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Isaiah 28
Modern English Version
Isaiah 28
Modern English Version
Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
28 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
whose glorious beauty is a fading flower
which is at the head of the fertile valley
of those who are overcome with wine!
2 See, the Lord has a mighty and strong one,
as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm,
as a flood of mighty overflowing waters,
He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.
3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
is trodden under foot;
4 and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is at the head of the fertile valley,
shall be like a first-ripe fig before the summer,
which when one sees, while it is yet in his hand,
he eats it up.
5 In that day the Lord of Hosts
shall become a crown of glory
and a diadem of beauty
to the remnant of His people,
6 a spirit of justice
for him who sits in judgment,
and strength
to those who turn away the battle at the gate.
7 But they also have erred through wine
and stagger from strong drink;
the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink,
they are confused by wine,
they stagger from strong drink;
they err while having visions,
they stumble when rendering judgment.
8 For all the tables are full of vomit
and filthiness so that there is no clean place.
9 “To whom shall He teach knowledge,
and to whom shall He interpret the message?
Those just weaned from the milk
and drawn from the breasts?
10 For He says,
‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.’ ”
11 For with stammering lips and foreign tongue
He will speak to this people,
12 He who said to them,
“This is the rest. Give rest to the weary,”
and, “This is repose,”
yet they would not listen.
13 So 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,”
that they might go and fall backward,
be broken, snared, and taken captive.
14 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, O scoffers,
who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with hell we are in agreement.
The overflowing scourge shall not come to us
when it passes through,
for we have made lies our refuge
and under falsehood we have hid ourselves.”
A Cornerstone in Zion
16 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
See, I lay in Zion a stone,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, firmly placed;
he who believes shall not act hastily.
17 I shall make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plummet;
then the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies
and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death shall be annulled,
and your agreement with hell shall not stand;
when the overflowing scourge passes through,
then you shall be trodden down by it.
19 As often as it passes through, it shall seize you;
for morning by morning it shall pass through,
anytime by day or night.
It shall be terror only
to understand the report.
20 The bed is too short to stretch out,
and the covering is too small to wrap oneself in it.
21 For the Lord shall rise up as at Mount Perazim,
He shall be wrathful as in the Valley of Gibeon
to do His work, His unusual work,
and bring to pass His task, His exceptional task.
22 Now therefore, do not continue as mockers,
lest your bonds be made stronger;
for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts
of determined destruction upon the whole earth.
23 Give ear and hear my voice;
listen and hear my speech.
24 Does the plowman plow all day to sow?
Does he continually turn and break the clods of his ground?
25 Does he not level its surface
and sow dill and scatter the cumin
and plant wheat in rows,
barley in its place
and the rye within its area?
26 For his God instructs
and teaches him appropriately.
27 For the dill is not threshed with a threshing instrument,
nor is a cartwheel driven over the cumin;
but the dill is beaten out with a staff,
and the cumin with a rod.
28 Grain for bread is crushed;
so he does not continue to thresh it forever,
nor break it with the wheel of his cart,
nor crush it with his horsemen.
29 This also comes from the Lord of Hosts,
who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
Isaiah 28
English Standard Version
Isaiah 28
English Standard Version
Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem
28 Ah, the proud crown of (A)the drunkards of Ephraim,
and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has (B)one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like (C)a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he casts down to the earth with his hand.
3 (D)The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden underfoot;
4 (E)and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like (F)a first-ripe fig[a] before the summer:
when someone sees it, he swallows it
as soon as it is in his hand.
5 (G)In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,[b]
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6 and (H)a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and (I)strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 (J)These also reel with wine
and (K)stagger with strong drink;
the priest and (L)the prophet reel with strong drink,
they are swallowed by[c] wine,
they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
they stumble in giving judgment.
8 For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
with no space left.
9 (M)“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?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”
11 (N)For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
12 to whom he has said,
(O)“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13 And 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,
(P)that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.
