Isaiah 28
NIRV — New International Reader's Version Bible (NIRV)
AMP — Amplified Bible (AMP)
Verse 1
How terrible it will be for the city of Samaria!
It sits on a hill like a wreath of flowers.
The leaders of Ephraim are drunk.
They take pride in their city.
It sits above a valley that has rich soil.
How terrible it will be for the glorious beauty of that fading flower!
It sits on a hill like a wreath of flowers.
The leaders of Ephraim are drunk.
They take pride in their city.
It sits above a valley that has rich soil.
How terrible it will be for the glorious beauty of that fading flower!
Woe (judgment is coming) to [Samaria] the splendid crown of the drunkards of [a]Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the rich valley
Of those who are overcome with wine!
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the rich valley
Of those who are overcome with wine!
Verse 2
The Lord will bring the strong and powerful king of Assyria against Samaria.
The Lord will throw that city down to the ground with great force.
It will be like a hailstorm.
It will be like a wind that destroys everything.
It will be like a driving rain and a flooding storm.
The Lord will throw that city down to the ground with great force.
It will be like a hailstorm.
It will be like a wind that destroys everything.
It will be like a driving rain and a flooding storm.
Listen carefully, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent [the Assyrian];
Like a tempest of hail, a disastrous storm,
Like a tempest of mighty overflowing waters,
He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.
Verse 3
That city is like a wreath.
The leaders of Ephraim are drunk.
They take pride in their city.
But its enemies will walk all over it.
The leaders of Ephraim are drunk.
They take pride in their city.
But its enemies will walk all over it.
The splendid crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trampled by [the foreigners’] feet.
Verse 4
It sits on a hill above a rich valley.
The city is like a wreath of flowers whose glorious beauty is fading away.
But it will become like figs that are ripe before harvest.
As soon as people see them,
they pick them and swallow them.
The city is like a wreath of flowers whose glorious beauty is fading away.
But it will become like figs that are ripe before harvest.
As soon as people see them,
they pick them and swallow them.
And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the rich valley,
Will be like the early fig before the summer,
Which one sees,
And as soon as it is in his hand
He [greedily] swallows it [and so will the Assyrians rapidly devour Samaria, Israel’s capital].
Verse 5
At that time the Lord who rules over all
will be like a glorious crown.
He will be like a beautiful wreath
for those of his people who will be left alive.
will be like a glorious crown.
He will be like a beautiful wreath
for those of his people who will be left alive.
In that day the Lord of hosts will become a magnificent crown
And a glorious diadem to the [converted] remnant of His people,
Verse 6
He will help those
who are fair when they judge.
He will give strength to those
who turn back their enemies at the city gate.
who are fair when they judge.
He will give strength to those
who turn back their enemies at the city gate.
A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment [administering the law],
A strength to those who drive back the battle at the gate.
Verse 7
Israel’s leaders are drunk from wine.
They can’t walk straight.
They are drunk from beer.
They are unsteady on their feet.
Priests and prophets drink beer.
They can’t walk straight.
They are mixed up from drinking too much wine.
They drink too much beer.
They are unsteady on their feet.
The prophets see visions but don’t really understand them.
The priests aren’t able to make good decisions.
They can’t walk straight.
They are drunk from beer.
They are unsteady on their feet.
Priests and prophets drink beer.
They can’t walk straight.
They are mixed up from drinking too much wine.
They drink too much beer.
They are unsteady on their feet.
The prophets see visions but don’t really understand them.
The priests aren’t able to make good decisions.
But even these reel with wine and stagger from strong drink:
The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink;
They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink;
They reel while seeing visions,
They stagger when pronouncing judgment.
Verse 8
They throw up. All the tables are covered
with the mess they’ve made.
There isn’t one spot on the tables
that isn’t smelly and dirty.
with the mess they’ve made.
There isn’t one spot on the tables
that isn’t smelly and dirty.
For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, so that there is no place [that is clean.]
Verse 9
The Lord’s people are making fun of him. They say,
“Who does he think he’s trying to teach?
Who does he think he’s explaining his message to?
Is it to children who do not need their mother’s milk anymore?
Is it to those who have just been taken from her breast?
“Who does he think he’s trying to teach?
Who does he think he’s explaining his message to?
Is it to children who do not need their mother’s milk anymore?
Is it to those who have just been taken from her breast?
They say “To whom would He teach knowledge?
And to whom would He explain the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
Verse 10
Here is how he teaches.
