Isaiah 28-31

New International Version

Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah

28 Woe^(A) to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s^(B) drunkards,
    to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley^(C)—
    to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!^(D)
²See, the Lord has one who is powerful^(E) and strong.
    Like a hailstorm^(F) and a destructive wind,^(G)
like a driving rain and a flooding^(H) downpour,
    he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
³That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s^(I) drunkards,
    will be trampled^(J) underfoot.
⁴That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
    set on the head of a fertile valley,^(K)
will be like figs^(L) ripe before harvest—
    as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
    they swallow them.

⁵In that day^(M) the Lord Almighty
    will be a glorious^(N) crown,^(O)
a beautiful wreath
    for the remnant^(P) of his people.
⁶He will be a spirit of justice^(Q)
    to the one who sits in judgment,^(R)
a source of strength
    to those who turn back the battle^(S) at the gate.

⁷And these also stagger^(T) from wine^(U)
    and reel^(V) from beer:
Priests^(W) and prophets^(X) stagger from beer
    and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
    they stagger when seeing visions,^(Y)
    they stumble when rendering decisions.
⁸All the tables are covered with vomit^(Z)
    and there is not a spot without filth.

⁹“Who is it he is trying to teach?^(AA)
    To whom is he explaining his message?^(AB)
To children weaned^(AC) from their milk,^(AD)
    to those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that^[a];
    a little here, a little there.^(AE)”

¹¹Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues^(AF)
    God will speak to this people,^(AG)
¹²to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;^(AH)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
    but they would not listen.
¹³So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that;
    a little here, a little there^(AI)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
    they will be injured^(AJ) and snared and captured.^(AK)

¹⁴Therefore hear the word of the Lord,^(AL) you scoffers^(AM)
    who rule this people in Jerusalem.
¹⁵You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,^(AN)
    with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(AO)
    it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie^(AP) our refuge
    and falsehood^[b] our hiding place.^(AQ)”

¹⁶So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,^(AR) a tested stone,^(AS)
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;^(AT)
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic.^(AU)
¹⁷I will make justice^(AV) the measuring line
    and righteousness the plumb line;^(AW)
hail^(AX) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
    and water will overflow^(AY) your hiding place.
¹⁸Your covenant with death will be annulled;
    your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.^(AZ)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(BA)
    you will be beaten down^(BB) by it.
¹⁹As often as it comes it will carry you away;^(BC)
    morning after morning,^(BD) by day and by night,
    it will sweep through.”

The understanding of this message
    will bring sheer terror.^(BE)
²⁰The bed is too short to stretch out on,
    the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.^(BF)
²¹The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,^(BG)
    he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon^(BH)—
to do his work,^(BI) his strange work,
    and perform his task, his alien task.
²²Now stop your mocking,^(BJ)
    or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
    of the destruction decreed^(BK) against the whole land.^(BL)

²³Listen^(BM) and hear my voice;
    pay attention and hear what I say.
²⁴When a farmer plows for planting,^(BN) does he plow continually?
    Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
²⁵When he has leveled the surface,
    does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?^(BO)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,^[c]
    barley^(BP) in its plot,^[d]
    and spelt^(BQ) in its field?
²⁶His God instructs him
    and teaches^(BR) him the right way.

²⁷Caraway is not threshed^(BS) with a sledge,^(BT)
    nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,^(BU)
    and cumin with a stick.
²⁸Grain must be ground to make bread;
    so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart^(BV) may be rolled over it,
    but one does not use horses to grind grain.
²⁹All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
    whose plan is wonderful,^(BW)
    whose wisdom is magnificent.^(BX)

Woe to David’s City

29 Woe^(BY) to you, Ariel, Ariel,^(BZ)
    the city^(CA) where David settled!
Add year to year
    and let your cycle of festivals^(CB) go on.
²Yet I will besiege Ariel;^(CC)
    she will mourn and lament,^(CD)
    she will be to me like an altar hearth.^[e]^(CE)
³I will encamp against you on all sides;
    I will encircle^(CF) you with towers
    and set up my siege works^(CG) against you.
⁴Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
    your speech will mumble^(CH) out of the dust.^(CI)
Your voice will come ghostlike^(CJ) from the earth;
    out of the dust your speech will whisper.^(CK)

