Isaiah 28
1 Terrible things will happen to [Samaria city, the capital of Israel]! It is on a hill above a fertile valley; the people who live there, who get drunk by drinking too much wine, are very proud; it is a beautiful and glorious city, but some day that beauty will disappear like [MET] a flower that wilts and dries up.
禍哉，那為酒灌倒的厄弗辣因醉漢所驕矜的冠冕！禍哉，那生於肥谷之巔作她美飾的殘花！
2 Listen to this: Yahweh will cause a great army to attack Samaria. Their soldiers will be like [SIM] a huge hailstorm [or] a very strong wind; they will be everywhere, like the water of a huge flood, and they will smash to the ground [the buildings in Samaria].
看哪！吾主興起一位強有力者，有如帶冰雹的暴雨，又如摧毀性的狂風，和漲溢氾濫的大水，猛力將一切拋落地上。
3 The people of Samaria are proud, but everything that the drunks who live there think is wonderful/glorious will be trampled on by their enemies.
厄弗辣因醉漢所驕矜的冠冕，必被人踏在腳下；
4 [Yes], Samaria is beautiful, set on a hill above a fertile valley, but that beauty will disappear like [MET] a flower that wilts and dries up. Whenever someone sees a good fig at the beginning of the season [when figs become ripe], he quickly picks and eats it; [similarly, when the enemies of Israel see all the beautiful things in Samaria], [they will quickly conquer the city and take away all those things].
生於肥谷之巔作她美飾的殘花，將如夏季前早熟的無花果，人一見到便伸手摘取吞下。
5 At that time, the Commander of the armies of angels will be [like] a glorious wreath of flowers for [us] Israeli people who are still alive [after being exiled].
到那一天，萬軍的上主將親作他殘餘的百姓的榮冠和華冕；
6 He will cause our judges to want to do what is fair/just when they decide people’s cases. He will enable the soldiers who stand at the city gates to strongly defend [the city when our enemies attack it].
他將是坐堂判案者的公義之神，將是門前禦敵者的力量。
7 [But now, ] our leaders stagger/stumble because they have drunk a lot of wine and [other] alcoholic drinks. The priests and prophets also stagger because of drinking a lot of wine and other alcoholic drinks. They are not able to think right; they see visions but they cannot understand what they mean; they are unable to decide things correctly.
連這些人也因清酒而搖晃，因濃酒而蹣跚；他們在異象中搖晃，在審斷時暈眩。
8 All their tables are covered with [their] vomit; filth is everywhere.
一切筵席上都滿了嘔吐，沒有一處不是垢物。
9 They ridicule Yahweh saying, “Who does he think that he is teaching? Why is he talking to us like this? [Does he think that] we are little children who have recently been weaned?
他要將智識授給誰呢﹖向誰解釋啟示呢﹖是向方才斷乳和剛離母懷的嬰兒嗎﹖
10 [He continually tells us], ‘Do this, do that;’ first he tells us one rule, then another rule, he tells us only one line at a time.”
這只是些「命上加命，命上加命，令上加令，令上加令，這裏一點，那裏一點！」
11 So now, Yahweh will need to force them to listen to [Assyrians] speaking to them in a language that they do not understand.
是的，上主要用口吃的唇，異人的舌，向這民族說話！
12 Yahweh told his people [long ago], “[This is] a place where you can rest; you are exhausted [from all your travels through the desert], but you will be able to rest [in this land].” But they refused to pay attention to what he said.
雖然他曾對他們說過：「這就是安息的地方，讓困倦的人安息罷！這就是休養的處所。」可惜他們總不肯聽從。
13 So Yahweh continues to tell the people of Samaria, one line at a time, “Do this, do that,” first one rule and then another rule. But because [of their ignoring what God said], they will be attacked and defeated; they will be wounded and snared and captured.
因此上主的話對他們真成了「命上加命，命上加命，令上加令，令上加令，這裏一點，那裏一點！」致使他們雖然前行，卻向後仰倒而跌傷，陷於圈套而被擄獲。
14 Because of [what will happen in Samaria], you rulers in Jerusalem who make fun of me, listen to this message from Yahweh:
為此，你們這些在耶路撒冷統治這民族的好嘲弄的人，聽上主的話罷！
15 You [boast] saying, “We have made an alliance with [the leaders of Egypt], so we will not be killed [in battles]; we will never go to the place where the dead people are. When the [army of Assyria] attacks us, they will never defeat us, because we have made [an agreement with Egypt] to protect us!” [But that agreement consists of] a lot of lies [DOU]. (Sheol h7585)
你們曾說過：「我們與死亡訂了盟，與陰府結了約，當狂怒的刑鞭經過時，不會落在我們身上，因為我們有欺詐作我們的遮掩，有虛偽作我們的庇護。」 (Sheol h7585)
16 Therefore, Yahweh [our] Lord says this: “Listen to this! I am going to place in Jerusalem [someone who is like] [MET] a foundation stone, [he is like] a stone that has been tested [to determine if it is solid]. [He will be like] a valuable cornerstone around which it will be safe to build a house; and whoever trusts in him will never be disappointed.
