Isaiah 28

1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower the glory of his joy, who were on the head of the fat valley, staggering with wine.

Woe to the proud garland crown that is worn by each of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, the garland that is set on the head of the lush Valley of those who are overcome with wine!

2 Behold the Lord is mighty and strong, as a storm of hail: a destroying whirlwind, as the violence of many waters overflowing, and sent forth upon a spacious land.

Behold, the Lord sends one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail and a destructive windstorm, like a driving rain and overflowing waters; and he will throw each garland crown down to the ground.

3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under feet.

The proud garland of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot.

4 And the fading flower the glory of his joy, who is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as a hasty fruit before the ripeness of autumn: which when he that seeth it shall behold, as soon as he taketh it in his hand, he will eat it up.

The fading flower of his glorious beauty, that is on the head of the rich valley, will be as the first ripe fig before the summer, that, when someone sees it, while it is yet in his hand, he gulps it down.

5 In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of joy to the residue of his people:

In that day Yahweh of hosts will become a beautiful crown and a diadem of beauty for the remainder of his people,

6 And a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them that return out of the battle to the gate.

a spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, and strength for those who turn back their enemies at their gates.

7 But these also have been ignorant through wine, and through drunkenness have erred: the priest and the prophet have been ignorant through drunkenness, they are swallowed up with wine, they have gone astray in drunkenness, they have not known him that seeth, they have been ignorant of judgment.

But even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, and they are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink, staggering in vision and reeling in decision.

8 For all tables were full of vomit and filth, so that there was no more place.

Truly, all tables are covered with vomit, so that there is no clean place.

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand the hearing? them that are weaned from the milk, that are drawn away from the breasts.

To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? To those who are weaned from milk or to those just taken from the breasts?

10 For command, command again; command, command again; expect, expect again; expect, expect again: a little there, a little there.

For it is command upon command, command upon command; rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little.

11 For with the speech of lips, and with another tongue he will speak to this people.

Indeed, with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to this people.

12 To whom he said: This is my rest, refresh the weary, and this is my refreshing: and they would not hear.

In the past he said to them “This is the rest, give rest to him who is weary; and this is the refreshing,” but they would not listen.

13 And the word of the Lord shall be to them: Command, command again; command, command again: expect, expect again; expect, expect again: a little there, a little there: that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

So the word of Yahweh will be to them command upon command, command upon command; rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little; so that they may go and fall backward, and be broken, ensnared, and captured.

14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, who rule over my people that is in Jerusalem.

So listen to the word of Yahweh, you who mock, you who rule over this people who are in Jerusalem.

15 For you have said: We have entered into a league with death, and we have made a covenant with hell. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come upon us: for we have placed our hope in lies, and by falsehood we are protected. (Sheol h7585)

This will happen because you said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have reached an agreement. So when the overwhelming whip passes through, it will not reach us. For we have made a lie our refuge, and taken shelter in falsehood.” (Sheol h7585)

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will lay a stone in the foundations of Sion, a tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation. He that believeth, let him not hasten.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says, “See, I will lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He who believes will not be ashamed.

17 And I will set judgment in weight, and justice in measure: and hail shall overturn the hope of falsehood: and waters shall overflow its protection.

I will make justice the measuring stick, and righteousness the plumbline. Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.

18 And Sour league with death shall be abolished, and your covenant with hell shall not stand: when the overflowing scourge shall pass, you shall be trodden down by it. (Sheol h7585)

Your covenant with death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the raging flood passes through, you will be overwhelmed by it. (Sheol h7585)

19 Whensoever it shall pass through, it shall take you away: because in the morning early it shall pass through, in the day and in the night, and vexation alone shall make you understand what you hear.

Whenever it passes through, it will overwhelm you, and morning by morning it will pass through and by day and night it will come. When the message is understood, it will cause terror.

20 For the bed is straitened, so that one must fall out, and a short covering cannot cover both.

For the bed is too short for a man to stretch out on, and the blanket too narrow for him to wrap himself in.”

21 For the Lord shall stand up as in the mountain of divisions: he shall be angry as in the valley which is in Gabaon: that he may do his work, his strange work: that he may perform his work, his work is strange to him.

Yahweh will rise up as on Mount Perazim; he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon to do his work, his strange work, and perform his strange deed.

22 And now do not mock, lest your bonds be tied strait. For I have heard of the Lord the God of hosts a consumption and a cutting short upon all the earth.

Now therefore do not mock, or your bonds will be tightened. I have heard from the Lord Yahweh of hosts, a decree of destruction on the earth.

23 Give ear, and hear my voice, hearken, and hear my speech.

Pay attention and listen to my voice; be attentive and listen to my words.

24 Shall the ploughman plough all the day to sow, shall he open and harrow his ground?

Does a farmer who plows all day to sow, only plow the ground? Does he continually break up and harrow the field?

25 Will he not, when he hath made plain the surface thereof, sow gith, and scatter cummin, and put wheat in order, and barley, and millet, and vetches in their bounds?

When he has prepared the ground, does he not scatter caraway seed, sow the cumin, put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the right place, and the spelt at its edges?

26 For he will instruct him in judgment: his God will teach him.

His God instructs him; he teaches him wisely.

27 For gith shall not be thrashed with saws, neither shall the cart wheel turn about upon cummin: but gith shall be beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a staff.

Moreover, the caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cumin; but caraway is beaten with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

28 But bread corn shall be broken small: but the thrasher shall not thrash it for ever, neither shall the cart wheel hurt it, nor break it with its teeth.

Grain is ground for bread but not too finely, and though the wheels of his cart and his horses scatter it, his horses do not crush it.

29 This also is come forth from the Lord God of hosts, to make his counsel wonderful, and magnify justice.

This too comes from Yahweh of hosts, who is wonderful in instruction and excellent in wisdom.