23 Give ear, and hear my voice;
    give attention, and hear my speech.
24 Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
    Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
25 (A)When he has leveled its surface,
    does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
and put in wheat in rows
    and barley in its proper place,
    and emmer[a] as the border?
26 (B)For he is rightly instructed;
    his God teaches him.

27 Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
    nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
    and cumin with a rod.
28 Does one crush grain for bread?
    No, he does not thresh it forever;[b]
when he drives his cart wheel over it
    with his horses, he does not crush it.
29 This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
    he is (C)wonderful in counsel
    and excellent in wisdom.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:25 A type of wheat
  2. Isaiah 28:28 Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever

Plowing and threshing

23 Listen and hear my voice;
    pay attention and hear my word:
24 Does the plowman plow without stopping for planting,
    opening and harrowing their ground?
25 When he has smoothed its surface,
    doesn’t he scatter fennel,[a] and sow cumin,
    and plant wheat and barley in their places,
    and spelt as a border?
26 They are properly ordered;
    their God directs them.[b]
27 Fennel[c] isn’t threshed with a threshing sledge,
    nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
    but fennel[d] is beaten with a staff,
    and cumin with a rod.
28 Bread grain is crushed,
    but the thresher[e] doesn’t thresh it forever.
    He drives the cart wheel over it;
        he spreads it out but doesn’t crush it.
29 This also comes from the Lord of heavenly forces,
    who gives wondrous counsel and increases wisdom.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:25 Or black cumin
  2. Isaiah 28:26 Or waters them
  3. Isaiah 28:27 Or black cumin
  4. Isaiah 28:27 Or black cumin
  5. Isaiah 28:28 DSS (1QIsaa)

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

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

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.