Isaiah 28
28
A Cornerstone of Zion
1Oy , the proud crown of Ephraim’s drunks! Its glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is at the head of the fertile valleys of those overcome with wine!
2Behold, Adonai is strong and mighty, like a hailstorm, a destructive tempest, like a downpour of overflowing water, He hurls it down to earth with His hand.
3The proud crown of Ephraim’s drunks will be trampled underfoot.
4The glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the fertile valley, like a first-ripe fig before summer— whoever sees it, swallows it up while it is still in his palm.
5In that day Adonai-Tzva’ot will be a crown of glory, a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people,
6a spirit of judgment for him who sits on the judgment seat, and strength for those turning back the battle at the gate.
7But these also reel from wine and stagger from strong drink —the kohen and the prophet reel from strong drink— are confused because of wine, they stagger because of strong drink, they are muddled in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8Since all the tables are full of the filth of vomit, no place is left.
9To whom will He teach knowledge? To whom will He explain the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?
10For it must be ‘precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.’
11For through stammering lips and a foreign tongue He will speak to this people,
12To whom He said, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary, here is repose”— but they would not listen.
13So the word of Adonai is to them ‘precept on precept, precept on precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.’ So they walk, and fall backward, and are broken, trapped, and captured.
14Therefore hear the word of Adonai, you scoffers, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem:
15“Because you have said, ‘We cut a covenant with death, we made a pact with Sheol, so when the overflowing scourge passes through, it won’t come for us, for we have made lies our refuge, and hid ourselves in falsehood’—
16Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone, a firm foundation— whoever trusts will not flee in haste.
17But I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line. Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and water will overflow the hiding place.
18Your covenant with death is annulled, and your pact with Sheol will not stand. An overflowing scourge will pass through and you will be its trampling place.
19 As often as it passes through, it will seize you—morning by morning, by day and by night passing through. It will be sheer terror to understand the message.’”
20For too short is the bed to stretch on, too narrow the blanket to wrap up in.
21For Adonai will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will quake with awe as at the valley of Gibeon, to do His deed, His strange deed, and to work His work, His extraordinary work.
22So now, stop your scoffing, lest your shackles be strengthened! For I have heard from Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot of destruction determined upon the whole land.
23Give ear and hear my voice! Pay attention and hear my words.
24Does a plowman plow all day to sow the seed? Does he continually break open and harrow his ground?
25No! When he has leveled its surface, he scatters dill and sows cumin, plants wheat in rows, places barley, and rye on its border.
26For his God teaches him judgment, instructing him.
27For dill is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin. Rather, dill is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.
28Bread grain is crushed, but not endlessly. Rumbling cart wheels and horses over it would only crush it to powder.
29This also comes from Adonai-Tzva’ot: Wonderful is His counsel, great is His wisdom.
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Isaiah 28: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Isaiah 28
28
Chapter 28
A sad song about Ephraim #28:1 Ephraim was the Israelite kingdom in the north. Its capital city was Samaria.
1It will be very bad for Ephraim's beautiful city, Samaria! The people who live there drink too much wine and they become drunk. They are proud of their great city. It is on a hill above a valley where many good things grow. It is like a beautiful flower, but it will be beautiful no more and it will die.
2Look! The Lord God is sending a strong and powerful army to attack it. #28:2 This was probably the Assyrian army. It comes like a strong storm of ice. Its wind destroys everything. It is like rain that pours down and causes a flood. He will knock down Ephraim's great city to the ground with his great power!
3The drunk people of Samaria think that their city is great. But their enemies will knock it down and walk all over it. 4The city is like a beautiful flower that will soon die. It is on a hill above a valley where many good things grow. But it will be like a fig on a tree. It is ready to eat before the harvest time. When someone sees it, he will quickly pick it. And he will eat it!
5At that time. the Lord Almighty will be a great leader of his people. He will be like a beautiful crown for his people who still remain alive. 6He will help judges to decide what is right. He will give strength to the people who keep the city safe from those who attack it.
7But now wine causes the leaders in Ephraim to become drunk. They cannot walk in a straight line because they drink too much beer. Beer causes the priests and the prophets to fall over. Wine confuses their minds. When they see visions, they cannot understand them. When they judge people, they cannot decide what is right.
8They are sick over all their tables. Everywhere is covered with dirt.
9They say, ‘Why does the Lord try to teach us like that? Who does he think that we are? He speaks to us as if we are babies! He thinks that we have just left our mother's breast! 10He teaches us one rule at a time, one line at a time. He says it several times, a little bit here, a little bit there.’
11So now the Lord will use foreign enemies to speak to these people. He will speak to them in a strange language.
12In the past, he said to them, ‘This is a place where you can rest when you are tired. It is a place where you can be safe.’ But his people refused to listen. 13So the Lord's message will seem to them like, ‘One rule at a time, one line at a time, a little bit here, a little bit there.’ So as they try to move forward, they will fall over. An enemy will hurt them, and he will catch them in a trap.
A message about Jerusalem
14So listen to the Lord's message, you leaders in Jerusalem who rule these people. Do not laugh at what the Lord is doing.
15You boast, ‘We have made a covenant with death. Yes, we have made an agreement with Sheol. When trouble comes to our city like a deep flood of water, we will be safe. We trust in our lies to keep us safe.’
16So the Almighty Lord says this:
‘Look! I am putting a special stone in Zion. It is a valuable stone, because it makes a strong foundation at the corner of my building. Anyone who trusts in that foundation will never be disappointed.
17 Justice and righteousness will make that foundation strong and true. But if you trust in lies, a storm of ice will destroy your safe place. A flood of water will destroy the place where you are hiding. 18I will stop your covenant with death. Your agreement with Sheol will not continue. When trouble comes like a deep flood of water, it will drown you. 19A flood of punishment will come again and again, and it will carry you away. It will come every morning, and all through the day and the night.’
When you understand this message from the Lord, you will be very afraid. 20You will not be able to rest, like a tall person who tries to sleep on a short bed. Your blanket will not cover your whole body.
21But the Lord will do a great thing, like he did at Mount Perazim. He will be very angry, as he was in the Gibeon Valley. He will do something that is very wonderful and strange.
22So do not laugh at me when I warn you. If you do not listen, your punishment will become even worse. The Lord Almighty has told me what he has decided. He has decided to destroy the whole land.
23So listen carefully to my message. Hear what I am saying!
24A farmer ploughs the ground because he wants to plant seeds in it. He does not continue to plough for ever. 25When he has prepared the ground, he plants many different seeds. He plants dill and cummin. He plants wheat, barley and different grains in their proper places.
26God teaches the farmer and he tells him the right thing to do. 27After the harvest, the farmer knows how to remove seeds from dill or from cummin. He will not pull a heavy iron weight over dill. He will not run the wheels of a cart over cummin. Instead, he will hit them with a light stick.
28When he crushes grain to make flour for bread, he does not do it for a long time. He drives the wheels of his cart over the grain, but he does not let his horses crush it.
29The Lord Almighty causes farmers to know all that. His ideas are very wise, and he shows us how to live in a wise way.
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