Isaiah 28
ESV

Isaiah28

Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem
1Ah, the proud crown of 28:1 [Hos. 7:5]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!
2Behold, the Lord has 28:2 [ch. 8:7] one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like 28:2 ver. 15, 18a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he casts down to the earth with his hand.
328:3 ver. 1The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden underfoot;
428:4 [Amos 8:1, 2] and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like 28:4 Hos. 9:10; Mic. 7:1a first-ripe fig28:4 Or fruit before the summer:
when someone sees it, he swallows it
as soon as it is in his hand.

528:5 ch. 2:11In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,28:5 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6and 28:6 [1 Kgs. 3:28] a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and 28:6 [ch. 38:6]strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

728:7 [ch. 3:12] These also reel with wine
and 28:7 Hos. 4:11stagger with strong drink;
the priest and 28:7 ch. 9:15; 56:10, 12the prophet reel with strong drink,
they are swallowed by28:7 Or confused by wine,
they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
they stumble in giving judgment.
8For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
with no space left.

928:9 Jer. 6:10“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?
10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”

1128:11 Cited 1 Cor. 14:21; See ch. 5:26-29For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
12to whom he has said,
28:12 ch. 30:15; [Matt. 11:28, 29]“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13And 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,
28:13 ch. 8:15that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.
A Cornerstone in Zion
14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you 28:14 ver. 22; ch. 29:20scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
15Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the 28:15 ver. 2, 18; [ch. 8:7, 8] overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made 28:15 [Rom. 1:25]lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
16therefore thus says the Lord God,
28:16 Cited Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6; [Ps. 118:22; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11] “Behold, I am the one who has laid28:16 Dead Sea Scroll I am laying as a foundation 28:16 ch. 14:32in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
17And I will make justice 28:17 [2 Kgs. 21:13]the line,
and righteousness 28:17 [2 Kgs. 21:13]the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
18Then 28:18 ver. 15your 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.
19As often as it passes through it will take you;
28:19 [ch. 50:4] for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;
and it will be 28:19 [2 Chr. 32:18]sheer terror to understand the message.
20For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21For the Lord will rise up 28:21 [2 Sam. 5:20; 1 Chr. 14:11] as on Mount Perazim;
28:21 See Josh. 10:10-14as in the Valley of 28:21 1 Chr. 14:16; See Josh. 9:3Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
and to work his work—alien is his work!
22Now therefore do not 28:22 ver. 14scoff,
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard 28:22 ch. 10:23a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.

23Give ear, and hear my voice;
give attention, and hear my speech.
24Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
2528:25 [ch. 55:10, 11]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 emmer28:25 A type of wheat as the border?
2628:26 [ch. 21:10]For he is rightly instructed;
his God teaches him.

27Dill 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.
28Does one crush grain for bread?
No, he does not thresh it forever;28:28 Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever
when he drives his cart wheel over it
with his horses, he does not crush it.
29This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
he is 28:29 Jer. 32:19; [ch. 9:6]wonderful in counsel
and excellent in wisdom.