Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 28:1–4

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The Lord Will Judge Samaria

28:1The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed,1

the withering flower, its beautiful splendor,2

situated3 at the head of a rich valley,

the crown of those overcome with wine.4

28:2Look, the sovereign master5 sends a strong, powerful one.6

With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm,7

with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm,8

he will knock that crown9 to the ground with his hand.10

28:3The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards

will be trampled underfoot.

28:4The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

will be like an early fig before harvest—

as soon as someone notices it,

he grabs it and swallows it.11

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.
  2. 2 Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.
  3. 3 Heb “which [is].”
  4. 4 Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.
  5. 5 The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
  6. 6 Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”
  7. 7 Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”
  8. 8 Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”
  9. 9 The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text.
  10. 10 Or “by [his] power.”
  11. 11 Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,

and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!

Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;

like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,

like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,

he casts down to the earth with his hand.

The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim

will be trodden underfoot;

and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

which is on the head of the rich valley,

will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer:

when someone sees it, he swallows it

as soon as it is in his hand.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,

to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,

set on the head of a fertile valley—

to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!

See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.

Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind,

like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,

he will throw it forcefully to the ground.

That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,

will be trampled underfoot.

That fading flower, his glorious beauty,

set on the head of a fertile valley,

will be like figs ripe before harvest—

as soon as people see them and take them in hand,

they swallow them.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards,

and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor,

which is on the summit above the rich valley.

Woe to those overcome with wine.

Look, the Lord has a strong and mighty one—

like a devastating hail storm,

like a storm with strong flooding water.

He will bring it across the land with his hand.

The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards

will be trampled underfoot.

The fading flower of his beautiful splendor,

which is on the summit above the rich valley,

will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest.

Whoever sees it will swallow it

while it is still in his hand.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria—

the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel.

It sits at the head of a fertile valley,

but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower.

It is the pride of a people

brought down by wine.

For the Lord will send a mighty army against it.

Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain,

they will burst upon it like a surging flood

and smash it to the ground.

The proud city of Samaria—

the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel—

will be trampled beneath its enemies’ feet.

It sits at the head of a fertile valley,

but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower.

Whoever sees it will snatch it up,

as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Ah! The garland of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim

and the withering flower of the glory of his beauty,

which is at the head of the rich valley,

ones overcome with wine!

Look! The Lord has a mighty and strong one,

like a rainstorm of hail, a wind storm of destruction,

like a rainstorm of mighty overflowing waters,

he will put them to the earth with his hand.

The garland of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim

will be trampled by feet,

and the withering flower of the glory of its beauty

which is at the head of the rich valley

will be like its early fig before summer,

which the one who sees it swallows while it is still in his hand.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim,

Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower,

Which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one,

Which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm,

As a flood of mighty waters overflowing,

Shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,

Shall be trodden under feet:

And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower,

And as the hasty fruit before the summer;

Which when he that looketh upon it seeth,

While it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

Public Domain