Isaiah 28:1–8

The Lord Will Judge Israel

28How terrible it will be for the city of Samaria!

It sits on a hill like a crown of flowers.

The leaders of Ephraim are drunk.

They take pride in their city.

It sits above a valley that has rich soil.

How terrible it will be for the glorious beauty of that fading flower!

²The Lord will bring the strong and powerful king of Assyria against Samaria.

The Lord will throw that city down to the ground with great force.

It will be like a hailstorm.

It will be like a wind that destroys everything.

It will be like a driving rain and a flooding storm.

³That city is like a crown.

The leaders of Ephraim are drunk.

They take pride in their city.

But its enemies will walk all over it.

⁴It sits on a hill above a rich valley.

It’s like a crown of flowers whose glorious beauty is fading away.

But it will become like a fig that is ripe before harvest.

As soon as someone sees it,

he picks it and swallows it.

⁵At that time the Lord who rules over all

will be like a glorious crown.

He will be like a beautiful wreath

for those of his people who will be left alive.

⁶He will help those

who are fair when they judge.

He will give strength to those

who turn back their enemies at the city gate.

⁷Israel’s leaders are drunk from wine.

They can’t walk straight.

They are drunk from beer.

They are unsteady on their feet.

Priests and prophets drink beer.

They can’t walk straight.

They are mixed up from drinking too much wine.

They drink too much beer.

They are unsteady on their feet.

The prophets see visions but don’t really understand them.

The priests aren’t able to make good decisions.

⁸They throw up. All of the tables are covered

with the mess they’ve made.

There isn’t one spot on the tables

that isn’t smelly and dirty.