Isaiah 28

Judgment on Corrupt Rulers, Priests, and Prophets

1 # vv 3, 4, 7 Woe to the proud garland of the drunkards of Ephraim

and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

at the head of the fertile valley,

those overcome with wine!

2 # Isa 29.6; 30.28, 30; 40.10; Ezek 13.11 See, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong,

like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,

like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters;

with force he will hurl them down to the earth.

3 # vv 1, 18 Trampled under foot will be

the proud garland of the drunkards of Ephraim.

4 # Hos 9.10; Mic 7.1; Nah 3.12 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

at the head of the fertile valley,

will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer;

whoever sees it eats it up

as soon as it comes to hand.

5 # Isa 4.2; 41.16; 62.3 On that day the Lord of hosts will be a garland of glory

and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people

6 # Isa 11.2; 25.4; 32.15 and a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment

and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7 # Prov 20.1; Isa 56.10, 12; Hos 4.11 These also reel with wine

and stagger with strong drink;

the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink;

they are confused with wine;

they stagger with strong drink;

they err in vision;

they stumble in giving judgment.

8 # Jer 48.26 All tables are covered with filthy vomit;

no place is clean.

9 # v 26 ; Ps 131.2; Heb 5.12, 13“Whom will he teach knowledge,

and to whom will he explain the message?

Those who are weaned from milk,

those taken from the breast?

10 # Neh 9.30 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,

line upon line, line upon line,

here a little, there a little.”#28.10 Meaning of Heb of this verse uncertain

11 # 1 Cor 14.21 Truly, with stammering lip

and with another tongue

he will speak to this people,

12 # Jer 6.16; Mt 11.28, 29 to whom he has said,

“This is rest;

give rest to the weary,

and this is repose,”

yet they would not hear.

13 # Mt 21.44 Therefore the word of the Lord will be to them,

“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,

line upon line, line upon line,

here a little, there a little,”#28.13 Meaning of Heb of this verse uncertain

in order that they may go and fall backward

and be broken and snared and taken.

14 # v 22 ; Isa 29.20Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers

who rule this people in Jerusalem.

15 # vv 2, 18 ; Isa 29.15; 49.3, 4Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,

and with Sheol we have an agreement;

when the overwhelming scourge passes through

it will not come to us,

for we have made lies our refuge,

and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;

16 # Ps 118.22; Mt 21.42; Acts 4.11; Rom 9.33; 10.11; Eph 2.20; 1 Pet 2.4–6 therefore thus says the Lord God,

“See, I am laying#28.16 Q mss Compare Syr Tg: MT he laid in Zion a foundation stone,

a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation:

‘One who trusts will not panic.’

17 # v 2 ; Isa 5.16And I will make justice the line

and righteousness the plummet;

hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,

and waters will overwhelm the shelter.

18 # v 15 Then your covenant with death will be annulled,

and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;

when the overwhelming scourge passes through,

you will be beaten down by it.

19 # Ps 88.15; Isa 50.4; Jer 15.8 As often as it passes through, it will take you,

for morning by morning it will pass through,

by day and by night,

and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.”

20For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on it,

and the covering is too narrow to wrap oneself in it.

21 # Josh 10.10, 12; 2 Sam 5.20, 25; 1 Chr 14.11, 16; Lam 3.33 For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim;

he will rage as in the valley of Gibeon

to do his deed—strange is his deed!—

and to work his work—alien is his work!

22 # v 14 ; Isa 10.22, 23Now therefore do not scoff,

or your bonds will be made stronger,

for I have heard a decree of destruction

from the Lord God of hosts upon the whole land.

23Listen and hear my voice;

Pay attention and hear my speech.

24Do those who plow for sowing plow continually?

Do they continually open and harrow their ground?

25When they have leveled its surface,

do they not scatter dill, sow cumin,

and plant wheat in rows

and barley in its proper place#28.25 Meaning of Heb uncertain

and spelt as the border?