⁵But your many enemies will become like fine dust,^(CL)
    the ruthless^(CM) hordes like blown chaff.^(CN)
Suddenly,^(CO) in an instant,
⁶    the Lord Almighty will come^(CP)
with thunder^(CQ) and earthquake^(CR) and great noise,
    with windstorm and tempest^(CS) and flames of a devouring fire.^(CT)
⁷Then the hordes of all the nations^(CU) that fight against Ariel,^(CV)
    that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,^(CW)
    with a vision in the night—
⁸as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
    but awakens^(CX) hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
    but awakens faint and thirsty still.^(CY)
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
    that fight against Mount Zion.^(CZ)

⁹Be stunned and amazed,^(DA)
    blind yourselves and be sightless;^(DB)
be drunk,^(DC) but not from wine,^(DD)
    stagger,^(DE) but not from beer.
¹⁰The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:^(DF)
    He has sealed your eyes^(DG) (the prophets);^(DH)
    he has covered your heads (the seers).^(DI)

¹¹For you this whole vision^(DJ) is nothing but words sealed^(DK) in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” ¹²Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”

¹³The Lord says:

“These people^(DL) come near to me with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,^(DM)
    but their hearts are far from me.^(DN)
Their worship of me
    is based on merely human rules they have been taught.^[f]^(DO)
¹⁴Therefore once more I will astound these people
    with wonder upon wonder;^(DP)
the wisdom of the wise^(DQ) will perish,
    the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.^(DR)”
¹⁵Woe to those who go to great depths
    to hide^(DS) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
    “Who sees us?^(DT) Who will know?”^(DU)
¹⁶You turn things upside down,
    as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!^(DV)
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed^(DW) it,
    “You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,^(DX)
    “You know nothing”?^(DY)

¹⁷In a very short time,^(DZ) will not Lebanon^(EA) be turned into a fertile field^(EB)
    and the fertile field seem like a forest?^(EC)
¹⁸In that day^(ED) the deaf^(EE) will hear the words of the scroll,
    and out of gloom and darkness^(EF)
    the eyes of the blind will see.^(EG)
¹⁹Once more the humble^(EH) will rejoice in the Lord;
    the needy^(EI) will rejoice in the Holy One^(EJ) of Israel.
²⁰The ruthless^(EK) will vanish,^(EL)
    the mockers^(EM) will disappear,
    and all who have an eye for evil^(EN) will be cut down—
²¹those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
    who ensnare the defender in court^(EO)
    and with false testimony^(EP) deprive the innocent of justice.^(EQ)

²²Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed^(ER) Abraham,^(ES) says to the descendants of Jacob:

“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;^(ET)
    no longer will their faces grow pale.^(EU)
²³When they see among them their children,^(EV)
    the work of my hands,^(EW)
they will keep my name holy;^(EX)
    they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One^(EY) of Jacob,
    and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
²⁴Those who are wayward^(EZ) in spirit will gain understanding;^(FA)
    those who complain will accept instruction.”^(FB)

Woe to the Obstinate Nation

30 “Woe^(FC) to the obstinate children,”^(FD)
    declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
    forming an alliance,^(FE) but not by my Spirit,
    heaping sin upon sin;
²who go down to Egypt^(FF)
    without consulting^(FG) me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,^(FH)
    to Egypt’s shade for refuge.^(FI)
³But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
    Egypt’s shade^(FJ) will bring you disgrace.^(FK)
⁴Though they have officials in Zoan^(FL)
    and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
⁵everyone will be put to shame
    because of a people^(FM) useless^(FN) to them,
who bring neither help^(FO) nor advantage,
    but only shame and disgrace.^(FP)”

⁶A prophecy^(FQ) concerning the animals of the Negev:^(FR)

Through a land of hardship and distress,^(FS)
    of lions^(FT) and lionesses,
    of adders and darting snakes,^(FU)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’^(FV) backs,
    their treasures^(FW) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
⁷    to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.^(FX)
Therefore I call her
    Rahab^(FY) the Do-Nothing.

⁸Go now, write it on a tablet^(FZ) for them,
    inscribe it on a scroll,^(GA)
that for the days to come
    it may be an everlasting witness.^(GB)
⁹For these are rebellious^(GC) people, deceitful^(GD) children,
    children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.^(GE)
¹⁰They say to the seers,^(GF)
    “See no more visions^(GG)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,^(GH)
    prophesy illusions.^(GI)
¹¹Leave this way,^(GJ)
    get off this path,
and stop confronting^(GK) us
    with the Holy One^(GL) of Israel!”

