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Isaiah 28:14-22
Contemporary English Version
Isaiah 28:14-22
Contemporary English Version
False Security Is Fatal
14 You rulers of Jerusalem
do nothing but sneer;
now you must listen
to what the Lord says.
15 (A) Do you think you have
an agreement with death
and the world of the dead?
Why do you trust in your lies
to keep you safe from danger
and the mighty flood?
16 (B) And so the Lord says,
“I'm laying a firm foundation
for the city of Zion.
It's a valuable cornerstone
proven to be trustworthy;
no one who trusts it
will ever be disappointed.
17 Justice and fairness
will be the measuring lines
that help me build.”
Hailstones and floods
will destroy and wash away
your shelter of lies.
18 Your agreement with death
and the world of the dead
will be broken.
Then angry, roaring waves
will sweep over you.
19 Morning, noon, and night
an overwhelming flood
will wash you away.
The terrible things that happen
will teach you this lesson:
20 Your bed is too short,
your blanket too skimpy.[a]
21 (C) The Lord will fiercely attack
as he did at Mount Perazim[b]
and in Gibeon Valley.[c]
But this time the Lord
will do something surprising,
not what you expect.
22 So you had better stop sneering
or you will be in worse shape
than ever before.
I heard the Lord All-Powerful
threaten the whole country
with destruction.
Footnotes
- 28.20 Your bed … skimpy: Isaiah quotes a popular saying to teach that the treaty made with Egypt (verse 18) cannot give the nation security from its enemies.
- 28.21 Mount Perazim: This may refer to David's defeat of the Philistines at Baal Perazim (2 Samuel 5.17-21).
- 28.21 Gibeon Valley: This refers to Joshua's victory at Gibeon (Joshua 10.1-11).
Isaiah 28:14-22
New International Version
Isaiah 28:14-22
New International Version
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord,(A) you scoffers(B)
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,(C)
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(D)
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie(E) our refuge
and falsehood[a] our hiding place.(F)”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,(G) a tested stone,(H)
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;(I)
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.(J)
17 I will make justice(K) the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;(L)
hail(M) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow(N) your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.(O)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(P)
you will be beaten down(Q) by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;(R)
morning after morning,(S) by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.(T)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.(U)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,(V)
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon(W)—
to do his work,(X) his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,(Y)
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed(Z) against the whole land.(AA)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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