Do this and do that.
There is a rule for this and a rule for that.
Learn a little here and learn a little there.”
Do this and do that.
There is a rule for this and a rule for that.
Learn a little here and learn a little there.”
“For He says,
‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Rule upon rule, rule upon rule,
Here a little, there a little.’”
Verse 11
All right then, these people won’t listen to me.
So God will speak to them.
He will speak by using people who speak unfamiliar languages.
He will speak by using the mouths of strangers.
So God will speak to them.
He will speak by using people who speak unfamiliar languages.
He will speak by using the mouths of strangers.
Indeed, the Lord will teach this people [in a more humiliating way]
By [men with] stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
Verse 12
He said to his people,
“I am offering you a resting place.
Let those who are tired rest.”
He continued, “I am offering you a place of peace and quiet.”
But they wouldn’t listen.
“I am offering you a resting place.
Let those who are tired rest.”
He continued, “I am offering you a place of peace and quiet.”
But they wouldn’t listen.
He who said to them, “This is the place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”
And, “This is the resting place,” yet they would not listen.
Verse 13
So then, here is what the Lord’s message will become to them.
Do this and do that.
There is a rule for this and a rule for that.
Learn a little here and learn a little there.
So when they try to go forward,
they’ll fall back and be wounded.
They’ll be trapped and captured.
Do this and do that.
There is a rule for this and a rule for that.
Learn a little here and learn a little there.
So when they try to go forward,
they’ll fall back and be wounded.
They’ll be trapped and captured.
Therefore the word of the Lord to them will be [merely monotonous repetitions]:
“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Rule upon rule, rule upon rule,
Here a little, there a little.”
That they may go and stumble backward, and be broken, ensnared, and taken captive.
Judah Is Warned
Verse 14
Listen to the Lord’s message,
you who make fun of the truth.
Listen, you who rule over these people in Jerusalem.
you who make fun of the truth.
Listen, you who rule over these people in Jerusalem.
Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you arrogant men
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem!
Verse 15
You brag, “We have entered into a covenant with the place of the dead.
We have made an agreement with the grave.
When a terrible plague comes to punish us,
it can’t touch us.
That’s because we depend on lies to keep us safe.
We hide behind what isn’t true.”
We have made an agreement with the grave.
When a terrible plague comes to punish us,
it can’t touch us.
That’s because we depend on lies to keep us safe.
We hide behind what isn’t true.”
Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol (the place of the dead) we have made an agreement,
When the overwhelming scourge passes by, it will not reach us,
For we have made lies our refuge and we have concealed ourselves in deception.”
Verse 16
So the Lord and King speaks. He says,
“I will make justice the measuring line
And righteousness the mason’s level;
Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies
And waters will flood over the secret [hiding] place.
“Your covenant with death will be annulled,
And your agreement with Sheol (the place of the dead) will not stand;
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
Then you will become its trampling ground.
“As often as it passes through, it will seize you;
For morning after morning it will pass through, by day and by night,
And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”
For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
And the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself [and likewise all their preparations are inadequate].
For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the Valley of Gibeon,
To do His work, His unusual and incredible work,
And to accomplish His work, His extraordinary work.
Now do not carry on as scoffers,
Or the bands which bind you will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts [a decree]
Of decisive destruction on all the earth.
Listen and hear my voice;
Listen carefully and hear my words.
Does the farmer plow all day to plant seed?
Does he continually dig furrows and harrow his ground [after it is prepared]?
When he has leveled its surface,
Does he not sow [the seed of] dill and scatter cumin,
And plant wheat in rows,
And barley in its [intended] place and [c]rye within its border?
For his God instructs [him correctly] and teaches him properly.
For dill is not threshed with a sharp threshing sledge,
Nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin;
But dill is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.
Bread grain is crushed fine,
Indeed, the farmer does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.
This also comes from the Lord of hosts,
Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.
“Look! I am laying a stone in Zion.
It is a stone that has been tested.
It is the most important stone for a firm foundation.
The one who depends on that stone will never be shaken.
Therefore the Lord God says this,
“Listen carefully, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a tested Stone,
A precious Cornerstone for the [secure] foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes [who trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone] will not [b]be disturbed or give way [in sudden panic].
Verse 17
I will use a measuring line to prove that you have not been fair.
I will use a plumb line to prove that you have not done what is right.
Hail will sweep away the lies you depend on to keep you safe.
Water will flood your hiding place.
I will use a plumb line to prove that you have not done what is right.
