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 proud garland crown that is worn by each of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, the garland that is set on the head of the lush Valley of those who are overcome with 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 sends one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail and a destructive windstorm, like a driving rain and overflowing waters; and he will throw each garland crown down to the ground.

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

The proud garland of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden 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 glorious beauty, that is on the head of the rich valley, will be as the first ripe fig before the summer, that, when someone sees it, while it is yet in his hand, he gulps it down.

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

In that day Yahweh of hosts will become a beautiful crown and a diadem of beauty for the remainder 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 for him who sits in judgment, and strength for those who turn back their enemies at their gates.

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.

But even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, and they are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink, staggering in vision and reeling in decision.

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

Truly, all tables are covered with vomit, so that there is no clean place.

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?

To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? To those who are weaned from milk or to those just taken from the breasts?

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

For it is command upon command, command upon command; rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little.

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

Indeed, with mocking lips and a foreign tongue 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.

In the past he said to them “This is the rest, give rest to him who is weary; and this is the refreshing,” 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.

So the word of Yahweh will be to them command upon command, command upon command; rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little; so that they may go and fall backward, and be broken, ensnared, and captured.

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

So listen to the word of Yahweh, you who mock, you who rule over this people who are 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)

This will happen because you said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have reached an agreement. So when the overwhelming whip passes through, it will not reach us. For we have made a lie our refuge, and taken shelter in falsehood.” (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.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says, “See, I will lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He who believes will not be ashamed.

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 stick, and righteousness the plumbline. Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the floodwaters will overwhelm the 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 raging flood passes through, you will be overwhelmed 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.

Whenever it passes through, it will overwhelm you, and morning by morning it will pass through and by day and night it will come. When the message is understood, it will cause 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.

For the bed is too short for a man to stretch out on, and the blanket too narrow for him to wrap himself in.”

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.

Yahweh will rise up as on Mount Perazim; he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon to do his work, his strange work, and perform his strange deed.

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.

Now therefore do not mock, or your bonds will be tightened. I have heard from the Lord Yahweh of hosts, a decree of destruction on the earth.

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

Pay attention and listen to my voice; be attentive and listen to my words.

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

Does a farmer who plows all day to sow, only plow the ground? Does he continually break up and harrow the field?

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 prepared the ground, does he not scatter caraway seed, sow the cumin, put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the right place, and the spelt at its edges?

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

His God instructs him; he teaches him wisely.

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.

Moreover, the caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cumin; but caraway is beaten 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 is ground for bread but not too finely, and though the wheels of his cart and his horses scatter it, his horses do not crush it.

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

This too comes from Yahweh of hosts, who is wonderful in instruction and excellent in wisdom.