Isaiah 28

Ephraim’s Captivity Predicted

1Woe to the proud crown of the 1drunkards of 2Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the 3fertile valley Of those who are 4overcome with wine!2Behold, the Lord has a strong and 5mighty agent; As a storm of 6hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of 7mighty overflowing waters, He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.3The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is 8trodden under foot.4And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the 9fertile valley, Will be like the 10first-ripe fig prior to summer, Which 11one sees, And 12as soon as it is in his 13hand, He swallows it.5In that day the 14Lord of hosts will become a beautiful 15crown And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people;6A 16spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A 17strength to those who repel the 18onslaught at the gate.7And these also 19reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: 20The priest and 21the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from 22strong drink; They reel while 23having 24visions, They totter when rendering judgment.8For all the tables are full of filthy 25vomit, without a single clean place.

9“To 26whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just 27weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?10For He says, ‘2829Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.’”11Indeed, He will speak to this people Through 30stammering lips and a foreign tongue,12He who said to them, “Here is 31rest, give rest to the weary,” And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen.13So the word of the Lord to them will be, “32Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,” That they may go and 33stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.

Judah Is Warned

14Therefore, 34hear the word of the Lord, O 35scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,15Because you have said, “We have made a 36covenant with death, And with 37Sheol we have made a 38pact. 39The overwhelming 40scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made 41falsehood our refuge and we have 42concealed ourselves with deception.” 16Therefore thus says the Lord 43God, “44Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested 45stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, 46firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be 47disturbed.17I will make 48justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then 49hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place.18Your 50covenant with death will be 5152canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the 53overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its 54trampling place.19As 55often as it passes through, it will 56seize you; For 57morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be 58sheer 59terror to understand 60what it means.”20The bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the 61blanket is too 62small to wrap oneself in.21For the Lord will rise up as at Mount 63Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the valley of 64Gibeon, To do His 65task, His 6667unusual task, And to work His work, His 68extraordinary work.22And now do not carry on as 69scoffers, Or your fetters will be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord 70God of hosts Of decisive 71destruction on all the earth.

23Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words.24Does the 72farmer plow 73continually to plant seed? Does he continually 74turn and harrow the ground?25Does he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter 75cummin And 76plant 77wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its 78area?26For his God instructs and teaches him properly.27For dill is not threshed with a 79threshing sledge, Nor is the cartwheel 80driven over cummin; But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a club.28Grain for bread is crushed, Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually 81damage it, He does not thresh it longer.29This also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who has made His counsel 82wonderful and His wisdom 83great.