 Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground?

Shall the ploughman plough all the day to sow, shall he open and harrow his ground?

25 When he has leveled the face of it, does he not cast abroad the chick-peas, and scatter the cummin, and put in the wheat in rows, and the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in the border of it?

Will he not, when he hath made plain the surface thereof, sow gith, and scatter cummin, and put wheat in order, and barley, and millet, and vetches in their bounds?

26 For his God instructs him aright, and teaches him.

For he will instruct him in judgment: his God will teach him.

27 For the chick-peas are not threshed with a sharp instrument, nor is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin, but the chick-peas are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

For gith shall not be thrashed with saws, neither shall the cart wheel turn about upon cummin: but gith shall be beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a staff.

28 Bread grain is ground, for he will not be always threshing it. And though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he does not grind it.

But bread corn shall be broken small: but the thrasher shall not thrash it for ever, neither shall the cart wheel hurt it, nor break it with its teeth.

29 This also comes forth from Jehovah of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.

This also is come forth from the Lord God of hosts, to make his counsel wonderful, and magnify justice.