Isaiah 28

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

1How sad for the proud city of Ephraim's drunk men. It sits like a crown on a hill above a rich valley. Its beauty is only a flower that is drying up. The men who wear it are full of wine.

NoteEphraim is another name for the northern part of Israel. Its main city sat on a hill above a rich valley, like a crown on a head.

2Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

2Look! The Lord has someone strong and mighty. He will come like a hailstorm. He will come like a wind that tears things apart. He will come like a flood of rushing water. He will throw that crown down to the ground.

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

3That proud crown of Ephraim's drunk men will be stepped on.

4And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

4Its fading flower sits on the hill above the rich valley. It will be like the first ripe fig of the year. When someone sees it, he grabs it. He eats it right away.

5In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

5On that day the LORD of Armies will be a beautiful crown himself. He is the God who commands heaven's armies. He will be the glory of the few of his people who are left.

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

6He will help the judge decide what is fair. He will make soldiers strong who push the enemy back at the city gate.

7But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

7These people stumble too, because of wine and strong drink. Even the priests, who led worship, wobble from strong drink. The prophets, who told people what God said, wobble too. Wine has swallowed them up. They see wrong, and they decide wrong.

8For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

8Every table is covered with vomit. There is no clean spot anywhere.

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

9Who does he think he is teaching? Who is he explaining his message to? Little children just off their mother's milk? Babies?

10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

10All they hear is, "Rule on rule, rule on rule. Line on line, line on line. A little here, a little there."

11For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

11So God will speak to these people in another way. He will use stumbling lips and a language they do not know.

12To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

12He had told them, "This is the place of rest. Let tired people rest here. This is the quiet place." But they would not listen.

13But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

13So the LORD's word will sound to them like this: "Rule on rule, rule on rule. Line on line, line on line. A little here, a little there." Then they will trip and fall backward. They will be hurt, trapped, and caught.

14Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

14So listen to the LORD's word, you men who laugh at him. You are the ones who rule this people in Jerusalem.

15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

15You said, "We have made a deal with death. We have an agreement with the grave. When great trouble sweeps by, it will not touch us. Lies are our safe place. We hide behind things that are not true."

NoteThe KJV says "hell" here. The Hebrew word is Sheol, which means the grave, the place of the dead.

16Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

16So the Lord GOD says this: "Look, I am putting a stone in Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. It is a tested stone. It is a precious corner stone and a firm base. Whoever trusts it will not panic."

NoteThe KJV says "shall not make haste." It means the person will not panic or run away in fear.

17Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

17I will measure with fairness, like a builder's line. I will use what is right, like a builder's level. Hail will sweep away your safe place of lies. Water will flood the place where you hide.

18And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

18Your deal with death will be cancelled. Your agreement with the grave will not hold. When great trouble sweeps by, it will walk right over you.

19From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

19Every time it comes, it will carry you off. It will sweep by morning after morning, day and night. Just hearing what this means will fill you with fear.

20For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

20The bed is too short to stretch out on. The blanket is too small to wrap around you.

21For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

21The LORD will stand up as he did at Mount Perazim. He will be angry as he was in the valley of Gibeon. He will do his work, his strange work. He will finish his task, his strange task.

22Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

22So stop making fun of him now. If you do not, your chains will get heavier. I have heard it from the Lord GOD of Armies. He has decided to destroy the whole land.

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

23Listen closely and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say.

24Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

24Does a farmer plow his field all day long? Does he keep digging and breaking up the dirt forever?

25When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

25When the ground is smooth, he plants his seeds. He scatters caraway seed and cumin seed. He puts wheat in rows and barley in its own spot. He plants rye along the edge.

Note"Fitches" is an old word for caraway, a small seed used as a spice. Cumin is a small spice seed too.

26For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

26His God shows him the right way to do it. His God teaches him.

27For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

27Farmers beat grain to knock the seeds loose. But caraway is not beaten with a heavy sled. A cart wheel is not rolled over cumin. Caraway is tapped out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

28Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

28Grain for bread must be crushed to make flour. But the farmer does not beat it forever. He rolls his cart wheels over it. He does not let the horses crush it.

29This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

29This plan comes from the LORD of Armies too. His advice is wonderful. His wisdom is great.