A Cornerstone in Zion
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you (Q)scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the (R)overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made (S)lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
16 therefore thus says the Lord God,
(T)“Behold, I am the one who has laid[d] as a foundation (U)in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
17 And I will make justice (V)the line,
and righteousness (W)the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
18 Then (X)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.
19 As often as it passes through it will take you;
(Y)for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;
and it will be (Z)sheer terror to understand the message.
20 For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up (AA)as on Mount Perazim;
(AB)as in the Valley of (AC)Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
and to work his work—alien is his work!
22 Now therefore do not (AD)scoff,
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard (AE)a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.
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 (AF)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[e] as the border?
26 (AG)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;[f]
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 (AH)wonderful in counsel
and excellent in wisdom.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 28:4 Or fruit
- Isaiah 28:5 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
- Isaiah 28:7 Or confused by
- Isaiah 28:16 Dead Sea Scroll I am laying
- Isaiah 28:25 A type of wheat
- Isaiah 28:28 Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever
Isaia 28
Nuova Riveduta 2006
Isaia 28
Nuova Riveduta 2006
Profezia contro Efraim
28 (A)Guai alla superba corona[a] degli ubriachi di Efraim e al fiore che appassisce, splendido ornamento che sta sul capo della grassa valle degli storditi dal vino!
2 Ecco venire, da parte del Signore, un uomo forte[b], potente, come una tempesta di grandine, un uragano distruttore, come una piena di grandi acque che straripano; egli getta quella corona a terra con violenza.
3 La superba corona degli ubriachi di Efraim sarà calpestata;
4 il fiore che appassisce, lo splendido ornamento che sta sul capo della grassa valle, sarà come il fico primaticcio che precede l’estate: appena uno lo scorge, l’ha in mano e lo ingoia.
5 (B)In quel giorno il Signore degli eserciti sarà una splendida corona, un diadema d’onore al resto del suo popolo[c],
6 uno spirito di giustizia a colui che siede come giudice, la forza di quelli che respingono il nemico fino alle sue porte.
7 Ma anche questi barcollano per il vino e vacillano per le bevande inebrianti; sacerdote e profeta barcollano per le bevande inebrianti, affogano nel vino, vacillano per le bevande inebrianti, barcollano mentre hanno visioni, tentennano mentre fanno da giudici.
8 Tutte le tavole sono piene di vomito, di lordure, non c’è più posto pulito.
9 «A chi vuole dare insegnamenti? A chi vuole far capire la lezione? A dei bambini appena divezzati, staccati dalle mammelle?
10 Poiché è un continuo dar precetto dopo precetto, precetto dopo precetto, regola dopo regola, regola dopo regola, un poco qui, un poco là!»
11 Ebbene, sarà mediante labbra balbuzienti e mediante una lingua straniera che il Signore parlerà a questo popolo.
12 Egli aveva detto loro: «Ecco il riposo: lasciar riposare lo stanco; questo è il refrigerio!» Ma quelli non hanno voluto ascoltare[d].
13 La parola del Signore è stata per loro precetto dopo precetto, precetto dopo precetto, regola dopo regola, regola dopo regola, un poco qui, un poco là, affinché essi andassero a cadere a rovescio, fossero fiaccati, còlti al laccio e presi!
14 Ascoltate dunque la parola del Signore, o schernitori, che dominate questo popolo di Gerusalemme!
15 Voi dite: «Noi abbiamo fatto alleanza con la morte, abbiamo fatto un patto con il soggiorno dei morti; quando l’inondante flagello passerà, non giungerà fino a noi, perché abbiamo fatto della menzogna il nostro rifugio e ci siamo messi al sicuro dietro l’inganno».
16 Perciò così parla il Signore, Dio: «Ecco, io ho posto come fondamento in Sion una pietra, una pietra provata, una pietra angolare preziosa, un fondamento solido; chi confiderà in essa non avrà fretta di fuggire[e].
17 Io metterò il diritto per livella e la giustizia per piombino; la grandine spazzerà via il rifugio di menzogna e le acque inonderanno il vostro riparo.
18 La vostra alleanza con la morte sarà annullata e il vostro patto con il soggiorno dei morti non reggerà; quando l’inondante flagello passerà, voi sarete da esso calpestati.
