Isaiah 28

1 Ho! crown of pride of those who are given up to wine in Ephraim, and the dead flower of his glory which is on the head of those who are overcome by strong drink!

Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.

2 See, the Lord has a strong and cruel one; like a rain of ice, a storm of destruction, like the overflowing of a strong river, he will violently overcome them.

Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground.

3 The crown of pride of those who are given up to wine in Ephraim will be crushed under foot;

The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.

4 And the dead flower of his glory, which is on the head of the fertile valley, will be like the first early fruit before the summer; which a man takes and puts in his mouth the minute he sees it.

The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest: Whoever sees it will take it in his hand and swallow it.

5 In that day will the Lord of armies be a crown of glory, and a fair ornament, to the rest of his people;

On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people,

6 And a spirit of wisdom to the judge, and strength to those who keep back the attackers at the door of the town.

a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.

7 And further, these are uncertain through wine, and have gone out of the right way through strong drink: the priest and the prophet are uncertain through strong drink, they are overcome by wine, they have gone out of the way through strong drink; their vision is false, they go wrong in their decisions.

These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

8 For all the tables are covered with coughed-up food, so that there is not a clean place.

For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth.

9 To whom will he give knowledge? and to whom will he make clear the word? Will it be to those who have newly given up milk, and who have only now been taken from the breast?

Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?

10 For it is one rule after another; one line after another; here a little, there a little.

For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.”

11 No, but with broken talk, and with a strange tongue, he will give his word to this people:

Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people

12 To whom he said, This is the rest, give rest to him who is tired; and by this you may get new strength; but they would not give ear.

to whom He has said: “This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen.

13 For this cause the word of the Lord will be to them rule after rule, line after line, here a little, there a little; so that they may go on their way, and falling back may be broken, and taken in the net.

Then the word of the LORD to them will become: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go stumbling backward and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.

14 Give ear then to the word of the Lord, you men of pride, the rulers of this people in Jerusalem:

Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.

15 Because you have said, We have made death our friend, and with the underworld we have made an agreement; when the overflowing waters come through they will not come near us; for we are looking to false words for help, taking cover in what is untrue: (Sheol h7585)

For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” (Sheol h7585)

16 For this cause says the Lord God, See, I am placing in Zion as a base, a stone, a tested stone, an angle-stone which is certain and of great value: and he who has faith will not give way.

So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.

17 And I will make right decision the measuring-line, and righteousness the weight: and the ice-storm will take away the safe place of false words, and the secret place will be covered by the flowing waters.

I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.

18 And the help you were looking for from death will come to nothing, and your agreement with the underworld will be broken; when the overflowing waters come through, then you will be overcome by them. (Sheol h7585)

Your covenant with death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it. (Sheol h7585)

19 Whenever they come through they will overtake you; for they will come through morning after morning, by day and by night: and the news will be nothing but fear.

As often as it passes through, it will carry you away; it will sweep through morning after morning, by day and by night.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.

20 For the bed is not long enough for a man to be stretched out on: and the cover is not wide enough for him to be covered with.

Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you.

21 For the Lord will come up as on Mount Perazim, he will be moved to wrath as in the valley of Gibeon; so that he may do his work — strange is his work; and give effect to his act — unnatural is his act.

For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim. He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing task.

22 And now, take care that you do not make sport of him, or your bands will be made strong; for I have had word from the Lord, the Lord of armies, of an end, of a complete end, which is to come on all the land.

So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become heavier. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land.

23 Let your ears be open to my voice; give attention to what I say.

Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say.

24 Is the ploughman for ever ploughing? does he not get the earth ready and broken up for the seed?

Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil?

25 When the face of the earth has been levelled, does he not put in the different sorts of seed, and the grain in lines, and the barley in its place, and the spelt at the edge?

When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, and rye within its border.

26 For his God is his teacher, giving him the knowledge of these things.

For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

27 For the fitches are not crushed with a sharp instrument, and a cart-wheel is not rolled over the cummin; but the grain of the fitches is hammered out with a stick, and of the cummin with a rod.

Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin. But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

28 Is the grain for bread crushed? He does not go on crushing it for ever, but he lets his cart-wheels and his horses go over it without crushing it.

Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it.

29 This comes from the Lord of armies, purposing wonders, and wise in all his acts.

This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.