Isaiah 28
28
Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem
1Ah, the proud crown of #[Hos. 7:5]the drunkards of Ephraim,
and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
2Behold, the Lord has #[ch. 8:7] one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like #ver. 15, 18a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he casts down to the earth with his hand.
3 # ver. 1 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden underfoot;
4 # [Amos 8:1, 2] and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like #Hos. 9:10; Mic. 7:1a first-ripe fig#28:4 Or fruit before the summer:
when someone sees it, he swallows it
as soon as it is in his hand.
5 # ch. 2:11 In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,#28:5 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6and #[1 Kgs. 3:28] a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and #[ch. 38:6]strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 # [ch. 3:12] These also reel with wine
and #Hos. 4:11 stagger with strong drink;
the priest and #ch. 9:15; 56:10, 12the prophet reel with strong drink,
they are swallowed by#28:7 Or confused by wine,
they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
they stumble in giving judgment.
8For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
with no space left.
9 #
Jer. 6:10
“To whom will he teach knowledge,
and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
those taken from the breast?
10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”
11 # Cited 1 Cor. 14:21; See ch. 5:26-29 For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
12to whom he has said,
# ch. 30:15; [Matt. 11:28, 29] “This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13And 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,
# ch. 8:15 that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.
A Cornerstone in Zion
14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you #ver. 22; ch. 29:20scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
15Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the #ver. 2, 18; [ch. 8:7, 8] overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made #[Rom. 1:25]lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
16therefore thus says the Lord God,
# Cited Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6; [Ps. 118:22; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11] “Behold, I am the one who has laid#28:16 Dead Sea Scroll I am laying as a foundation #ch. 14:32in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
17And I will make justice #[2 Kgs. 21:13]the line,
and righteousness #[2 Kgs. 21:13]the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
18Then #ver. 15your 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.
19As often as it passes through it will take you;
# [ch. 50:4] for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;
and it will be #[2 Chr. 32:18]sheer terror to understand the message.
20For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21For the Lord will rise up #[2 Sam. 5:20; 1 Chr. 14:11] as on Mount Perazim;
# See Josh. 10:10-14 as in the Valley of #1 Chr. 14:16; See Josh. 9:3Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
and to work his work—alien is his work!
22Now therefore do not #ver. 14 scoff,
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard #ch. 10:23a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.
23Give ear, and hear my voice;
give attention, and hear my speech.
24Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
25 # [ch. 55:10, 11] When he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
and put in wheat in rows
and barley in its proper place,
and emmer#28:25 A type of wheat as the border?
26 # [ch. 21:10] For he is rightly instructed;
his God teaches him.
27Dill 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.
28Does one crush grain for bread?
No, he does not thresh it forever;#28:28 Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever
when he drives his cart wheel over it
with his horses, he does not crush it.
29This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
he is #Jer. 32:19; [ch. 9:6]wonderful in counsel
and excellent in wisdom.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Isaiah 28
28
Judgment against the Leaders of Ephraim
1Ah! The garland of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim
and the withering flower of the glory of his beauty,
which is at the head of the rich valley,#Literally “a valley of fat” ones overcome#Literally “ones struck” with wine!
2Look! The Lord has a mighty and strong one,
like a rainstorm of hail, a wind storm of destruction,
like a rainstorm of mighty overflowing waters,
he will put them to the earth with his hand.
3The garland of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trampled#The Hebrew is plural by feet,
4and the withering flower of the glory of its beauty which is at the head of the rich valley#Literally “a valley of fat” will be like its early fig before summer,
which the one who sees it swallows#Literally “Which, when the one who sees it sees it, he swallows it” while it is still in his hand.
5In that day, Yahweh of hosts will become a garland of glory
and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people,
6and a spirit of justice to the one who sits over judgment,
and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7And these also stagger because of wine
and stagger because of strong drink;
priest and prophet stagger because of strong drink;
they are confused#Or “swallowed” because of wine.
They stagger because of strong drink;
they err in vision.
They stagger in the rendering of a decision,
8for all the tables are full of disgusting vomit, with no place left.#Literally “without a place”
9To whom will he teach knowledge,
and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from milk,
those taken from the breast?
10For it is blah-blah upon blah-blah,
blah-blah upon blah-blah,
gah-gah upon gah-gah,
gah-gah upon gah-gah,#In this context, the Hebrew expressions tsaw-tsaw and qaw-qaw are likely meant to sound like baby talk, but they could mean “command upon command” and “rule upon rule”
a little here, a little there.
11For he will speak with stammering#Literally “stammer of lip” and another tongue to this people, 12to whom he has said,
“This is rest; give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”; yet#Or “and” they were not willing to hear.
13And to them the word of Yahweh will be
blah-blah upon blah-blah
blah-blah upon blah-blah
gah-gah upon gah-gah
gah-gah upon gah-gah,#In this context, the Hebrew expressions tsaw-tsaw and qaw-qaw are likely meant to sound like baby talk, but they could mean “command upon command” and “rule upon rule”
a little here, a little there,
so that they may go and stumble backward
and be broken and ensnared and captured.
The Cornerstone of Zion
14Therefore hear the word of Yahweh, men of mockery,
rulers of these people in Jerusalem:
15Because you have said,
“We have made#Literally “cut” a covenant with death,
and we have made an agreement with Sheol.
The overwhelming flood, when it passes through, will not come to us,
for we have made lies#Hebrew “lie” our refuge,
and we have hidden ourselves in falsehood.”
16Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this:
“Look! I am laying a stone in Zion,
a tested#Literally “testing” stone,
a precious cornerstone,
a founded foundation:
‘The one who trusts will not panic.’#Literally “hurry”
17And I will make justice the measuring line,
and righteousness the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,#Hebrew “lie”
and waters will flood over the hiding place.
18And your covenant with death will be annulled,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
you will become a trampling place for the overwhelming flood when it passes through.
19As often as it passes through,#Literally “From enough his passing through” it will take you,
for morning by morning#Literally “in the morning in the morning” it will pass through,
in the day and in the night,
and understanding the message will be only terror.”
20For the bed is too short to stretch out on,#Literally “from stretching oneself”
and the covering is too narrow when wrapping oneself.
21For Yahweh will rise up as at Mount Perazim;
he will rave as in the valley at Gibeon
to do his deed—his deed is strange—
and to work his work—his work is alien!
22And now you must not scoff,
or your bonds will be strong,
for I have heard from the Lord, Yahweh of hosts:
complete destruction
decreed upon all the land.
A Parable of Yahweh’s Work
23Listen, and hear my voice!
Listen attentively, and hear my word!
24Is it all day that the plowman plows,
opens to sow seed, harrows his ground?
25When he has leveled its surface,#Literally “face” does he not scatter dill,
and sow cumin seed,
and plant#Literally “place” wheat in planted rows,#Hebrew “row”
and barley in an appointed place,
and spelt grain as its border?
26And his God instructs him about the prescription;#That is, “the proper way”
he teaches him.
27For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
nor is a wheel of a utility cart rolled#Literally “turned” over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
28Grain is crushed fine,
but certainly one does not thresh it forever;
and one drives the wheel of his cart,
but his horses do not crush it.
29This also comes forth from Yahweh of hosts.
He is wonderful in advice;
he makes great wisdom.
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