Isaiah 28

¹Woe to the crown of arrogance, to the inebriated of Ephraim, and to the falling flower, the glory of his exultation, to those who were at the top of the very fat valley, staggering from wine.

²Behold, the Lord is powerful and steadfast, like a storm of hail, like a crushing whirlwind, like the force of many waters, inundating, sent forth over a spacious land.

³The arrogant crown of the inebriated of Ephraim will be trampled underfoot.

⁴And the falling flower, the glory of his exultation, who is at the summit of the fat valley, will be like a premature fruit before the ripeness of autumn, which, when the onlooker beholds it, as soon he takes it in his hand, he will devour it.

⁵In that day, the Lord of hosts will be the crown of glory and the wreath of exultation for the remnant of his people.

⁶And he will be the spirit of judgment for those who sit in judgment, and the strength of those who return from war to the gates.

⁷Yet truly, these also have been ignorant due to wine, and they have gone astray due to inebriation. The priest and the prophet have been ignorant because of inebriation. They have been absorbed by wine. They have staggered in drunkenness. They have not known the One who sees. They have been ignorant of judgment.

⁸For all the tables have been filled with vomit and filth, so much so that there was no place left.

⁹To whom will he teach knowledge? And to whom will he grant an understanding of what is heard? To those who have been weaned from the milk, who have been pulled away from the breasts.

¹⁰So then: command, and command again; command, and command again; expect, and expect again; a little here, and a little there.

¹¹For with the speech of lips and with a different language, he will speak to this people.

¹²He said to them: “This is my rest. Refresh the weary,” and, “This is my refreshment.” And yet they were unwilling to listen.

¹³And so, the word of the Lord to them will be: “Command, and command again; command, and command again; expect, and expect again; a little here, and a little there,” so that they may go forward and fall backward, and so that they may be broken and ensnared and captured.

¹⁴Because of this, listen to the word of the Lord, you mocking men, who lord it over my people who are at Jerusalem.

¹⁵For you have said: “We struck a deal with death, and we formed a pact with Hell. When the inundating scourge passes through, it will not overwhelm us. For we have placed our hope in lies, and we are protected by what is false.”

¹⁶For this reason, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will set a stone within the foundations of Zion, a tested stone, a cornerstone, a precious stone, which has been established in the foundation: whoever trusts in him need not hurry.

¹⁷And I will establish judgment in weights, and justice in measures. And a hailstorm will overturn hope in what is false; and waters will inundate its protection.

¹⁸And your deal with death will be abolished, and your pact with Hell will not stand. When the inundating scourge passes through, you will be trampled down by it.

¹⁹Whenever it passes through, it will take you away. For, at first light of morning, it will pass through, in the day and in the night, and vexation alone will make you understand what you hear.

²⁰For the bed has been narrowed, so much so that one alone would fall out, and the short blanket is not able to cover two.

²¹For the Lord will stand, just as at the mountain of divisions. He will be angry, just as in the valley which is in Gibeon, so that he may accomplish his work, his strange work, so that he may complete his work, his work which is foreign even to him.

²²And now, do not be willing to mock, lest your chains be tightened. For I have heard, from the Lord, the God of hosts, about the consummation and the abridgement concerning the entire earth.

²³Pay close attention, and listen to my voice! Attend and hear my eloquence!

²⁴Would the plowman, after plowing all day so that he may sow, instead cut open and hoe his soil?

²⁵Will he not, when he has made the surface level, sow coriander, and scatter cumin, and plant wheat in rows, and barley, and millet, and vetch in their places?

²⁶For he will be instructed in judgment; his God will teach him.

²⁷For coriander cannot be threshed with a saw, and a cartwheel cannot revolve over cumin. Instead, coriander is shaken out with a stick, and cumin with a staff.

²⁸But grain for bread must be crushed. Truly, the thresher cannot thresh it unceasingly, and the cartwheel can neither disrupt it, nor break it with its surface.

²⁹And this has gone forth from the Lord, the God of hosts, so that he may accomplish his miraculous plan and magnify justice.

Isaiah 28

¹Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower the glory his joy, who were on the head of the fat valley, staggering with wine.

²Behold the Lord is mighty and strong, as a storm of hail: a destroying whirlwind, as the violence of many waters overflowing, and sent forth upon a spacious land.

³The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under feet.

⁴And the fading tower the glory of his joy, who is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as a hasty fruit before the ripeness of autumn: which when he that seeth it shall behold, as soon he taketh it in his hand, he will eat it up.

⁵In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of joy to the residue of his people:

⁶And a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them that return out of the battle to the gate.

⁷But these also have been ignorant through wine, and through drunkenness have erred: the priest and the prophet have been ignorant through drunkenness, they are swallowed up with wine, they have gone astray in drunkenness, they have not known him that seeth, they have been ignorant of judgment.

⁸For all the tables were full of vomit and filth, so that there was no more place.

⁹Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand the hearing? them that are weaned from the milk, that are drawn away from the breasts.

¹⁰For command, command again; command, command again; expect, expect again; a little there, a little there.

¹¹For with the speech of lips, and with another tongue he will speak to this people.

¹²To whom he said: This is my rest, refresh the weary, and this is my refreshing: and they would not hear.

¹³And the word of the Lord shall be to them: Command, command again; command, command again; expect, expect again; a little there, a little there: that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

¹⁴Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, who rule over my people that is in Jerusalem.

¹⁵For you have said: We have entered into a league with death, and we have made a covenant with hell. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come upon us: for we have placed our hope in lies, and by falsehood we are protected.

¹⁶Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will lay a stone in the foundations of Sion, a tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation. He that believeth, let him not hasten.

¹⁷And I will set judgment in weight, and justice in measure: and hail shall overturn the hope of falsehood: and waters shall overflow its protection.

¹⁸And your league with death shall be abolished, and your covenant with hell shall not stand: when the overflowing scourge shall pass, you shall be trodden down by it.

¹⁹Whensoever it shall pass through, it shall take you away: because in the morning early it shall pass through, in the day and in the night, and vexation alone shall make you understand what you hear.

²⁰For the bed is straitened, so that one must fall out, and a short covering cannot cover both.

²¹For the Lord shall stand up as in the mountain of divisions: he shall be angry as in the valley which is in Gabaon: that he may do his work, his strange work: that he may perform his work, his work is strange to him.

²²And now do not mock, lest your bonds be tied strait. For I have heard of the Lord the God of hosts a consumption and a cutting short upon all the earth.

²³Give ear, and hear my voice, hearken, and hear my speech.

²⁴Shall the ploughman plough all the day to sow, shall he open and harrow his ground?

²⁵Will he not, when he hath made plain the surface thereof, sow gith, and scatter cummin, and put wheat in order, and barley, and millet, and vetches in their bounds?

²⁶For he will instruct him in judgment: his God will teach him.

²⁷For gith shall not be thrashed with saws, neither shall the cart wheel turn about upon cummin: but gith shall be beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a staff.

²⁸But breadcorn shall be broken small: but the thrasher shall not thrash it for ever, neither shall the cart wheel hurt it, nor break it with its teeth.

²⁹This also is come forth from the Lord God of hosts, to make his counsel wonderful, and magnify justice.