Isaiah 28

Woe to Samaria

¹Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley. Woe to those overcome with wine.²

³Look, the Lord has a strong and mighty one — like a devastating hail storm, like a storm with strong flooding water. He will bring it across the land with his hand.⁴

⁵The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.⁶

⁷The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest. Whoever sees it will swallow it while it is still in his hand.⁸

⁹On that day the Lord of Armies will become a crown of beauty and a diadem of splendor to the remnant of his people,¹⁰

¹¹a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those who repel attacks at the city gate.¹²

¹³Even these stagger because of wine and stumble under the influence of beer: Priest and prophet stagger because of beer. They are confused by wine. They stumble because of beer. They are muddled in their visions. They stumble in their judgments.¹⁴

¹⁵Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit; there is no place without a stench.¹⁶

¹⁷Who is he trying to teach? Who is he trying to instruct? Infants just weaned from milk? Babies removed from the breast?¹⁸

¹⁹“Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there.”²⁰

²¹For he will speak to this people with stammering speech and in a foreign language.²²

²³He had said to them, “This is the place of rest; let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen.²⁴

²⁵The word of the Lord will come to them: “Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there,” so they go stumbling backward, to be broken, trapped, and captured.²⁶

A Deal with Death

²⁷Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.²⁸

²⁹For you said, “We have made a covenant with Death, and we have an agreement with Sheol; when the overwhelming catastrophe passes through, it will not touch us, because we have made falsehood our refuge and have hidden behind treachery.”³⁰

³¹Therefore the Lord God said: “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable.³²

³³And I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the mason’s level.” Hail will sweep away the false refuge, and water will flood your hiding place.³⁴

³⁵Your covenant with Death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming catastrophe passes through, you will be trampled.³⁶

³⁷Every time it passes through, it will carry you away; it will pass through every morning — every day and every night. Only terror will cause you to understand the message.³⁸

³⁹Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its cover too small to wrap up in.⁴⁰

⁴¹For the Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim. He will rise in wrath, as at the Valley of Gibeon, to do his work, his unexpected work, and to perform his task, his unfamiliar task.⁴²

⁴³So now, do not scoff, or your shackles will become stronger. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord God of Armies a decree of destruction for the whole land.⁴⁴

God’s Wonderful Advice

⁴⁵Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say.⁴⁶

⁴⁷Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed? Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil?⁴⁸

⁴⁹When he has leveled its surface, does he not then scatter black cumin and sow cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, with spelt as their border.⁵⁰

⁵¹His God teaches him order; he instructs him.⁵²

⁵³Certainly black cumin is not threshed with a threshing board, and a cart wheel is not rolled over the cumin. But black cumin is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.⁵⁴

⁵⁵Bread grain is crushed, but is not threshed endlessly. Though the wheel of the farmer’s cart rumbles, his horses do not crush it.⁵⁶

⁵⁷This also comes from the Lord of Armies. He gives wondrous advice; he gives great wisdom.⁵⁸