Isaiah 28

1 Woe to the crown of pride, of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious ornament, which is on the eminence of the fat valley of those who are struck down by wine!

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 fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!

2 Behold, [it cometh] mighty and strong from the Lord, as a tempest of hail, a storm of destruction; as a tempest of mighty overflowing waters, will he cast it down to the earth with force.

Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong. Like a storm of hail, a destroying storm, and like a storm of mighty waters overflowing, he will cast them down to the earth with his hand.

3 Under feet shall be trodden the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim:

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

4 And the fading flower of his glorious ornament, which is on the eminence of the fat valley, shall be as its early ripe fruit before the summer; which one, when he just seeth it, while it is scarcely in his hand, hastily devoureth.

The fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley, shall be like the first-ripe fig before the summer, which someone picks and eats as soon as he sees it.

5 On that day will the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

In that day, the LORD of Armies will become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the residue of his people,

6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to those that drive back the battle to the gate [of the enemy].

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

7 But these also are now stumbling through wine, and reeling through strong drink: priest and prophet are stumbling through strong drink, they are overpowered with wine, they reel through strong drink; they stumble in [divine] vision, they are unsteady in giving judgment.

They also reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink. They err in vision. They stumble in judgment.

8 For all tables are full of vomit of filthiness, there is no place [clean].

For all tables are completely full of filthy vomit and filthiness.

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he give to understand doctrine? those that are weaned from the milk, those that are taken from the breasts.

Whom will he teach knowledge? To whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.

For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little.

11 For [as] with stammering lips and a foreign tongue will he speak to this people;

But he will speak to this nation with stammering lips and in another language,

12 When he said unto them, This is the rest, cause ye the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing; but they would not hear.

to whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to the weary,” and “This is the refreshing;” yet they would not hear.

13 Therefore shall be unto them the word of the Lord, precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; in order that they may go, and stumble backward, and be broken, and snared, and caught.

Therefore the LORD’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken.

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

Therefore hear the LORD’s word, you scoffers, that rule this people in Jerusalem:

15 Because ye have said, “We have entered into a covenant with death, and with the nether world have we made an agreement; the overflowing scourge, when it passeth by, shall not come at us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we sought a hiding-place.” (Sheol h7585)

"Because you have said, 'We have made a covenant with death, and we are in agreement with Sheol (Sheol h7585). When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under falsehood.'"

16 Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I have laid in Zion as a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a costly corner-stone, well founded: he that believeth will not make haste.

Therefore the Lord GOD says, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily.

17 And I will make of justice a measuring line, and of righteousness a plummet: and the hail shall sweep off the refuge of lies, and the hiding-place against the waters shall these flood away.

I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.

18 And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with the nether world shall not have permanence; the overflowing scourge, when it passeth by—then shall ye be trodden down by it. (Sheol h7585)

Your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol (Sheol h7585) shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it.

19 As often as it passeth by shall it take you; for morning by morning shall it pass by, by day and by night; and the mere understanding of the report shall cause terror.

As often as it passes through, it will seize you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be nothing but terror to understand the message.”

20 For the bed shall be too short for [a man] to stretch himself out [on it]: and the covering too narrow to wrap himself in.

For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in.

21 For as on mount Perazim will the Lord rise up, as in the valley of Gib'on will he be wroth, that he may do his work, his singular work; and to accomplish his labor, his strange labor.

For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his unusual work, and bring to pass his act, his extraordinary act.

22 And now be ye no longer scornful, lest your bonds be made strong; for as completed and fully decreed have I heard it from the Lord Eternal of hosts over all the earth.

Now therefore do not be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, GOD of Armies, on the whole earth.

23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; listen, and hear my speech.

Give ear, and hear my voice! Listen, and hear my speech!

24 Doth the ploughman plough all the time to sow? doth he open and harrow his ground [continually]?

Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods?

25 Is it not so? that, when he hath made level its surface he scattereth fennel, and streweth about cumin, and planteth the wheat in rows, and barley on its assigned [place], and millet on its proper spot?

When he has leveled its surface, does not he plant the dill, and scatter the cumin seed, and put in the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place?

26 For his God instructed him rightly, taught him [so to do].

For his God instructs him in right judgment and teaches him.

27 Truly not with a threshing instrument is fennel threshed, and a wagon-wheel is not turned about upon cumin; but fennel is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a stick.

For the dill is not threshed with a sharp instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned over the cumin; but the dill is beaten out with a stick, and the cumin with a rod.

28 Bread-corn is crushed; but not for ever doth [man] keep threshing it; and though he drive over it the wheel of his wagon and his horses, he will not [thereby] crush it.

Bread flour must be ground; so he will not always be threshing it. Although he drives the wheel of his threshing cart over it, his horses do not grind it.

29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts; wonderful is he in counsel, and excellent in [his] wise deeds.

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