Isaiah 28

1 Woe to the crown of pride, of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious ornament, which is on the eminence of the fat valley of those who are struck down by 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, [it cometh] mighty and strong from the Lord, as a tempest of hail, a storm of destruction; as a tempest of mighty overflowing waters, will he cast it down to the earth with force.

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 Under feet shall be trodden the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim:

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

4 And the fading flower of his glorious ornament, which is on the eminence of the fat valley, shall be as its early ripe fruit before the summer; which one, when he just seeth it, while it is scarcely in his hand, hastily devoureth.

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 On that day will the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto 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 for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to those that drive back the battle to the gate [of the enemy].

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 are now stumbling through wine, and reeling through strong drink: priest and prophet are stumbling through strong drink, they are overpowered with wine, they reel through strong drink; they stumble in [divine] vision, they are unsteady in giving 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 are full of vomit of filthiness, there is no place [clean].

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

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he give to understand doctrine? those that are weaned from the milk, those that are taken 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 precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.

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

11 For [as] with stammering lips and a foreign tongue will he speak to this people;

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

12 When he said unto them, This is the rest, cause ye the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing; but 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 Therefore shall be unto them the word of the Lord, precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; in order that they may go, and stumble backward, and be broken, and snared, and caught.

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 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, who rule this 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 Because ye have said, “We have entered into a covenant with death, and with the nether world have we made an agreement; the overflowing scourge, when it passeth by, shall not come at us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we sought a hiding-place.” (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 hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I have laid in Zion as a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a costly corner-stone, well founded: he that believeth will not make haste.

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 make of justice a measuring line, and of righteousness a plummet: and the hail shall sweep off the refuge of lies, and the hiding-place against the waters shall these flood away.

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 your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with the nether world shall not have permanence; the overflowing scourge, when it passeth by—then shall ye 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 As often as it passeth by shall it take you; for morning by morning shall it pass by, by day and by night; and the mere understanding of the report shall cause terror.

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 shall be too short for [a man] to stretch himself out [on it]: and the covering too narrow to wrap himself in.

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 as on mount Perazim will the Lord rise up, as in the valley of Gib'on will he be wroth, that he may do his work, his singular work; and to accomplish his labor, his strange labor.

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 be ye no longer scornful, lest your bonds be made strong; for as completed and fully decreed have I heard it from the Lord Eternal of hosts over 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 ye ear, and hear my voice; listen, and hear my speech.

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

24 Doth the ploughman plough all the time to sow? doth he open and harrow his ground [continually]?

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

25 Is it not so? that, when he hath made level its surface he scattereth fennel, and streweth about cumin, and planteth the wheat in rows, and barley on its assigned [place], and millet on its proper spot?

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 his God instructed him rightly, taught him [so to do].

His God instructs him; he teaches him wisely.

27 Truly not with a threshing instrument is fennel threshed, and a wagon-wheel is not turned about upon cumin; but fennel is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a stick.

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 Bread-corn is crushed; but not for ever doth [man] keep threshing it; and though he drive over it the wheel of his wagon and his horses, he will not [thereby] crush it.

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 cometh forth from the Lord of hosts; wonderful is he in counsel, and excellent in [his] wise deeds.

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