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And these also stagger because of wine
    and stagger because of strong drink;
priest and prophet stagger because of strong drink;
    they are confused[a] because of wine.
They stagger because of strong drink;
    they err in vision.
They stagger in the rendering of a decision,
    for all the tables are full of disgusting vomit, with no place left.[b]
To whom will he teach knowledge,
    and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from milk,
    those taken from the breast?
10 For it is blah-blah upon blah-blah,
    blah-blah upon blah-blah,
gah-gah upon gah-gah,
    gah-gah upon gah-gah,[c]
a little here, a little there.

11 For he will speak with stammering[d] and another tongue to this people, 12 to whom he has said,

“This is rest; give rest to the weary;
    and this is repose”; yet[e] they were not willing to hear.

13 And to them the word of Yahweh will be

blah-blah upon blah-blah
    blah-blah upon blah-blah
gah-gah upon gah-gah
    gah-gah upon gah-gah,[f]
a little here, a little there,
so that they may go and stumble backward
    and be broken and ensnared and captured.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:7 Or “swallowed”
  2. Isaiah 28:8 Literally “without a place”
  3. Isaiah 28:10 In this context, the Hebrew expressions tsaw-tsaw and qaw-qaw are likely meant to sound like baby talk, but they could mean “command upon command” and “rule upon rule”
  4. Isaiah 28:11 Literally “stammer of lip”
  5. Isaiah 28:12 Or “and”
  6. Isaiah 28:13 In this context, the Hebrew expressions tsaw-tsaw and qaw-qaw are likely meant to sound like baby talk, but they could mean “command upon command” and “rule upon rule”

And these also stagger(A) from wine(B)
    and reel(C) from beer:
Priests(D) and prophets(E) stagger from beer
    and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
    they stagger when seeing visions,(F)
    they stumble when rendering decisions.
All the tables are covered with vomit(G)
    and there is not a spot without filth.

“Who is it he is trying to teach?(H)
    To whom is he explaining his message?(I)
To children weaned(J) from their milk,(K)
    to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that[a];
    a little here, a little there.(L)

11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues(M)
    God will speak to this people,(N)
12 to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;(O)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
    but they would not listen.
13 So 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 there(P)
so that as they go they will fall backward;
    they will be injured(Q) and snared and captured.(R)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13