Isaiah 28

1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, who are on the head of the rich valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower the glory of his joy, who were on the head of the fat valley, staggering with wine.

2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, who as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

Behold the Lord is mighty and strong, as a storm of hail: a destroying whirlwind, as the violence of many waters overflowing, and sent forth upon a spacious land.

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

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

4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the early fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

And the fading flower the glory of his joy, who is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as a hasty fruit before the ripeness of autumn: which when he that seeth it shall behold, as soon as he taketh it in his hand, he will eat it up.

5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,

In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of joy 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.

And a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them that return out of the battle to the gate.

7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are overwhelmed with wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

But these also have been ignorant through wine, and through drunkenness have erred: the priest and the prophet have been ignorant through drunkenness, they are swallowed up with wine, they have gone astray in drunkenness, they have not known him that seeth, they have been ignorant of judgment.

8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

For all tables were full of vomit and filth, so that there was no more place.

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand the hearing? them that are weaned from the milk, that are drawn away 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 command, command again; command, command again; expect, expect again; expect, expect again: a little there, a little there.

11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

For with the speech of lips, and with another tongue he will speak to this people.

12 To whom he said, This is the rest which ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

To whom he said: This is my rest, refresh the weary, and this is my refreshing: and they would not hear.

13 But the word of the LORD was to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

And the word of the Lord shall be to them: Command, command again; command, command again: expect, expect again; expect, expect again: a little there, a little there: that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

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

Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, who rule over my people that is in Jerusalem.

15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we in agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not reach us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: (Sheol h7585)

For you have said: We have entered into a league with death, and we have made a covenant with hell. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come upon us: for we have placed our hope in lies, and by falsehood we are protected. (Sheol h7585)

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

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will lay a stone in the foundations of Sion, a tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation. He that believeth, let him not hasten.

17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

And I will set judgment in weight, and justice in measure: and hail shall overturn the hope of falsehood: and waters shall overflow its protection.

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

And Sour league with death shall be abolished, and your covenant with hell shall not stand: when the overflowing scourge shall pass, you shall be trodden down by it. (Sheol h7585)

19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

Whensoever it shall pass through, it shall take you away: because in the morning early it shall pass through, in the day and in the night, and vexation alone shall make you understand what you hear.

20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

For the bed is straitened, so that one must fall out, and a short covering cannot cover both.

21 For the LORD shall rise as on mount Perazim, he shall be angry as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

For the Lord shall stand up as in the mountain of divisions: he shall be angry as in the valley which is in Gabaon: that he may do his work, his strange work: that he may perform his work, his work is strange to him.

22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a destruction, even determined upon the whole earth.

And now do not mock, lest your bonds be tied strait. For I have heard of the Lord the God of hosts a consumption and a cutting short upon all the earth.

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

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

24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

Shall the ploughman plough all the day to sow, shall he open and harrow his ground?

25 When he hath made even the face of it, doth he not cast abroad the black cummin, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the wheat in rows and the appointed barley and the rye in their place?

Will he not, when he hath made plain the surface thereof, sow gith, and scatter cummin, and put wheat in order, and barley, and millet, and vetches in their bounds?

26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

For he will instruct him in judgment: his God will teach him.

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

For gith shall not be thrashed with saws, neither shall the cart wheel turn about upon cummin: but gith shall be beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a staff.

28 Bread grain is ground; because he will not always be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor grind it with his horsemen.

But bread corn shall be broken small: but the thrasher shall not thrash it for ever, neither shall the cart wheel hurt it, nor break it with its teeth.

29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.

This also is come forth from the Lord God of hosts, to make his counsel wonderful, and magnify justice.