Isaiah 28 Parallel Bible Translations

Isaiah 28 ▼
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1 Woe 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. Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine! Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
2 Look, 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. Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters, he casts down to the earth with his hand. See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot; That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.
4 The 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. and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer: when someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it is in his hand. That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest— as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.
5 On that day the LORD of Armies will become a crown of beauty and a diadem of splendor to the remnant of his people, In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people, In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.
6 a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those who repel attacks at the city gate. and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 Even 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. These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment. And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit; there is no place without a stench. For all tables are full of filthy vomit, with no space left. All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.
9 Who is he trying to teach? Who is he trying to instruct? Infants just weaned from milk? Babies removed from the breast? “To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? “Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?
10 “Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there.” For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there.”
11 For he will speak to this people with stammering speech and in a foreign language. For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD will speak to this people, Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,
12 He 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. to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear. to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest|; and, “This is the place of repose|— but they would not listen.
13 The 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. And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. 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— so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.
14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem! Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 For 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.” Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”; You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
16 Therefore 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. therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
17 And 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. And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.” I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with Death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming catastrophe passes through, you will be trampled. Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it. Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.
19 Every 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. As often as it passes through it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be sheer terror to understand the message. As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.
20 Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its cover too small to wrap up in. For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in. The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
21 For 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. For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work! The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.
22 So 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. Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord GOD of hosts against the whole land. Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
23 Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say. Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech. Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
24 Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed? Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil? Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When 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. When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?
26 His God teaches him order; he instructs him. For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
27 Certainly 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. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick.
28 Bread grain is crushed, but is not threshed endlessly. Though the wheel of the farmer’s cart rumbles, his horses do not crush it. Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 This also comes from the LORD of Armies. He gives wondrous advice; he gives great wisdom. This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.
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