Isaiah 28

Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah

28Woe^f to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s^g drunkards,

to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,

set on the head of a fertile valley^h—

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

²See, the Lord has one who is powerful^j and strong.

Like a hailstorm^k and a destructive wind,^l

like a driving rain and a flooding^m downpour,

he will throw it forcefully to the ground.

³That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’sⁿ drunkards,

will be trampled^o underfoot.

⁴That fading flower, his glorious beauty,

set on the head of a fertile valley,^p

will be like figs^q ripe before harvest—

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

they swallow them.

⁵In that day^r the Lord Almighty

will be a glorious^s crown,^t

a beautiful wreath

for the remnant^u of his people.

⁶He will be a spirit of justice^v

to the one who sits in judgment,^w

a source of strength

to those who turn back the battle^x at the gate.

⁷And these also stagger^y from wine^z

and reel^a from beer:

Priests^b and prophets^c stagger from beer

and are befuddled with wine;

they reel from beer,

they stagger when seeing visions,^d

they stumble when rendering decisions.

⁸All the tables are covered with vomit^e

and there is not a spot without filth.

⁹“Who is it he is trying to teach?^f

To whom is he explaining his message?^g

To children weaned^h from their milk,ⁱ

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.^j”

¹¹Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues^k

God will speak to this people,^l

¹²to whom he said,

“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;^m

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 thereⁿ—

so that as they go they will fall backward;

they will be injured^o and snared and captured.^p

¹⁴Therefore hear the word of the Lord,^q you scoffers^r

who rule this people in Jerusalem.

¹⁵You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,^s

with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.

When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^t

it cannot touch us,

for we have made a lie^u our refuge

and falsehood^b our hiding place.^v”

¹⁶So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,^w a tested stone,^x

a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;^y

the one who relies on it

will never be stricken with panic.^z

¹⁷I will make justice^a the measuring line

and righteousness the plumb line;^b

hail^c will sweep away your refuge, the lie,

and water will overflow^d your hiding place.

¹⁸Your covenant with death will be annulled;

your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.^e

When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^f

you will be beaten down^g by it.

¹⁹As often as it comes it will carry you away;^h

morning after morning,ⁱ by day and by night,

it will sweep through.”

The understanding of this message

will bring sheer terror.^j

²⁰The bed is too short to stretch out on,

the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.^k

²¹The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,^l

he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon^m—

to do his work,ⁿ his strange work,

and perform his task, his alien task.

²²Now stop your mocking,^o

or your chains will become heavier;

the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me

of the destruction decreed^p against the whole land.^q

²³Listen^r and hear my voice;

pay attention and hear what I say.

²⁴When a farmer plows for planting,^s 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?^t

Does he not plant wheat in its place,^c

barley^u in its plot,^d

and spelt^v in its field?

²⁶His God instructs him

and teaches^w him the right way.

²⁷Caraway is not threshed^x with a sledge,^y

nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;

caraway is beaten out with a rod,^z

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^a 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,^b

whose wisdom is magnificent.^c