Isaiah 28
New American Standard Bible
Ephraim’s Captivity Predicted
28 Woe to the proud crown of the (A)habitually drunk of (B)Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [a]fertile valley
Of those who are [b]overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and (C)mighty agent;
As a storm of (D)hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of (E)mighty overflowing waters,
He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.
3 The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is (F)trampled underfoot.
4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [c]fertile valley,
Will be like the (G)first-ripe fig prior to the summer,
Which [d]one sees,
And [e]as soon as it is in his [f]hand,
He swallows it.
5 On that day the (H)Lord of armies will become a beautiful (I)crown
And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;
6 A (J)spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A (K)strength to those who repel the [g]onslaught at the gate.
7 And these also (L)reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:
(M)The priest and (N)the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from (O)intoxicating drink;
They reel while [h]having (P)visions,
They stagger when rendering a verdict.
8 For all the tables are full of filthy (Q)vomit, without a single clean place.
9 “To (R)whom would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just (S)weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 For He says,
‘[i](T)Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.’”
11 Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through (U)stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 He who said to them, “This is the (V)place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”
And, “This is the resting place,” but they would not listen.
13 So the word of the Lord to them will be,
“[j]Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and (W)stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
Judah Is Warned
14 Therefore, (X)hear the word of the Lord, you (Y)scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, “We have made a (Z)covenant with death,
And with [k]Sheol we have made a [l]pact.
(AA)The [m]gushing flood will not reach us when it passes by,
Because we have made (AB)falsehood our refuge and we have (AC)concealed ourselves with deception.”
16 Therefore this is what the Lord [n]God says:
“(AD)Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested (AE)stone,
A precious cornerstone for the foundation, [o]firmly placed.
The one who believes in it will not be [p]disturbed.
17 I will make (AF)justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then (AG)hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
18 Your (AH)covenant with death will be [q](AI)canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the [r](AJ)gushing flood passes through,
Then you will become its (AK)trampling ground.
19 As (AL)often as it passes through, it will [s]seize you;
For (AM)morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be [t]sheer (AN)terror to understand [u]what it means.”
20 The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the (AO)blanket is too [v]small to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up as at Mount (AP)Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the Valley of (AQ)Gibeon,
To do His (AR)task, His [w](AS)unusual task,
And to work His work, His [x]extraordinary work.
22 And now do not carry on as (AT)scoffers,
Or your shackles will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord [y]God of armies
Of decisive (AU)destruction on all the earth.
23 Listen and hear my voice,
Pay attention and hear my words.
24 Does the [z]farmer plow [aa]continually to plant seed?
Does he continually [ab]turn and break up his ground?
25 Does he not level its surface
And sow dill and scatter (AV)cumin
And [ac]plant (AW)wheat in rows,
Barley in its place and rye within its [ad]area?
26 For his God instructs and teaches him properly.
27 For dill is not threshed with a (AX)threshing sledge,
Nor is the cartwheel [ae]driven over cumin;
But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.
28 Grain for bread is crushed,
Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually [af]damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.
29 This also comes from the Lord of armies,
Who has made His counsel (AY)wonderful and His wisdom (AZ)great.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 28:1 Lit valley of fatness
- Isaiah 28:1 Lit stricken
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit valley of fatness
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit the one seeing sees
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit while it is yet
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit palm
- Isaiah 28:6 Lit battle
- Isaiah 28:7 Lit seeing
- Isaiah 28:10 Heb Sav lasav, sav lasav, Kav lakav, kav lakav, Zeer sham, zeer sham. These Hebrew fragments, imitating the babbling of a child, mock the prophet’s preaching.
- Isaiah 28:13 See note v 10. The Lord responds to their scoffing by imitating their mockery, to represent the unintelligible language of a conqueror.
