Isaiah, 28

1. 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!

1. Woe to the drunkards of Ephraim proudly adorned, to that fading flower of luxurious beauty on the head of a rich valley - all are dizzy with wine.

2. 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.

2. Look, the Lord is sending a powerful and strong one. Like a downpour of hail, like a destructive tempest, like flooding water in torrential rain, he will cast it down to the ground -

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

3. that proud ornament of the drunkards of Ephraim. He will trample it underfoot -

4. And 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.

4. that fading flower of glorious beauty on the head of a rich valley. It will be like an early fruit which ripened before summer: as soon as someone sees it he picks it, and while it is yet in his hand he eats it.

5. In 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,

5. On that day, Yahweh Sabaoth will be a glorious ornament, a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people.

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

6. He will be a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the enemies at the gate.

7. But 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.

7. But they also have erred through wine, reeling and stumbling from strong drink. Priests and prophets stagger, befuddled with wine, reeling when seeing visions, stumbling when rendering decisions.

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

8. All the tables are full of vomit; there is not a spot without filth.

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

9. "Who does he think he is teaching? Who does he think listens to him? Babies just weaned from their mother's milk? Babies just taken from their mother's breast?

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

10. Who cares to hear his 'Keep quiet, keep quiet! Wait a little, wait a little!'

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

11. Yes, surely with stammering lips and in a strange tongue, he will talk to this nation,

12. To 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.

12. he who once said to them, "This is rest, give rest to the weary"; and, "This is repose." But they would not listen.

13. But 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.

13. That is why Yahweh now says: Keep quiet, keep quiet! Wait a little, wait a little! So that when they have to go forward, they will instead fall backward; they will be injured and snared and taken captive.

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

14. Therefore, listen to the word of Yahweh, you scoffers who rule these people of Jerusalem.

15. Because 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:

15. Because you make a boast, "We have made a covenant with death, we have made a pact with the netherworld. When the flood passes by it cannot harm us, for we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place."

16. Therefore 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.

16. Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: See, I lay in Zion a granite stone, a precious stone, a sure foundation; he who relies on it shall not be put to shame.

17. 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.

17. I will make justice the measure and righteousness the plumb line. Violent hail will sweep away your refuge of lies and raging waters will overflow your hiding place.

18. And 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.

18. Your covenant with death will not stand, your pact with the netherworld will be annulled. When the overwhelming flood passes, you will be crushed by it.

19. From 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.

19. Morning after morning, by day and by night, the scourge will seize and crush you. If you understood this message, you would be terrified.

20. For 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].

20. "The bed will be too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you."

21. For 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.

21. Yahweh will arise as on Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon, to work his work - his singular work; to do his deed - his strange deed.

22. Now 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.

22. Put an end to your mocking, or your bonds will be tightened, for I have heard the destruction decreed against the whole earth by the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth.

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

23. Listen to my words, pay attention and understand what I say.

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

24. Does the plowman do nothing but plow, loosen the earth, pulverize the clods with a harrow?

25. When 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?

25. After leveling the soil, does he not begin to sow caraway and scatter cumin, wheat and barley and put spelt as the border?

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

26. For his God instructs him on what to do, he gives him guidance and discretion, too.

27. For 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.

27. For caraway is not threshed nor cumin crushed, but caraway is beaten with a stick and cumin with a rod.

28. Bread [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.

28. Is the wheat milled on the threshing floor? Is it threshed without end? They put in movement chariot and horses but do not grind it.

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

29. All comes from Yahweh Sabaoth whose advice is excellent, whose wisdom is wonderful.