Isaiah 28:17
New International Version
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.

New Living Translation
I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away.

English Standard Version
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.”

Berean Standard Bible
I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.

King James Bible
Judgment 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.

New King James Version
Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place.

New American Standard Bible
“I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the secret place.

NASB 1995
“I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place.

NASB 1977
“And I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the level; Then hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters shall overflow the secret place.

Legacy Standard Bible
I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of falsehood, And the waters will overflow the secret place.

Amplified Bible
“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.

Christian Standard Bible
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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
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.

American Standard Version
And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And I shall set judgment for measurement and righteousness to the scale, and hail shall beat the false hope and water shall overflow the refuge

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I will cause judgement to be for hope, and my compassion shall be for just measures, and ye that trust vainly in falsehood shall fall: for the storm shall by no means pass by you,

Contemporary English Version
Justice and fairness will be the measuring lines that help me build." Hailstones and floods will destroy and wash away your shelter of lies.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I will set judgment in weight, and justice in measure: and hail shall overturn the hope of falsehood: and waters shall overflow its protection.

English Revised Version
And I will make judgment the line, and righteousness the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
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.

Good News Translation
Justice will be the measuring line for the foundation, and honesty will be its plumb line." Hailstorms will sweep away all the lies you depend on, and floods will destroy your security.

International Standard Version
And I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and floods will overflow your hiding place.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And I will make justice the line, And righteousness the plummet; And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.

Literal Standard Version
And I have put judgment for a line, | And righteousness for a plummet, | And hail sweeps away the refuge of lies, | And waters overflow the secret hiding place.

Majority Standard Bible
I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.

New American Bible
I will make judgment a measuring line, and justice a level.— Hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters shall flood the hiding place.

NET Bible
I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line; hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.

New Revised Standard Version
And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.

New Heart English Bible
I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.

Webster's Bible Translation
Judgment 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.

World English Bible
I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.

Young's Literal Translation
And I have put judgment for a line, And righteousness for a plummet, And sweep away doth hail the refuge of lies, And the secret hiding-place do waters overflow.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Cornerstone in Zion
16So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken. 17I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place. 18Your covenant with death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it.…

Cross References
2 Kings 21:13
I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl--wiping it and turning it upside down.

Isaiah 5:16
But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.

Isaiah 28:2
Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground.

Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.

Isaiah 32:19
But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink to the depths.

Isaiah 61:8
For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity; in My faithfulness I will give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.

Jeremiah 19:7
And in this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.


Treasury of Scripture

Judgment 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.

judgment

Isaiah 10:22
For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

2 Kings 21:13
And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.

Psalm 94:15
But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

and the hail

Isaiah 28:2,15
Behold, 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…

Isaiah 25:4
For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Isaiah 32:2,18,19
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land…

and the waters

Isaiah 30:28
And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

Job 22:16
Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

Daniel 11:22
And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

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Appoint Covered Decision Flowing Hail Hiding Hiding-Place Ice-Storm Judgment Justice Level Line Measuring Measuring-Line Overflow Overwhelm Plumb Plummet Refuge Right Righteousness Safe Secret Sweep Water Waters Weight Words
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Appoint Covered Decision Flowing Hail Hiding Hiding-Place Ice-Storm Judgment Justice Level Line Measuring Measuring-Line Overflow Overwhelm Plumb Plummet Refuge Right Righteousness Safe Secret Sweep Water Waters Weight Words
Isaiah 28
1. The prophet threatens Ephraim for their pride and drunkenness
5. The residue shall be advanced in the kingdom of Christ
7. He rebukes their error
9. Their unwillingness to learn
14. And their security
16. Christ the sure foundation is promised
17. Their security shall be tried
23. They are incited to the consideration of God's providence














(17) Judgment also will I lay to the line . . .--Rather, I make judgment for a line, and righteousness for a plummet. The architectural imagery is continued. The "elect corner stone" shall come up to the standard of perfection, laid four-square (Revelation 21:16); and, therefore, should be the true place of refuge; while? the boast of the scorners, which the prophet repeats in the words that follow, should prove a false one. They would see their place of refuge swept away by the great waters. (Comp. Matthew 7:26-27.) Their treaty with death and Hades should be treated as null and void, They should be trampled under foot by the invading armies.

Verse 17. - Judgment also will I lay to the line, said righteousness to the plummet; rather, justice also will I set for my rule, and righteousness for my plumb-line; i.e. I will execute justice and judgment on the earth with all strictness and exactness. The scorners had implied that, by their clever devices, they would escape the judgment of God (ver. 15). The hail (comp. ver. 2). The storm of Assyrian invasion will overwhelm Egypt, which is a "refuge of lies," false and untrustworthy (see the comment on ver. 15). The hiding-place. Mr. Cheyne adds, "of falsehood," supposing a word to have fallen out of the text. Such an addition seems almost required to complete the parallelism of the two clauses, and also for the balance between this verse and ver. 15.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I will make
וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י (wə·śam·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

justice
מִשְׁפָּט֙ (miš·pāṭ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

the measuring line
לְקָ֔ו (lə·qāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6957: A cord, for, measuring, a rule, a rim, a musical string, accord

and righteousness
וּצְדָקָ֖ה (ū·ṣə·ḏā·qāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6666: Rightness, subjectively, objectively

the level.”
לְמִשְׁקָ֑לֶת (lə·miš·qā·leṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4949: A leveling instrument, a level

Hail
בָרָד֙ (ḇā·rāḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1259: Hail

will sweep away
וְיָעָ֤ה (wə·yā·‘āh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3261: To sweep together

your refuge
מַחְסֵ֣ה (maḥ·sêh)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4268: Refuge, shelter

of lies,
כָזָ֔ב (ḵā·zāḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3577: A lie, falsehood, deceptive thing

and water
מַ֖יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

will flood
יִשְׁטֹֽפוּ׃ (yiš·ṭō·p̄ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7857: To gush, to inundate, cleanse, to gallop, conquer

your hiding place.
וְסֵ֥תֶר (wə·sê·ṯer)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5643: A covering, hiding place, secrecy


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 28:17 I will make justice the measuring line (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 28:16
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