Isaiah 28
28
1Tragedy is coming to the city of Samaria,#28:1. “The city of Samaria”: supplied for clarity. the crowning glory of Ephraim's drunks, to the fading flower of wonderful beauty, sitting above a fertile valley, and beloved by those hammered by wine. 2Watch out, for the Lord has someone who is strong and powerful! He is going to smash it to the ground like a hailstorm and a tornado, like a torrential rain and an overwhelming flood. 3That crowning glory of Ephraim's drunks will be trampled underfoot. 4That fading flower of wonderful beauty, sitting above a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before the summer harvest—as soon as people discover them, they grab and eat them.
5At that time the Lord Almighty will be a beautiful, glorious crown that brings pride to those of his people who are left. 6He will be an inspiration to the judges to do what's right, and he will encourage those who fight off the attacks on the gate.
7But these people also drink so much wine and beer that they sway from side to side and stumble over. Even priests and prophets stagger along, their minds muddled by beer and wine. Because of the drink they are confused about visions and make mistakes when they give decisions. 8All their tables are full of vomit—filth is everywhere.
9“Just who is he trying to teach knowledge to?” they ask.#28:9. “They ask.” Supplied for clarity. “Who is he explaining his message to? To children just weaned from milk, to babies just removed from the breast? 10He tells us this blah and that blah, blah upon blah, and again blah and blah, and even more blah and blah!#28:10. There are indeed eight “blahs” in the Hebrew. The word was also used to describe idols, because they are also “blah”! It's a bit here and a bit there.” 11Fine—so now the Lord will talk to this people in foreign languages that sound strange to them!#28:11. Since the people had said that God was talking nonsense to them, he now will reveal his truth through other languages in order that he might communicate with them—even though these languages would sound like “blah” to them! Also verse 13. 12He had told them, “You can rest here. Let those who are tired rest. This is the place where you can safely relax.” But they refused to listen.
13Therefore the Lord's message to them will become, “This blah and that blah, blah upon blah, and again blah and blah, and even more blah and blah, a bit here and a bit there,” so that they'll fall over backwards, and they'll be wounded, trapped, and captured.#28:13. In other words, since they treat the Lord's message so contemptuously, they will reap the painful consequences of dismissing the Lord's advice.
14So pay attention to the Lord's message, you scornful rulers who lead these people in Jerusalem. 15You claim, “We've made an agreement with death; we've got a contract with the grave. When the terrible disaster rushes by, it won't affect us, because our lies protect us and we hide in our own deceptions.”
16Consequently, listen to what the Lord God says, Look! I'm laying a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a strong, well-tested stone. It's a valuable cornerstone that provides a firm foundation. Anyone who trusts in it won't be shaken loose.#28:16. “Shaken loose”: the word used normally means “hurry,” but can also have the meaning “disturbed.” 17I will make justice as straight as a measuring line, and doing what's right the standard rule. Hail will destroy the protection of your lies, and water will flood the place where you're hiding. 18Your agreement with death will be canceled; your contract with the grave will be revoked. When the terrible disaster rushes by, it will trample you underfoot. 19It will rush by time after time, dragging you away morning upon morning, day and night, rushing on and on. Once you understand this message you will be absolutely terrified.
20The bed is too short so you can't stretch out; the blanket is too narrow so you can't cover yourself. 21The Lord will come on the attack like he did to the Philistines at Mount Perazim, like he shook them in the Valley of Gibeon,#28:21. “Philistines”: supplied for clarity. See 1 Chronicles 14:8-16. coming to do what he has to do, his strange work; coming to act as he must, his unusual action. 22So don't mock, or your imprisonment will be even worse, for the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has explained to me his decision to destroy the whole country.
23Listen to what I'm saying! Listen and pay attention! Hear what I have to say! 24Does the farmer spend all his time plowing? Does he spend all his time preparing the soil? 25Once he has everything ready doesn't he sow seeds like dill and cumin, doesn't he plant wheat and barley in rows, with spelt grain as a border? 26His God gives him instructions and teaches him the right thing to do. 27You don't use a heavy tool to thresh dill! You don't use the wheel of a cart to thresh cumin! Instead you use a stick to beat out the dill, and a rod to beat out the cumin. 28Grain used for bread is easily damaged so you don't thresh it forever. When you drive your cart wheels over it with your horses, you don't crush it. 29This is also from the Lord Almighty who is very wise and gives great advice.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Isaiah 28
28
Warnings to North Israel
1How terrible it will be for Samaria, the pride of Israel’s drunken people!
