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23 Give ear, and hear my voice! Listen, and hear my speech! 24 Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods? 25 When he has leveled its surface, doesn’t he plant the dill, and scatter the cumin seed, and put in the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place? 26 For his God instructs him in right judgment and teaches him. 27 For the dill are not threshed with a sharp instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned over the cumin; but the dill is beaten out with a stick, and the cumin with a rod. 28 Bread flour must be ground; so he will not always be threshing it. Although he drives the wheel of his threshing cart over it, his horses don’t grind it. 29 This also comes out from Yahweh of Armies, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.

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The God who Plows and Harvests

23 “Pay attention!
    Listen to what I have to say;
Pay attention,
    and hear my speech.
24 Does he who plows for sowing plow all the time?
    Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing his field?
25 When he has leveled its surface,
    he scatters caraway[a] and sows cumin, doesn’t he?
He plants wheat in rows,
    barley in its designated place,
and feed for livestock[b] around its borders,[c] doesn’t he?
26 His God instructs him regarding the correct way,
    directing him how to plant.[d]

27 For caraway is not threshed with a sharp sledge,
    nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin.
Instead, caraway is winnowed with a stick,
    and cumin with a rod.
28 It[e] must be ground;[f]
    one cannot keep threshing it forever.
Even if he drives his cart[g] and horses over it,
    he cannot crush it.
29 This insight also comes from the Lord of the Heavenly Armies,
    who is distinguished[h] in practical advice
        and[i] magnificent in sound wisdom.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:25 Or scatters black cumin
  2. Isaiah 28:25 Lit. and spelt; i.e. a grass grown and used as fodder
  3. Isaiah 28:25 So 1QIsaa; MT reads its border; LXX reads your borders
  4. Isaiah 28:26 DSS MT lack how to plant
  5. Isaiah 28:28 I.e. grain; so 1QIsaa MT; 4QIsak reads And it
  6. Isaiah 28:28 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsak MT read must be ground for bread
  7. Isaiah 28:28 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsaa corrector MT read the wheel of his cart
  8. Isaiah 28:29 So 1QIsaa; MT reads wonderful
  9. Isaiah 28:29 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and