Isaiah 28:7-13
Expanded Bible
7 But now those leaders ·are drunk [reel] with wine;
they ·stumble [stagger] from drinking too much ·beer [T strong drink; C alcoholic beverage made from grain].
The priests and prophets ·are drunk [stagger] with ·beer [T strong drink]
and are ·filled with [swallowed by; or confused because of] wine.
They stumble from too much ·beer [T strong drink].
·The prophets [L They] ·are drunk [stagger] when they see their visions;
·the judges [they] stumble ·when they make their decisions [in judgment].
8 Every table is covered with vomit,
so there is not a clean place anywhere.
9 ·The Lord is trying to teach the people a lesson [L Who is he teaching knowledge?];
·he is trying to make them understand his teachings [L To whom is he explaining the message?].
·But the people are like babies too old for breast milk [Those weaned from milk?],
·like those who no longer nurse at their mother’s breast [Those taken from the breast?].
10 So ·they make fun of the Lord’s prophet and say [or the Lord must repeat himself again and again; L For it is]:
“·A command here, a command there [T Precept upon precept, precept upon precept].
·A rule here, a rule there [T Line upon line, line upon line; C Hebrew: tsav latsav tsav latsav / kav lakav kav lakav; it may be the people mocking the words of the prophets as nonsense; or it may refer to God repeating himself because the people will not listen].
A little lesson here, a little lesson there [L A little there, a little there].”
11 So the Lord will use ·strange words [mocking/stammering lips] and foreign ·languages [tongues]
to speak to these people.
12 God said to them,
“Here is a place of rest;
let the ·tired people [weary] come and rest.
This is the place of peace.”
But the people would not listen.
13 So the words of the Lord will be,
“·A command here, a command there [T Precept upon precept, precept upon precept].
·A rule here, a rule there [T Line upon line, line upon line].
·A little lesson here, a little lesson there [L A little there, a little there; C see v. 10; God now uses the same words to mimic the foreign language of the Assyrian invaders].”
They will fall back and be ·defeated [broken];
they will be ·trapped and captured [snared and taken].
Isaiah 28:7-13
New American Standard Bible
7 And these also (A)reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:
(B)The priest and (C)the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from (D)intoxicating drink;
They reel while [a]having (E)visions,
They stagger when rendering a verdict.
8 For all the tables are full of filthy (F)vomit, without a single clean place.
9 “To (G)whom would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just (H)weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 For He says,
‘[b](I)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 (J)stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 He who said to them, “This is the (K)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,
“[c]Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and (L)stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
Footnotes
- 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.
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