因此吾主上主這樣說：「看，我要在熙雍安放一塊石頭，一塊精選的石頭，一塊寶貴的角石作基礎，信賴的人必不動搖。
17 I will test you [people of Jerusalem] to find out if you will act justly and righteously [like] [MET] someone uses a plumb line [to determine if a wall is straight and vertical]. But because your agreement [with Egypt] to protect you [was made by leaders] lying to each other and deceiving each other, you will be defeated and taken away [from your country] by [an army that will come against you like] [MET] a flood.
我要以公平為準繩，以正義為權衡；冰雹將蕩盡欺詐的遮掩地，洪流將沖散虛偽的庇護所。
18 I will annul/destroy the agreement that you made [with the leaders of Egypt]. You thought that [because of that agreement] you would not be killed, and you would not go to the place where the dead are. [But] when the vast [army of Assyria] overwhelms you like a flood, they will trample you into the ground. (Sheol h7585)
你們與死亡所訂的盟約必要廢除，與陰府所結的約必不持久；當狂怒的刑鞭經過時，你們必被蹂躪； (Sheol h7585)
19 Their soldiers will come during the morning, at noontime, and at night, and they will carry you all away.” And when you understand this message, you will be terrified.
每次經過，每次必要打擊你們；他每朝經過，白日黑夜也經過；惟有恐怖方能使你們明白這啟示。」
20 [You have heard people say], “Your bed is very short, you will not be able to sleep in it; your blankets are very narrow; they will not cover you!” [That means for you that your agreement with Egypt is not going to save you].
真是伸直身子床也短，縮作一團被又窄。
21 Yahweh will come [and cause you to be defeated]; he will do to you like he did to the army of Philistia at Perizim Mountain and like he did to the Amor people-group at Gibeon Valley. What he will do will be [very] strange and unusual [DOU].
因為上主要興起，如在培辣親山上一樣；要發怒，如在基貝紅山谷一樣，為履行他的工作－－他神妙的工作，為完成他的事業－－他奇異的事業。
22 The Commander of the armies of angels has told me that he is going to destroy the entire land. So do not ridicule [what I say any more], because if you do that he will punish you [even] more severely.
所以現在不要再嘲笑了，免得你們的繩索繫得更緊，因為我聽到的有關毀滅大地的決議，是來自吾主萬軍的上主。
23 Listen [IDM] to what I say; pay attention carefully.
請你們側耳靜聽我的聲音，請留意傾聽我的言語：
24 When a farmer plows some ground, does he never plant seeds [RHQ]? Does he continue to plow it and never plant anything [RHQ]?
耕田的人那有整日耕田，掘土耙地的呢﹖
25 No, he makes the ground very level, and then he plants seeds— dill and cumin and wheat and barley. He plants each kind of seed in the correct manner.
當他把地弄平了以後，不是要撒上小茴香，播種大茴香，種植大麥和小麥，地邊種玉蜀黍嗎﹖
26 [He does that] because God has taught him the correct way to do it.
這是上主教給他的方式，他的天主指示他的。
27 [Farmers] never thresh caraway/dill with a heavy sledge/club; instead, they beat it only with a stick. [Farmers] never thresh cumin by driving a cart over it; instead, they hit it [only] with a rod.
打小茴香不須用釘耙，打大茴香不須用碾機，而是用木棒打小茴香，用棍子打大茴香。
28 And grain for baking bread is crushed easily, so the farmers do not continue to pound it for a long time. They sometimes cause their horses to pull a cart over it [to thresh it], [but] doing that does not grind the grain.
五穀豈是要輾碎的嗎﹖不是！人並不將它無限期地壓了又壓，而是叫碾機滾過，碾出穀粒來，並不是為碾碎它。
29 The Commander of the armies of angels gives [us] wonderful advice [about how to do things]; he causes [us] to be very wise. [So what the farmers do is very smart/wise, but what your leaders are doing is very stupid].
這也是出自萬軍的上主：他的計劃真是神奇，他的智慧真是超絕。
