Isaiah 28:5-19

English Standard Version

⁵^(A)In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,^[a]
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
⁶and ^(B)a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and ^(C)strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

⁷^(D)These also reel with wine
    and ^(E)stagger with strong drink;
the priest and ^(F)the prophet reel with strong drink,
    they are swallowed by^[b] wine,
    they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
    they stumble in giving judgment.
⁸For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
    with no space left.

⁹^(G)“To whom will he teach knowledge,
    and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
    those taken from the breast?
¹⁰For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little.”

¹¹^(H)For by people of strange lips
    and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
¹²    to whom he has said,
^(I)“This is rest;
    give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
    yet they would not hear.
¹³And the word of the Lord will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little,
^(J)that they may go, and fall backward,
    and be broken, and snared, and taken.

A Cornerstone in Zion

¹⁴Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you ^(K)scoffers,
    who rule this people in Jerusalem!
¹⁵Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
    and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the ^(L)overwhelming whip passes through
    it will not come to us,
for we have made ^(M)lies our refuge,
    and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
¹⁶therefore thus says the Lord God,
^(N)“Behold, I am the one who has laid^[c] as a foundation ^(O)in Zion,
    a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
    ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
¹⁷And I will make justice ^(P)the line,
    and righteousness ^(Q)the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
    and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
¹⁸Then ^(R)your covenant with death will be annulled,
    and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
    you will be beaten down by it.
¹⁹As often as it passes through it will take you;
    ^(S)for morning by morning it will pass through,
    by day and by night;
and it will be ^(T)sheer terror to understand the message.