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 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, [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 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 Under feet shall be trodden the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim:
It shall be trodden under foot, The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim.
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.
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 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 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 those that drive back the battle to the gate [of the enemy].
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 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.
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 vomit of filthiness, there is no place [clean].
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 give to understand doctrine? those that are weaned from the milk, those that are taken 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 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 upon precept, precept upon precept, Command upon command, command upon command, A little here, and a little there.”
11 For [as] with stammering lips and a foreign tongue will he speak to this people;
Yea, with stammering lips and a strange tongue He shall indeed speak to this people;
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.
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 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.
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 the Lord, ye scornful men, who rule this people that is in Jerusalem.
Wherefore hear ye the word of Jehovah, Ye scoffers, who 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)
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 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 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 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 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 the nether world shall not have permanence; the overflowing scourge, when it passeth by—then shall ye 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 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 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 shall be too short for [a man] to stretch himself out [on it]: and the covering too narrow to wrap himself in.
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 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 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 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, 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 ye ear, and hear my voice; listen, and hear my speech.
Give ear, and listen to my voice, Attend, and hearken to my words!
24 Doth the ploughman plough all the time to sow? doth he open and harrow his ground [continually]?
Is the ploughman always ploughing in order to sow? Is he always opening and harrowing his field?
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 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 For his God instructed him rightly, taught him [so to do].
Thus his God rightly instructeth him, And giveth him knowledge.
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.
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; 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-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 the Lord of hosts; wonderful is he in counsel, and excellent in [his] wise deeds.
This also proceedeth from Jehovah of hosts; He is wonderful in counsel, Excellent in wisdom.
