Isaiah 28 Parallel Bible Translations

Isaiah 28 ▼
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1 How horrible it will be for the arrogant drunks of Ephraim. Their glorious beauty is [like] a withered flower. They are at the entrance to a fertile valley where they lie drunk from 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 The Lord has one who is strong and powerful. He is like a hailstorm, a destructive wind. He is like a thunderstorm, an overwhelming flood. He will throw them to the ground forcefully. 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 arrogant drunks of Ephraim 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 Their glorious beauty is [like] a withered flower. They are at the entrance to a fertile valley. They will be like figs that ripened early. As soon as someone sees them, they will be taken and eaten. 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 When that day comes, the LORD of Armies will be like a glorious crown for his few remaining 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 He will give a spirit of justice to those who judge. He will give strength to those who defend the city gates in battle. 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 Priests and prophets stagger from wine and wobble from too much liquor. They stagger from too much liquor and become confused from too much wine. They wobble because of their liquor. They stagger when they see visions. They swerve as they judge. 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 All the tables are covered with vomit and excrement. There isn't a clean place left. 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 To whom will they make the message understood? To whom will they explain this message? To children just weaned from milk? To those just taken from their [mother's] breasts? “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 They speak utter nonsense. 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 The LORD will speak to these people. He will mock them by speaking 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 will say to them, |This is a place for comfort. This is a place of rest for those who are tired. This is a place for them to rest.| But they weren't willing to 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 LORD speaks utter nonsense to them. That is why they will fall backwards. That is why they will be hurt, 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 So hear the word of the LORD, you foolish talkers who rule the 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 You say, |We made a treaty with death and an agreement with the grave. When the overwhelming disaster passes by, it won't matter to us, because we have taken refuge in our lies, and falsehood is our hiding place.| 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 This is what the Almighty LORD says: I am going to lay a rock in Zion, a rock that has been tested, a precious cornerstone, a solid foundation. Whoever believes [in him] will not worry. 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 I will make justice a measuring line and righteousness a plumb line. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and floodwaters will wash away 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 treaty with death will be wiped away. Your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming disaster passes by, you will be trampled by it. 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 Each time it passes by it will take you. It will pass by morning after morning, during the day and during the night. Understanding this message brings only terror. 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 The bed is too short to stretch out on. The blanket is too narrow to serve as a cover. 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 The LORD will rise as he did on Mount Perazim. He will wake up as he did in Gibeon Valley. He will do his work, his unexpected work, and perform his deeds, his mysterious deeds. 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 Now stop laughing, or your chains will be tightened, because I have heard that the Almighty LORD of Armies has finally determined to destroy 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 Open your ears, and listen to me! Pay attention, and hear me! 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 a farmer go on plowing every day so he can plant? Does he continue to break up the soil and make furrows in the ground? 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 smoothed its surface, doesn't he scatter black cumin seed and plant cumin? Doesn't he plant wild wheat in rows? Doesn't he put barley in its own area and winter wheat at its borders? 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 God will guide him in judgment, and his God will teach him. For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
27 Black cumin isn't threshed with a sledge, and wagon wheels aren't rolled over cumin. Black cumin is beaten with a rod and cumin with a stick. 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 Grain is ground into flour, but the grinding eventually stops. It will be threshed. The wheels of his cart will roll over it, but his horses won't 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 All of this has come from the LORD of Armies. His counsel is wonderful, and his wisdom is great. 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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