19 Ogni volta che passerà, vi afferrerà; poiché passerà mattina dopo mattina, di giorno e di notte; e sarà spaventevole imparare una tale lezione!
20 Poiché il letto sarà troppo corto per distendervisi, e la coperta troppo stretta per avvolgervisi.
21 Poiché il Signore sorgerà come al monte Perazim, si adirerà come nella valle di Gabaon, per fare la sua opera, l’opera sua singolare, per compiere il suo lavoro, lavoro inaudito».
22 Ora non fate gli schernitori, affinché le vostre catene non abbiano a rafforzarsi! Poiché io ho udito, da parte del Signore, Dio degli eserciti, che è deciso uno sterminio completo di tutto il paese.
23 (C)Porgete orecchio e date ascolto alla mia voce! State attenti e ascoltate la mia parola!
24 L’agricoltore ara sempre per seminare? Rompe ed erpica sempre la sua terra?
25 Quando ne ha appianata la superficie, non vi semina l’aneto, non vi sparge il comino, non vi mette il frumento a solchi, l’orzo nel luogo designato e la spelta entro i limiti ad essa assegnati?
26 Il suo Dio gli insegna la regola da seguire e lo istruisce.
27 L’aneto non si trebbia con la trebbia, né si fa passare sul comino la ruota del carro; ma l’aneto si batte con il bastone e il comino con la verga.
28 Si trebbia il grano, tuttavia non lo si trebbia sempre; vi si fanno passare sopra la ruota del carro e i cavalli, ma non si schiaccia.
29 Anche questo procede dal Signore degli eserciti; meravigliosi sono i suoi disegni, grande è la sua saggezza.
Footnotes
- Isaia 28:1 Superba corona, cioè Samaria; città situata su un’altura e circondata da colline.
- Isaia 28:2 Un uomo forte, cioè il re d’Assiria, Salmaneser.
- Isaia 28:5 Resto del suo popolo, cioè Gerusalemme e il regno di Giuda.
- Isaia 28:12 +1 Co 14:21.
- Isaia 28:16 +Ro 9:33; 10:11; +1 P 2:6.
Isaiah 28
New International Version
Isaiah 28
New International Version
Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
28 Woe(A) to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(B) drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley(C)—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!(D)
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful(E) and strong.
Like a hailstorm(F) and a destructive wind,(G)
like a driving rain and a flooding(H) downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(I) drunkards,
will be trampled(J) underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,(K)
will be like figs(L) ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5 In that day(M) the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious(N) crown,(O)
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant(P) of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice(Q)
to the one who sits in judgment,(R)
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle(S) at the gate.
7 And these also stagger(T) from wine(U)
and reel(V) from beer:
Priests(W) and prophets(X) stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,(Y)
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit(Z)
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?(AA)
To whom is he explaining his message?(AB)
To children weaned(AC) from their milk,(AD)
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.(AE)”
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues(AF)
God will speak to this people,(AG)
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;(AH)
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(AI)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured(AJ) and snared and captured.(AK)
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord,(AL) you scoffers(AM)
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,(AN)
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(AO)
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie(AP) our refuge
and falsehood[b] our hiding place.(AQ)”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,(AR) a tested stone,(AS)
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;(AT)
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.(AU)
17 I will make justice(AV) the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;(AW)
hail(AX) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow(AY) your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.(AZ)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(BA)
you will be beaten down(BB) by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;(BC)
morning after morning,(BD) by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.(BE)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.(BF)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,(BG)
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon(BH)—
to do his work,(BI) his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,(BJ)
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed(BK) against the whole land.(BL)
23 Listen(BM) and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting,(BN) 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?(BO)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,[c]
barley(BP) in its plot,[d]
and spelt(BQ) in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches(BR) him the right way.
27 Caraway is not threshed(BS) with a sledge,(BT)
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,(BU)
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(BV) 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,(BW)
whose wisdom is magnificent.(BX)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
- Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods
- Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Nuova Riveduta 2006 (NR2006)
Copyright © 2006 Società Biblica di Ginevra
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.