Hail will sweep away the lies you depend on to keep you safe.
Water will flood your hiding place.
“I will make justice the measuring line
And righteousness the mason’s level;
Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies
And waters will flood over the secret [hiding] place.
Verse 18
Your covenant with death will be called off.
The agreement you made with the place of the dead will not stand.
When the terrible plague comes to punish you,
you will be struck down by it.
The agreement you made with the place of the dead will not stand.
When the terrible plague comes to punish you,
you will be struck down by it.
“Your covenant with death will be annulled,
And your agreement with Sheol (the place of the dead) will not stand;
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
Then you will become its trampling ground.
Verse 19
As often as it comes, it will carry you away.
Morning after morning, day and night,
it will come to punish you.”
Morning after morning, day and night,
it will come to punish you.”
If you understand this message,
it will bring you absolute terror.
“As often as it passes through, it will seize you;
For morning after morning it will pass through, by day and by night,
And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”
Verse 20
You will be like someone whose bed is too short to lie down on.
You will be like those whose blankets are too small to wrap themselves in.
You will be like those whose blankets are too small to wrap themselves in.
For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
And the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself [and likewise all their preparations are inadequate].
Verse 21
The Lord will rise up to judge, just as he did at Mount Perazim.
He will get up to act, just as he did in the Valley of Gibeon.
He’ll do his work, but it will be strange work.
He’ll carry out his task, but it will be an unexpected one.
He will get up to act, just as he did in the Valley of Gibeon.
He’ll do his work, but it will be strange work.
He’ll carry out his task, but it will be an unexpected one.
For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the Valley of Gibeon,
To do His work, His unusual and incredible work,
And to accomplish His work, His extraordinary work.
Verse 22
Now stop making fun of me.
If you don’t, your chains will become heavier.
The Lord who rules over all has spoken to me.
The Lord has told me he has ordered that the whole land be destroyed.
If you don’t, your chains will become heavier.
The Lord who rules over all has spoken to me.
The Lord has told me he has ordered that the whole land be destroyed.
Now do not carry on as scoffers,
Or the bands which bind you will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts [a decree]
Of decisive destruction on all the earth.
Verse 23
Listen and hear my voice.
Pay attention to what I’m saying.
Pay attention to what I’m saying.
Listen and hear my voice;
Listen carefully and hear my words.
Verse 24
When a farmer plows in order to plant, does he plow without stopping?
Does he keep on breaking up the soil and making the field level?
Does he keep on breaking up the soil and making the field level?
Does the farmer plow all day to plant seed?
Does he continually dig furrows and harrow his ground [after it is prepared]?
Verse 25
When he’s made the surface even, doesn’t he plant caraway seeds?
Doesn’t he scatter cumin seeds?
Doesn’t he plant wheat in its proper place?
Doesn’t he plant barley where it belongs?
Doesn’t he plant spelt along the edge of the field?
Doesn’t he scatter cumin seeds?
Doesn’t he plant wheat in its proper place?
Doesn’t he plant barley where it belongs?
Doesn’t he plant spelt along the edge of the field?
When he has leveled its surface,
Does he not sow [the seed of] dill and scatter cumin,
And plant wheat in rows,
And barley in its [intended] place and [c]rye within its border?
Verse 26
His God directs him.
He teaches him the right way to do his work.
He teaches him the right way to do his work.
For his God instructs [him correctly] and teaches him properly.
Verse 27
Caraway seeds are beaten out with a rod.
They aren’t separated out under a threshing sled.
Cumin seeds are beaten out with a stick.
The wheel of a cart isn’t rolled over them.
They aren’t separated out under a threshing sled.
Cumin seeds are beaten out with a stick.
The wheel of a cart isn’t rolled over them.
For dill is not threshed with a sharp threshing sledge,
Nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin;
But dill is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.
Verse 28
Grain must be ground up to make bread.
A farmer separates it out.
But he doesn’t go on doing it forever.
He drives the wheels of a threshing cart over it.
But he doesn’t use horses to grind the grain.
A farmer separates it out.
But he doesn’t go on doing it forever.
He drives the wheels of a threshing cart over it.
But he doesn’t use horses to grind the grain.
Bread grain is crushed fine,
Indeed, the farmer does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.
Verse 29
All these insights come from the Lord who rules over all.
His advice is wonderful. His wisdom is glorious.
His advice is wonderful. His wisdom is glorious.
This also comes from the Lord of hosts,
Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.