Isaiah 28 - New International Version (NIV)

Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah

28 Woe(A) to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(B) drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley(C)—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!(D)
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful(E) and strong.
Like a hailstorm(F) and a destructive wind,(G)
like a driving rain and a flooding(H) downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(I) drunkards,
will be trampled(J) underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,(K)
will be like figs(L) ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.

5 In that day(M) the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious(N) crown,(O)
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant(P) of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice(Q)
to the one who sits in judgment,(R)
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle(S) at the gate.

7 And these also stagger(T) from wine(U)
and reel(V) from beer:
Priests(W) and prophets(X) stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,(Y)
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit(Z)
and there is not a spot without filth.

9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?(AA)
To whom is he explaining his message?(AB)
To children weaned(AC) from their milk,(AD)
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that[a];
a little here, a little there.(AE)”

11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues(AF)
God will speak to this people,(AG)
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;(AH)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there(AI)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured(AJ) and snared and captured.(AK)

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord,(AL) you scoffers(AM)
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,(AN)
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(AO)
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie(AP) our refuge
and falsehood[b] our hiding place.(AQ)”

16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,(AR) a tested stone,(AS)
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;(AT)
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.(AU)
17 I will make justice(AV) the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;(AW)
hail(AX) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow(AY) your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.(AZ)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(BA)
you will be beaten down(BB) by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;(BC)
morning after morning,(BD) by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”

The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.(BE)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.(BF)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,(BG)
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon(BH)—
to do his work,(BI) his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,(BJ)
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed(BK) against the whole land.(BL)

23 Listen(BM) and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting,(BN) does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?(BO)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,[c]
barley(BP) in its plot,[d]
and spelt(BQ) in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches(BR) him the right way.

27 Caraway is not threshed(BS) with a sledge,(BT)
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,(BU)
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart(BV) may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,(BW)
whose wisdom is magnificent.(BX)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
  2. Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods
  3. Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  4. Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Cross references