26For they are well instructed;

their God teaches them.

27 # Am 1.3 For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,

nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,

but dill is beaten out with a stick

and cumin with a rod.

28Grain is crushed for bread,

but one does not thresh it forever;

one drives the cart wheel and horses over it

but does not pulverize it.

29 # Isa 9.6; 31.2; Rom 11.33 This also comes from the Lord of hosts;

he is wonderful in counsel

and excellent in wisdom.

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Isaiah 28: NRSVUE

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Isaiah 28

The Captivity of Ephraim

1Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s #28:1 That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verse 3 drunkards,

to the fading flower of his glorious splendor,

set on the summit above the fertile valley,

the pride of those overcome by wine.

2Behold, the Lord has one

who is strong and mighty.

Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest,

like a driving rain or flooding downpour,

he will smash that crown to the ground.

3The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards

will be trampled underfoot.

4The fading flower of his beautiful splendor,

set on the summit above the fertile valley,

will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest:

Whoever sees it will take it in his hand and swallow it.

5On that day the Lord of Hosts will be a crown of glory,

a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people,

6a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,

and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.

7These also stagger from wine

and stumble from strong drink:

Priests and prophets reel from strong drink

and are befuddled by wine.

They stumble because of strong drink,

muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

8For all their tables are covered with vomit;

there is not a place without filth.

9Whom is He trying to teach?

To whom is He explaining His message?

To infants just weaned from milk?

To babies removed from the breast?

10For they hear:#28:10 Or For He says; or For it is; literally For

“Order on order, order on order,

line on line, line on line;#28:10 Or Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; Hebrew sav lasav sav lasav kav lakav kav lakav (possibly meaningless sounds to demonstrate an inability to understand); also in verse 13

a little here, a little there.”

11Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues,

He will speak to this people #28:11 Cited in 1 Corinthians 14:21 12to whom He has said:

“This is the place of rest, let the weary rest;

this is the place of repose.”

But they would not listen.

13Then the word of the Lord to them will become:

“Order on order, order on order,

line on line, line on line;

a little here, a little there,”

so that they will go stumbling backward

and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.

A Cornerstone in Zion

(1 Corinthians 3:10–15; Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:1–8)

14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, O scoffers

who rule this people in Jerusalem.

15For you said, “We have made a covenant with death;

we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol.

When the overwhelming scourge passes through

it will not touch us,

because we have made lies our refuge

and falsehood #28:15 Or false gods our hiding place.”

16So this is what the Lord GOD says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;

the one who believes will never be shaken.#28:16 LXX will never be put to shame; cited in Romans 9:33, Romans 10:11, and 1 Peter 2:6

17I will make justice the measuring line

and righteousness the level.

Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies,

and water will flood your hiding place.

18Your covenant with death will be dissolved,

and your agreement with Sheol will not stand.

When the overwhelming scourge passes through,

you will be trampled by it.

19As often as it passes through,

it will carry you away;

it will sweep through morning after morning,

by day and by night.”

The understanding of this message

will bring sheer terror.

20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on,

and the blanket too small to wrap around you.

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

He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon,

to do His work, His strange work,

and to perform His task, His disturbing task.

22So now, do not mock,

or your shackles will become heavier.

Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts

a decree of destruction against the whole land.

Listen and Hear

23Listen and hear my voice.

Pay attention and hear what I say.

24Does the plowman plow for planting every day?

Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil?

25When he has leveled its surface,

does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?

He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots,

and rye within its border.

26For his God instructs

and teaches him properly.

27Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge,

and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin.

But caraway is beaten out with a stick,

and cumin with a rod.

28Grain for bread must be ground,

but it is not endlessly threshed.

Though the wheels of the cart roll over it,

the horses do not crush it.

29This also comes from the Lord of Hosts,

who is wonderful in counsel

and excellent in wisdom.

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