Isaiah 28
1 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!
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 fat valley of them that are smitten down with wine!
2 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.
Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, as a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, as a storm of mighty waters overflowing, that casteth down to the earth with violence.
3 The proud garland of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot.
The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot;
4 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.
And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer, which when one looketh upon it, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
5 In that day Yahweh of hosts will become a beautiful crown and a diadem of beauty for the remainder of his people,
In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people;
6 a spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, and strength for those who turn back their enemies at their gates.
And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate.
7 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.
But these also reel through wine, and stagger through strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel through strong drink, they are confused because of wine, they stagger because of strong drink; they reel in vision, they totter in judgment.
8 Truly, all tables are covered with vomit, so that there is no clean place.
For all tables are full of filthy vomit, and no place is clean.
9 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?
Whom shall one teach knowledge? And whom shall one make to understand the message? Them that are weaned from the milk, them that are drawn from the breasts?
10 For it is command upon command, command upon command; rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little.
For it is precept by precept, precept by precept, line by line, line by line; here a little, there a little.
11 Indeed, with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to this people.
For with stammering lips and with a strange tongue shall it be spoken to this people;
12 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.
To whom it was said: 'This is the rest, give ye rest to the weary; and this is the refreshing'; yet they would not hear.
13 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.
And so the word of the LORD is unto them precept by precept, precept by precept, line by line, line by line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14 So listen to the word of Yahweh, you who mock, you who rule over this people who are in Jerusalem.
Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scoffers, the ballad-mongers of this people which is in Jerusalem:
15 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)
Because ye have said: 'We have made a covenant with death, and with the nether-world are we at agreement; when the scouring scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood have we hid ourselves'; (Sheol h7585)
16 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.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a costly corner-stone of sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 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.
And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.
18 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)
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled and your agreement with the nether-world shall not stand; when the scouring scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it, (Sheol h7585)
19 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.
As often 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 sheer terror to understand the message.
20 For the bed is too short for a man to stretch out on, and the blanket too narrow for him to wrap himself in.”
For the bed is too short for a man to stretch himself; and the covering too narrow when he gathereth himself up.
21 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.
For the LORD will rise up as in mount Perazim, He will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; that He may do His work, strange is His work, and bring to pass His act, strange is His act.
22 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.
Now therefore be ye not scoffers, lest your bands be made strong; for an extermination wholly determined have I heard from the Lord, the GOD of hosts, upon the whole land.
23 Pay attention and listen to my voice; be attentive and listen to my words.
Give ye ear, and hear my voice; attend, and hear my speech.
24 Does a farmer who plows all day to sow, only plow the ground? Does he continually break up and harrow the field?
Is the plowman never done with plowing to sow, with the opening and harrowing of his ground?
25 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?
When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the black cummin, and scatter the cummin, and put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place and the spelt in the border thereof?
26 His God instructs him; he teaches him wisely.
For He doth instruct him aright; his God doth teach him.
27 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.
For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing-sledge, neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the black cummin is beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
28 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.
Is bread corn crushed? Nay, he will not ever be threshing it; and though the roller of his wagon and its sharp edges move noisily, he doth not crush it.
29 This too comes from Yahweh of hosts, who is wonderful in instruction and excellent in wisdom.
This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts: Wonderful is His counsel, and great His wisdom.
