Isaiah 28

1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious adornment, which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are overcome with wine.

Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, To the fading flower, his glorious beauty, At the head of the rich valley of a people stupefied with wine.

2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, as a storm of hail [and] a destroying tempest; as a storm of mighty waters overflowing, shall he cast down to the earth with might.

Behold a strong, a mighty one from the Lord Like a storm of hail, like a destructive tempest, Like a flood of mighty, overflowing waters, With violence shall dash it to the ground.

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

It shall be trodden under foot, The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim.

4 and the fading flower of his glorious adornment which is on the head of the fat valley shall be like an early fig before the summer: as soon as he that seeth it perceiveth it, scarcely is it in his hand, he swalloweth it down.

And the fading flower, their glorious beauty, At the head of the rich valley, Shall be as the early fig before the time of harvest, Which whoso seeth plucketh immediately, And swalloweth as soon as it is in his hand.

5 In that day will Jehovah of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the remnant of his people;

In that day shall Jehovah of hosts Be a glorious crown, and a beautiful diadem to the residue of his people;

6 and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

A spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, And of strength to them that drive back the enemy to their gates.

7 But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are they gone astray. The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; they are overpowered by wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they have erred in vision, they have stumbled [in] judgment.

But even these stagger through wine, And reel through strong drink; The priest and the prophet stagger through strong drink; They are overpowered with wine; They stumble through strong drink; They reel in vision, They stagger in judgment.

8 For all tables are full of filthy vomit, so that there is no [more] place.

For all their tables are full of filthy vomit, So that there is no place clean.

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand the report? Them that are weaned from the milk, withdrawn from the breasts?

“Whom,” say they, “will he teach knowledge, And to whom will he impart instruction? To the weaned from the milk? To those just taken from the breast?

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

For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Command upon command, command upon command, A little here, and a little there.”

11 For with stammering lips and a strange tongue will he speak to this people;

Yea, with stammering lips and a strange tongue He shall indeed speak to this people;

12 to whom he said, This is the rest: cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing. But they would not hear.

He that said to them, “This is the way of rest, give rest to the weary; This is the way of safety”; But they would not hear.

13 And the word of Jehovah was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little: that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Then shall the word of Jehovah be indeed to them “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Command upon command, command upon command, A little here, and a little there,” So that they shall go on, and fall backwards, and be broken, And be snared and caught.

14 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

Wherefore hear ye the word of Jehovah, Ye scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem!

15 For ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol have we made an agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves. (Sheol h7585)

Since ye say, “We have entered into a covenant with death, And with the under-world have we made an agreement, The overflowing scourge, when it passeth through, shall not reach us; For we have made falsehood our refuge, And in deceit we have hidden ourselves.” (Sheol h7585)

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I lay for foundation in Zion a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that trusteth shall not make haste.

Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have laid in Zion as a foundation a stone, A tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation; He that trusteth shall not flee away.

17 And I will appoint judgment for a line, and righteousness for a plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.

I will make justice a line, And righteousness a plummet, And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of falsehood, And the waters shall overwhelm its hiding-place;

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

And your covenant with death shall be broken, And your agreement with the under-world shall not stand; When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, By it shall ye be beaten down. (Sheol h7585)

19 As it passeth through it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night; and it shall be terror only to understand the report.

As often as it passeth through, it shall bear you away; For every morning shall it pass through, By day and by night; Even to hear the rumor of it shall be terrible.

20 For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on, and the covering too narrow when he would wrap himself in it.

Yea, the bed is too short for one to stretch himself on it, And the covering too narrow for one to wrap himself in it.

21 For Jehovah will rise up as on mount Perazim, he will be moved with anger as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his strange work, and perform his act, his unwonted act.

For Jehovah will rise up, as in mount Perazim; He will be moved with anger, as in the valley of Gibeon, To perform his act, his strange act, And to execute his work, his strange work.

22 Now therefore be ye not scorners, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard from the Lord Jehovah of hosts a consumption, and [one] determined, upon the whole land.

Now, therefore, be ye no longer scoffers, Lest your bands become stronger; For destruction and punishment have been revealed to me From Jehovah of hosts concerning the whole land!

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

Give ear, and listen to my voice, Attend, and hearken to my words!

24 Doth the ploughman plough all day to sow? Is he [all day] opening and breaking the clods of his land?

Is the ploughman always ploughing in order to sow? Is he always opening and harrowing his field?

25 Doth he not, when he hath levelled the face thereof, cast abroad dill, and scatter cummin, and set the wheat in rows, and the barley in an appointed place, and the rye in its border?

When he hath made the face thereof even, Doth he not then scatter the dill, and cast abroad the cumin, And sow the wheat in rows, And the barley in its appointed place, And the spelt in his border?

26 His God doth instruct him in [his] judgment, he doth teach him.

Thus his God rightly instructeth him, And giveth him knowledge.

27 For the dill is not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin; but dill is beaten out with a staff, and cummin with a rod.

The dill is not beaten out with the thrashing-sledge, Nor is the wheel of the wain rolled over the cumin; But the dill is beaten out with a staff, And the cumin with a rod.

28 Bread [corn] is crushed, because he will not ever be threshing it; and if he drove the wheels of his cart and his horses [over it], he would not crush it.

Bread-corn is beaten out, Yet doth not the husbandman thrash it without limit. He driveth over it the wheels of the wain, And the horses, yet doth he not utterly crush it.

29 This also cometh forth from Jehovah of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel, great in wisdom.

This also proceedeth from Jehovah of hosts; He is wonderful in counsel, Excellent in wisdom.