Isaiah 28

Revised Geneva Translation

28 Woe to the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim. For his glorious beauty shall be as a fading flower upon the head of the valley of fatness to those who are overcome with wine.

² Behold, the LORD has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail, a whirlwind that overthrows, like a tempest of mighty waters that overflow, which throw to the ground mightily.

³ They shall be trampled underfoot: the crown, the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim.

⁴ For his glorious beauty shall be as a fading flower upon the head of the valley of fatness, as the first fruits before Summer. When one has looked upon it, he sees it. And while it is in his hand, he eats it.

⁵ On that day, shall the LORD of Hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, to the residue of His people,

⁶ and for a spirit of judgment to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn away the battle at the gate.

⁷ But they have erred because of wine and are out of the way due to strong drink. The priest and the prophet have erred by strong drink. They are swallowed up with wine. They have gone astray through strong drink. They fail in vision. They stumble in judgment.

⁸ For all their tables are full of filthy vomiting. No place is clean.

⁹ To whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make understand the things that he hears? Those who are weaned from the milk drawn from the breasts.

¹⁰ For “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

¹¹ For with a stammering tongue and with a strange language he shall speak to this people,

¹² to whom He said, “This is the rest: give rest to him who is weary.” And, “This is the refreshing.” But they would not hear.

¹³ Therefore shall the Word of the LORD be to them “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line unto line, line unto line, here a little, there a little”, so that they may go and fall backward and be broken and be snared and be taken.

¹⁴ Therefore, hear the Word of the LORD, you scornful men who rule this people who are at Jerusalem,

¹⁵ because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Hell are we in agreement. Though a scourge run over and pass through, it shall not come at us, for we have made falsehood our refuge, and under vanity are we hidden.”

¹⁶ Therefore, thus says the LORD God: “Behold, I will lay a stone in Zion, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He who believes shall not hurry.

¹⁷ “I will also lay judgment to the rule, and righteousness to the balance. And the hail shall sweep away the vain confidence. And the waters shall overflow the secret place.

¹⁸ “And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand. When a scourge shall run over and pass through, then shall you be trampled down by it.

¹⁹ “When it passes over, it shall take you away. For it shall pass through every morning, in the day and in the night. And there shall be only fear to make you understand the hearing.”

²⁰ For the bed is so short that it cannot suffice, and the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself.

²¹ For the LORD shall stand, as on Mount Perazim. He shall be angry, as in the Valley of Gibeon, so that He may do His work (His strange work) and bring to pass His act (His strange act).

²² Now, therefore, do not be mockers, lest your bonds increase. For I have heard the LORD of Hosts has determined a consumption upon the whole Earth.

²³ Listen and hear my voice! Listen and hear my speech!

²⁴ Does the plowman plow all day to sow? Does he open and break the clots of his ground?

²⁵ When he has made it level, will he not then sow the black cumin, and sow cumin, and cast in wheat by measure, and the appointed barley and rye in their place?

²⁶ For his God instructs him to have discretion, teaches him.

²⁷ For black cumin shall not be threshed with a threshing instrument, nor shall a cartwheel be turned upon the cumin. But the black cumin is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.

²⁸ Bread (when it is threshed) he does not always thresh, nor does the wheel of his cart make a noise, nor will he break it with its teeth.

²⁹ This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel, excellent in works.