  1. Isaiah 28:1 : Isa 10:5; 29:1; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1
  2. Isaiah 28:1 : ver 3; Isa 7:2; 9:9
  3. Isaiah 28:1 : ver 4
  4. Isaiah 28:1 : S Lev 10:9; Isa 5:11; Hos 7:5; Am 6:6
  5. Isaiah 28:2 : Isa 40:10
  6. Isaiah 28:2 : S Jos 10:11
  7. Isaiah 28:2 : Isa 29:6
  8. Isaiah 28:2 : S Isa 8:7; S Da 9:26
  9. Isaiah 28:3 : S ver 1
  10. Isaiah 28:3 : S Job 40:12; S Isa 5:5
  11. Isaiah 28:4 : ver 1
  12. Isaiah 28:4 : S SS 2:13; Hos 9:10; Na 3:12
  13. Isaiah 28:5 : S Isa 10:20; S 27:1; 29:18; 30:23
  14. Isaiah 28:5 : S Isa 24:16, 23
  15. Isaiah 28:5 : Isa 62:3; Jer 13:18; Eze 16:12; 21:26; Zec 9:16
  16. Isaiah 28:5 : S Isa 1:9
  17. Isaiah 28:6 : S 2Sa 14:20; Isa 11:2-4; 32:1, 16; 33:5
  18. Isaiah 28:6 : Isa 4:4; Jn 5:30
  19. Isaiah 28:6 : Jdg 9:44-45; S 2Ch 32:8
  20. Isaiah 28:7 : S Isa 3:12
  21. Isaiah 28:7 : S Lev 10:9; S Isa 22:13; S Eph 5:18
  22. Isaiah 28:7 : S Ps 107:27
  23. Isaiah 28:7 : Isa 24:2
  24. Isaiah 28:7 : S Isa 9:15
  25. Isaiah 28:7 : S Isa 1:1; 29:11
  26. Isaiah 28:8 : Jer 48:26
  27. Isaiah 28:9 : ver 26; Ps 32:8; Isa 2:3; 30:20; 48:17; 50:4; 54:13; Jer 31:34; 32:33
  28. Isaiah 28:9 : Isa 52:7; 53:1
  29. Isaiah 28:9 : Ps 131:2
  30. Isaiah 28:9 : Heb 5:12-13; 1Pe 2:2
  31. Isaiah 28:10 : ver 13
  32. Isaiah 28:11 : S Ge 11:7; Isa 33:19; Jer 5:15
  33. Isaiah 28:11 : Eze 3:5; 1Co 14:21*
  34. Isaiah 28:12 : S Ex 14:14; S Jos 1:13; S Job 11:18; S Isa 11:10; Mt 11:28-29
  35. Isaiah 28:13 : ver 10
  36. Isaiah 28:13 : Mt 21:44
  37. Isaiah 28:13 : S Isa 8:15
  38. Isaiah 28:14 : Isa 1:10
  39. Isaiah 28:14 : 2Ch 36:16
  40. Isaiah 28:15 : S Job 5:23; Isa 8:19
  41. Isaiah 28:15 : ver 2, 18; Isa 8:7-8; 10:26; 29:6; 30:28; Da 11:22
  42. Isaiah 28:15 : S Isa 9:15
  43. Isaiah 28:15 : S Jdg 9:35; Isa 29:15; Jer 23:24
  44. Isaiah 28:16 : S Isa 14:32
  45. Isaiah 28:16 : Ps 118:22; Isa 8:14-15; Da 2:34-35, 45; Zec 12:3; S Ac 4:11
  46. Isaiah 28:16 : Jer 51:26; 1Co 3:11; 2Ti 2:19
  47. Isaiah 28:16 : Isa 29:22; 45:17; 50:7; 54:4; Ro 9:33*; 10:11*; 1Pe 2:6*
  48. Isaiah 28:17 : S Ps 11:7; S Isa 5:16
  49. Isaiah 28:17 : S 2Ki 21:13
  50. Isaiah 28:17 : S Jos 10:11
  51. Isaiah 28:17 : S Isa 8:7
  52. Isaiah 28:18 : S Isa 7:7
  53. Isaiah 28:18 : S ver 15
  54. Isaiah 28:18 : S Isa 5:5; 63:18; Da 8:13
  55. Isaiah 28:19 : 2Ki 24:2
  56. Isaiah 28:19 : S Ps 5:3
  57. Isaiah 28:19 : S Job 18:11
  58. Isaiah 28:20 : Isa 59:6
  59. Isaiah 28:21 : S Ge 38:29; S 1Ch 14:11
  60. Isaiah 28:21 : S Jos 9:3
  61. Isaiah 28:21 : Isa 10:12; 65:7; Lk 19:41-44
  62. Isaiah 28:22 : S 2Ch 36:16; Jer 29:18; La 2:15; Zep 2:15
  63. Isaiah 28:22 : S Isa 10:22
  64. Isaiah 28:22 : S Isa 10:23
  65. Isaiah 28:23 : Isa 32:9
  66. Isaiah 28:24 : Ecc 3:2
  67. Isaiah 28:25 : Mt 23:23
  68. Isaiah 28:25 : S Ex 9:31
  69. Isaiah 28:25 : Ex 9:32; Eze 4:9
  70. Isaiah 28:26 : S Ps 94:10
  71. Isaiah 28:27 : S Isa 21:10
  72. Isaiah 28:27 : S Job 41:30
  73. Isaiah 28:27 : Isa 10:5
  74. Isaiah 28:28 : S Isa 21:10
  75. Isaiah 28:29 : S Isa 9:6
  76. Isaiah 28:29 : S Ps 92:5; Ro 11:33

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28 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunken men of Ephraim, and to the flower falling down of the glory of the full out joying thereof, that were in the top of the fattest valley, and erred of wine. (Woe to the crown of pride of the drunken men of Ephraim, and to the declining glory, or the diminis...
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Isaiah 28 - World English Bible (WEB)

28 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine! 2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one. Like a storm of hail, a destroying storm, and like a storm of mi...
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Isaiah 28 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

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Isaiah 28 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Judgment on Corrupt Rulers, Priests, and Prophets28 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of E′phraim, and to 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 one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a d...
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Isaiah 28 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Judgment on Corrupt Rulers, Priests, and Prophets28 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of E′phraim, and to 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 one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a d...
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Isaiah 28 - New Living Translation (NLT)

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