That beautiful crown of flowers is just a dying plant.
It sits on a hill above a rich valley where drunkards live.
2Look, the Lord has someone who is strong and full of power.
That person will come like a storm of hail and strong wind.
He will come like a sudden flood of water pouring over the country.
He will throw Samaria down to the ground.
3That city, the pride of Israel’s drunken people,
will be trampled underfoot.
4That beautiful crown of flowers is just a dying plant.
It sits on a hill above a rich valley.
That city will be like the first fig of summer.
When a person sees it,
he quickly picks it and eats it.
5At that time the Lord of heaven’s armies
will be like a beautiful crown.
He will be like a wonderful crown of flowers
for his people who are left alive.
6Then the Lord will give wisdom
to the judges who rule his people.
The Lord will give strength
to those who battle at the city gate.
7But now those leaders are drunk with wine.
They stumble from drinking too much beer.
The priests and prophets are drunk with beer.
They are filled with wine.
They stumble from too much beer.
The prophets are drunk when they see their visions.
The judges stumble when they make their decisions.
8Every table is covered with vomit.
There is not a clean place anywhere.
9The Lord is trying to teach the people a lesson.
He is trying to make them understand his teachings.
But the people are like little babies.
They are like babies who just nursed at their mother’s breast.
10So they make fun of the Lord’s prophet and say:
“A command here, a command there.
A rule here, a rule there.
A lesson here, a lesson there.”
11So the Lord will use strange words and foreign languages
to speak to these people.
12God said to them,
“Here is a place of rest.
Let the tired people come and rest.
This is the place of peace.”
But the people would not listen.
13So the words of the Lord will be,
“A command here, a command there.
A rule here, a rule there.
A lesson here, a lesson there.”
They will fall back and will be defeated.
They will be trapped and captured.
14You who brag should listen to the Lord’s message.
Pay attention, you leaders in Jerusalem.
15You say, “We have made an agreement with death.
We have a contract with death.
When punishment passes by,
it won’t hurt us.
We will be safe with our lies.
We will hide behind our tricks.”
16Because of these things, this is what the Lord God says:
“I will put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem.
This will be a tested stone.
Everything will be built on this important and precious rock.
Anyone who trusts in it will never be disappointed.
17I will use justice as a measuring line.
I will use goodness to measure by.
The lies you hide behind will be destroyed as if by hail.
They will be washed away as if in a flood.
18Your agreement with death will be erased.
Your contract with death will not help you.
When punishment comes,
you will be crushed by it.
19Whenever punishment comes, it will take you away.
It will come morning after morning.
It will defeat you by day and by night.
Those who hear of this punishment will be terrified.”
20You will be like the man who tried to sleep
on a bed that was too short for him.
And his blanket was too narrow
to wrap around himself.
21The Lord will fight as he did at Mount Perazim.
He will be angry as he was in the Valley of Gibeon.
Then the Lord will do his work, his strange work.
He will finish his job, his strange job.
22Now, you must not make fun of these things.
If you do, the ropes around you will become tighter.
The Lord of heaven’s armies has told me these things.
He has told me how the whole earth will be destroyed.
The Lord Punishes Fairly
23Listen closely to what I tell you.
Listen carefully to what I say.
24A farmer does not plow his field all the time.
He does not go on working the soil.
25He prepares the ground.
Then he plants the dill seed and scatters the cummin seed.
He plants the wheat in rows.
He plants barley in its special place,
and other wheat in its own field.
26His God teaches him
and shows him the right way.
27A farmer doesn’t use heavy boards to crush dill.
He doesn’t use a wagon to crush cummin.
He uses a small stick to break open the dill.
With a stick he opens the cummin.
28The grain is ground to make bread.
People do not ruin it by crushing it forever.
The farmer separates the wheat from the chaff with his cart.
But he does not let his horses grind it.
29This lesson comes from the Lord of heaven’s armies.
He gives wonderful advice. He is very wise.
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