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.

Read full chapter

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.

Read full chapter

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)