Isaiah 28

Ephraim’s Captivity Predicted

1 Woe to the proud crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim,

And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

Which is at the head of the *28:1 Lit valley of fatnessfertile valley

Of those who are *28:1 Lit strickenovercome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent;

As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction,

Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,

He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.

3 The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is trampled underfoot.

4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

Which is at the head of the *28:4 Lit valley of fatnessfertile valley,

Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to the summer,

Which *28:4 Lit the one seeing seesone sees,

And*28:4 Lit while it is yetas soon as it is in his *28:4 Lit palmhand,

He swallows it.

5 On that day the Lord of armies will become a beautiful crown

And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;

6 A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,

A strength to those who repel the *28:6 Lit battleonslaught at the gate.

7 And these also reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:

The priest and the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,

They are confused by wine, they stagger from intoxicating drink;

They reel while *28:7 Lit seeinghaving visions,

They stagger when rendering a verdict.

8 For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.

9 "To whom would He teach knowledge,

And to whom would He interpret the message?

Those just weaned from milk?

Those just taken from the breast?

10 "For He says,

‘*28:10 Heb Sav lasav, sav lasav, Kav lakav, kav lakav, Zeer sham, zeer sham. These Hebrew fragments, imitating the babbling of a child, mock the prophet’s preaching.Order on order, order on order,

Line on line, line on line,

A little here, a little there.’ "

11 Indeed, He will speak to this people

Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

12 He who said to them, "This is the place of quiet, give rest to the weary,"

And, "This is the resting place," but they would not listen.

13 So the word of the Lord to them will be,

"*28:13 See note v 10. The Lord responds to their scoffing by imitating their mockery, to represent the unintelligible language of a conqueror.Order on order, order on order,

Line on line, line on line,

A little here, a little there,"

That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.

Judah Is Warned

14 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,

Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,

15 Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death,

And with *28:15 I.e., the netherworldSheol we have made a *28:15 As in some ancient versions; MT seerpact.

The *28:15 Or overwhelming scourgegushing flood will not reach us when it passes by,

Because we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception."

16 Therefore this is what the Lord *28:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LordGod says:

"Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested stone,

A precious cornerstone for the foundation, *28:16 Lit well-laidfirmly placed.

The one who believes in it will not be *28:16 Lit in a hurrydisturbed.

17 "I will make justice the measuring line

And righteousness the level;

Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,

And the waters will overflow the secret place.

18 "Your covenant with death will be *28:18 Lit covered overcanceled,

And your pact with Sheol will not stand;

When the *28:18 Or overwhelming scourgegushing flood passes through,

Then you will become its trampling ground.

19 "As often as it passes through, it will *28:19 Lit takeseize you;

For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,

And it will be *28:19 Lit onlysheer terror to understand *28:19 Lit the report; or the messagewhat it means."

20 The bed is too short on which to stretch out,

And the blanket is too *28:20 Lit narrowsmall to wrap oneself in.

21 For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim,

He will be stirred up as in the Valley of Gibeon,

To do His task, His *28:21 Lit task is strangeunusual task,

And to work His work, His *28:21 Lit work is foreignextraordinary work.

22 And now do not carry on as scoffers,

Or your shackles will be made stronger;

For I have heard from the Lord *28:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LordGod of armies

Of decisive destruction on all the earth.

23 Listen and hear my voice,

Pay attention and hear my words.

24 Does the *28:24 Lit plowmanfarmer plow *28:24 Lit all daycontinually to plant seed?

Does he continually*28:24 Lit openturn and break up his ground?

25 Does he not level its surface

And sow dill and scatter cumin

And *28:25 Lit putplant wheat in rows,

Barley in its place and rye within its *28:25 Lit regionarea?

26 For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

27 For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,

Nor is the cartwheel *28:27 Lit rolleddriven over cumin;

But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.

28 Grain for bread is crushed,

Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.

Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually*28:28 Lit discomfitdamage it,

He does not thresh it longer.

29 This also comes from the Lord of armies,

Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.