¹²Therefore this is what the Holy One^(GM) of Israel says:

“Because you have rejected this message,^(GN)
    relied on oppression^(GO)
    and depended on deceit,
¹³this sin will become for you
    like a high wall,^(GP) cracked and bulging,
    that collapses^(GQ) suddenly,^(GR) in an instant.
¹⁴It will break in pieces like pottery,^(GS)
    shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
    for taking coals from a hearth
    or scooping water out of a cistern.”

¹⁵This is what the Sovereign^(GT) Lord, the Holy One^(GU) of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest^(GV) is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust^(GW) is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.^(GX)
¹⁶You said, ‘No, we will flee^(GY) on horses.’^(GZ)
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
¹⁷A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five^(HA)
    you will all flee^(HB) away,
till you are left^(HC)
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner^(HD) on a hill.”

¹⁸Yet the Lord longs^(HE) to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.^(HF)
For the Lord is a God of justice.^(HG)
Blessed are all who wait for him!^(HH)

¹⁹People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.^(HI) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!^(HJ) As soon as he hears, he will answer^(HK) you. ²⁰Although the Lord gives you the bread^(HL) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers^(HM) will be hidden^(HN) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. ²¹Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice^(HO) behind you, saying, “This is the way;^(HP) walk in it.” ²²Then you will desecrate your idols^(HQ) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;^(HR) you will throw them away like a menstrual^(HS) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!^(HT)”

²³He will also send you rain^(HU) for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich^(HV) and plentiful.^(HW) In that day^(HX) your cattle will graze in broad meadows.^(HY) ²⁴The oxen^(HZ) and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder^(IA) and mash, spread out with fork^(IB) and shovel. ²⁵In the day of great slaughter,^(IC) when the towers^(ID) fall, streams of water will flow^(IE) on every high mountain and every lofty hill. ²⁶The moon will shine like the sun,^(IF) and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals^(IG) the wounds he inflicted.

²⁷See, the Name^(IH) of the Lord comes from afar,
    with burning anger^(II) and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,^(IJ)
    and his tongue is a consuming fire.^(IK)
²⁸His breath^(IL) is like a rushing torrent,^(IM)
    rising up to the neck.^(IN)
He shakes the nations in the sieve^(IO) of destruction;
    he places in the jaws of the peoples
    a bit^(IP) that leads them astray.
²⁹And you will sing
    as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;^(IQ)
your hearts will rejoice^(IR)
    as when people playing pipes^(IS) go up
to the mountain^(IT) of the Lord,
    to the Rock^(IU) of Israel.
³⁰The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice^(IV)
    and will make them see his arm^(IW) coming down
with raging anger^(IX) and consuming fire,^(IY)
    with cloudburst, thunderstorm^(IZ) and hail.^(JA)
³¹The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;^(JB)
    with his rod he will strike^(JC) them down.
³²Every stroke the Lord lays on them
    with his punishing club^(JD)
will be to the music of timbrels^(JE) and harps,
    as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.^(JF)
³³Topheth^(JG) has long been prepared;
    it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
    with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath^(JH) of the Lord,
    like a stream of burning sulfur,^(JI)
    sets it ablaze.^(JJ)

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

31 Woe^(JK) to those who go down to Egypt^(JL) for help,
    who rely on horses,^(JM)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots^(JN)
    and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One^(JO) of Israel,
    or seek help from the Lord.^(JP)
²Yet he too is wise^(JQ) and can bring disaster;^(JR)
    he does not take back his words.^(JS)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,^(JT)
    against those who help evildoers.
³But the Egyptians^(JU) are mere mortals and not God;^(JV)
    their horses^(JW) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,^(JX)
    those who help will stumble,
    those who are helped^(JY) will fall;
    all will perish together.^(JZ)

⁴This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion^(KA) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds^(KB)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor^(KC)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down^(KD)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
⁵Like birds hovering^(KE) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield^(KF) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver^(KG) it,
    he will ‘pass over’^(KH) it and will rescue it.”

⁶Return,^(KI) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted^(KJ) against. ⁷For in that day^(KK) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold^(KL) your sinful hands have made.^(KM)

⁸“Assyria^(KN) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour^(KO) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.^(KP)
⁹Their stronghold^(KQ) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard^(KR) their commanders will panic,^(KS)”
declares the Lord,
    whose fire^(KT) is in Zion,
    whose furnace^(KU) is in Jerusalem.

Footnotes

Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods
Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Isaiah 29:2 The Hebrew for altar hearth sounds like the Hebrew for Ariel.
Isaiah 29:13 Hebrew; Septuagint They worship me in vain; / their teachings are merely human rules