Isaiah 28
28
Woe to Samaria
1Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, # Is 28:7; Hs 7:5
and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor,
which is on the summit above the rich valley.
Woe to those overcome with wine.
2Look, the Lord has a strong and mighty one # Is 8:7; 40:10 —
like a devastating hail storm,
like a storm with strong flooding waters.
He will bring it across the land with His hand.
3The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards
will be trampled underfoot.
4The fading flower of his beautiful splendor,
which is on the summit above the rich valley,
will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest. # Hs 9:10; Mc 7:1; Nah 3:12
Whoever sees it will swallow it
while it is still in his hand.
5On that day
the Lord of Hosts will become a crown of beauty
and a diadem of splendor # Is 62:3
to the remnant of His people,
6a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment, # 1Kg 3:28; Is 11:2; 32:1,15-16; Jn 5:30
and strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7These also stagger because of wine
and stumble under the influence of beer:
priest and prophet stagger because of beer,
they are confused by wine. # Is 5:11,22; 9:15; 22:13; 56:12; Hs 4:11
They stumble because of beer,
they are muddled in their visions,
they stumble in their judgments.
8Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit;
there is no place without a stench.
9Who is he # Or He trying to teach?
Who is he # Or He trying to instruct?
Infants # Lit Those just weaned from milk?
Babies # Lit Those removed from the breast?
10For he says: “Law after law, law after law,
line after line, line after line,
a little here, a little there.” # Hb obscure # Perhaps the mockers of v. 9 are mimicking the prophet’s words as baby talk.
11So He will speak to this people
with stammering speech
and in a foreign language. # Is 5:26-29; 33:19; 1Co 14:21
12He had said to them:
“This is the place of rest,
let the weary rest; # Is 11:10; 30:15; 32:17-18; Jr 6:16; Mt 11:28-29
this is the place of repose.”
But they would not listen.
13Then the word of the Lord came to them:
“Law after law, law after law,
line after line, line after line,
a little here, a little there,” # Hb obscure # The Lord quotes the mockers' words in v. 10 to represent the unintelligible language of the Assyrian invaders.
so they go stumbling backward,
to be broken, trapped, and captured. # Is 8:15; Mt 21:44
A Deal with Death
14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, # Is 1:10; 39:5,8; 66:5 you mockers # Is 29:20
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15For you said, “We have cut a deal with Death,
and we have made an agreement with Sheol;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through, # Is 8:7-8
it will not touch us,
because we have made falsehood our refuge
and have hidden behind treachery.”
16Therefore the Lord God said:
“Look, I have laid a stone # Is 8:14; 26:4 in Zion,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; # Mt 21:42; Mk 12:10; Lk 20:17; Ac 4:11; 1Co 3:11; Eph 2:20
the one who believes will be unshakable. # Lit will not hurry # Rm 9:33; 1Pt 2:6
17And I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the mason’s level.” # 2Kg 21:13; Is 5:16; 30:18; 61:8; Am 7:7-9
Hail will sweep away the false refuge,
and water will flood your hiding place.
18Your deal with Death will be dissolved,
and your agreement with Sheol will not last.
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
you will be trampled.
19Every time it passes through,
it will carry you away;
it will pass through every morning —
every day and every night.
Only terror # 2Ch 29:8; Jr 15:4; 24:9; 29:18 will cause you
to understand the message. # Or The understanding of the message will cause sheer terror
20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and its cover too small to wrap up in.
21For the Lord will rise up as He did at Mount Perazim. # 2Sm 5:20; 1Ch 14:11
He will rise in wrath, as at the Valley of Gibeon, # Jos 10:10,12; 2Sm 5:25; 1Ch 14:16
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 stronger.
Indeed, I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts
a decree of destruction for the whole land. # Is 10:22-23; Rm 9:27-28
God’s Wonderful Advice
23Listen and hear my voice.
Pay attention and hear what I say.
24Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed?
Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil?
25When he has leveled its surface,
does he not then scatter black cumin and sow cumin?
He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots,
with spelt as their border.
26His God teaches him order;
He instructs him.
27Certainly black cumin is not threshed
with a threshing board,
and a cart wheel is not rolled over the cumin.
But black cumin is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
28Bread grain is crushed,
but is not threshed endlessly.
Though the wheel of the farmer’s cart rumbles,
his horses do not crush it.
29This also comes from the Lord of Hosts.
He gives wonderful advice;
He gives great wisdom. # Is 9:6; Jr 32:19
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Isaiah 28: HCSB
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Isaiah 28
28
1Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
and to 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 one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he will cast down to the earth with violence.
3The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden under foot;
4and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer:
when a man sees it, he eats it up
as soon as it is in his hand.
5In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people;
6and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7These 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.
8For all tables are full of vomit,
no place is without filthiness.
9“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 #
1 Cor 14.21. Nay, but by men of strange lips
and with an alien tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
12 #
Mt 11.29. to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13Therefore 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;
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
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 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 #
Rom 9.33; 10.11; 1 Pet 2.4-6. therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘He who believes will not be in haste.’
17And I will make justice the line,
and righteousness the plummet;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
18Then 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.
19As 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 too narrow to wrap oneself in it.
21For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim,
he will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
and to work his work—alien is his work!
22Now therefore do not scoff,
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts upon the whole land.
23Give ear, and hear my voice;
hearken, and hear my speech.
24Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
does he continually open and harrow his ground?
25When he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter dill, sow cummin,
and put in wheat in rows
and barley in its proper place,
and spelt as the border?
26For he is instructed aright;
his God teaches him.
27Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
nor is a cart wheel rolled over cummin;
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
and cummin with a rod.
28Does one crush bread grain?
No, he does not thresh it for ever;
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 wonderful in counsel,
and excellent in wisdom.
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