- Isaiah 28:15 I.e., the netherworld
- Isaiah 28:15 As in some ancient versions; MT seer
- Isaiah 28:15 Or overwhelming scourge
- Isaiah 28:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 28:16 Lit well-laid
- Isaiah 28:16 Lit in a hurry
- Isaiah 28:18 Lit covered over
- Isaiah 28:18 Or overwhelming scourge
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit take
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit only
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit the report; or the message
- Isaiah 28:20 Lit narrow
- Isaiah 28:21 Lit task is strange
- Isaiah 28:21 Lit work is foreign
- Isaiah 28:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit plowman
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit all day
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit open
- Isaiah 28:25 Lit put
- Isaiah 28:25 Lit region
- Isaiah 28:27 Lit rolled
- Isaiah 28:28 Lit discomfit
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
以赛亚书 28
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)
先知警戒以法莲
28 祸哉，以法莲的酒徒！住在肥美谷的山上，他们心里高傲，以所夸的为冠冕，犹如将残之花。 2 看哪，主有一大能大力者，像一阵冰雹，像毁灭的暴风，像涨溢的大水，他必用手将冠冕摔落于地。 3 以法莲高傲的酒徒，他的冠冕必被踏在脚下。 4 那荣美将残之花，就是在肥美谷山上的，必像夏令以前初熟的无花果，看见这果的就注意，一到手中就吞吃了。
耶和华为其民之华冕
5 到那日，万军之耶和华必做他余剩之民的荣冠华冕， 6 也做了在位上行审判者公平之灵，并城门口打退仇敌者的力量。 7 就是这地的人，也因酒摇摇晃晃，因浓酒东倒西歪。祭司和先知因浓酒摇摇晃晃，被酒所困，因浓酒东倒西歪。他们错解默示，谬行审判。 8 因为各席上满了呕吐的污秽，无一处干净。
9 讥诮先知的说：“他要将知识指教谁呢？要使谁明白传言呢？是那刚断奶离怀的吗？ 10 他竟命上加命，令上加令，律上加律，例上加例，这里一点，那里一点！”
11 先知说：“不然！主要借异邦人的嘴唇和外邦人的舌头对这百姓说话。” 12 他曾对他们说：“你们要使疲乏人得安息，这样才得安息，才得舒畅。”他们却不肯听。 13 所以耶和华向他们说的话是“命上加命，令上加令，律上加律，例上加例，这里一点，那里一点”，以致他们前行仰面跌倒，而且跌碎，并陷入网罗，被缠住。
置宝贵隅石于锡安
14 所以你们这些亵慢的人，就是辖管住在耶路撒冷这百姓的，要听耶和华的话！ 15 你们曾说：“我们与死亡立约，与阴间结盟。敌军[a]如水涨漫经过的时候，必不临到我们。因我们以谎言为避所，在虚假以下藏身。” 16 所以主耶和华如此说：“看哪，我在锡安放一块石头作为根基，是试验过的石头，是稳固根基，宝贵的房角石，信靠的人必不着急。 17 我必以公平为准绳，以公义为线砣，冰雹必冲去谎言的避所，大水必漫过藏身之处。 18 你们与死亡所立的约必然废掉，与阴间所结的盟必立不住。敌军如水涨漫经过的时候，你们必被他践踏。 19 每逢经过，必将你们掳去，因为每早晨他必经过，白昼黑夜都必如此。”明白传言的，必受惊恐。 20 原来床榻短，使人不能舒身；被窝窄，使人不能遮体。 21 耶和华必兴起像在毗拉心山，他必发怒像在基遍谷，好做成他的工，就是非常的工，成就他的事，就是奇异的事。
戒民亵慢
22 现在你们不可亵慢，恐怕捆你们的绑索更结实了。因为我从主万军之耶和华那里听见，已经决定在全地上施行灭绝的事。
23 你们当侧耳听我的声音，留心听我的言语。 24 那耕地为要撒种的，岂是常常耕地呢？岂是常常开垦耙地呢？ 25 他拉平了地面，岂不就撒种小茴香，播种大茴香，按行列种小麦，在定处种大麦，在田边种粗麦呢？ 26 因为他的神教导他务农相宜，并且指教他。 27 原来打小茴香不用尖利的器具，轧大茴香也不用碌碡[b]；但用杖打小茴香，用棍打大茴香。 28 做饼的粮食是用磨磨碎，因他不必常打；虽用碌碡和马打散，却不磨它。 29 这也是出于万军之耶和华，他的谋略奇妙，他的智慧广大。
Footnotes
- 以赛亚书 28:15 原文作：鞭子。
- 以赛亚书 28:27 原文作：车轮。下同。
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