Font Size
Yeshayah 28
Orthodox Jewish Bible
Yeshayah 28
Orthodox Jewish Bible
28 Hoy (woe, doom) to the ateret ge’ut (crown of pride), to the shikkorei Ephrayim (drunkards of Ephrayim), whose glorious beauty is a fading tzitz (flower), which are on the rosh of the verdant gey (valley) of them that are overcome with yayin!
2 Hinei, Adonoi hath one, chazak and strong, which as a tempest of barad (hail) and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty mayim overflowing, shall cast them down to ha’aretz with the yad.
3 The ateret ge’ut (crown of pride), the shikkorei Ephrayim, shall be trodden under foot;
4 And the glorious beauty, which is at the rosh of the verdant gey, shall be a fading tzitz, and as the bikkurah (first ripe fruit) before kayitz (summer); which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his palm he eateth it up.
5 In that day shall Hashem Tzva’os be for an ateret of glory, and for a wreath tiferet, unto the remnant of His people,
6 And for a ruach mishpat to him that sitteth in mishpat, and for gevurah to them that turn back the milchamah at the gate.
7 But they also have gone astray through yayin, and through strong drink are out of the way; the kohen and the navi have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up with yayin, they are out of the way through strong drink; they go astray from the vision, they stumble in rendering decisions.
8 For all shulchanot are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no makom (place) clean.
9 Whom shall He teach da’as? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Them that are just weaned from cholov, and just drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; sham (here) a little, and sham (there) a little;
11 For with stammering safah (lips) and with lashon acheret (another tongue, different tongue) will He speak to HaAm Hazeh.
12 To whom He said, This is the menuchah (rest) wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing; yet they would not hear.
13 But the Devar Hashem was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; sham a little, and sham a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken [captive].
14 Therefore hear the Devar Hashem, ye scoffing anashim, that rule HaAm Hazeh which is in Yerushalayim.
15 Because ye have said, We have cut a brit with mavet, and with Sheol are we in agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made kazav our refuge, and under sheker have we hid ourselves;
16 Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem, Hineni, I lay in Tziyon for a foundation an even (stone), an even bochan (a tried stone), a pinnat yikrat (precious cornerstone), a sure foundation; the ma’amin (believer) shall not panic.
17 Mishpat also will I make as the measuring line, and tzedakah to be the plumbline; and the barad shall sweep away the refuge of kazav, and the mayim shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your brit (covenant) with mavet shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 As often as it goeth forth it shall seize you; for boker by boker shall it pass over, by day and by night; and it shall be a terror just to understand the message.
20 For the matztza (bed, mattress) is shorter than one can stretch himself on it; and the blanket narrower than that he can wrap himself in.
21 For Hashem shall rise up as in Har Peratzim, He shall be in wrath as in the valley of Giveon, that He may do His ma’aseh, His zar ma’aseh (strange work, foreign work); and bring to pass His avodah, His nochriyah avodah.
22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your chains be made chazak; for I have heard from Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os a destruction, even determined upon kol ha’aretz (the whole earth).
23 Give ye ozen, and hear my voice; pay heed, and hear my speech.
24 Doth the plowman plow kol hayom to sow? Doth he keep turning and breaking the clods of his adamah?
25 When he hath made level the surface thereof, doth he not sow the dill, and scatter the cumin, and plant in rows the chittah (wheat) and the se’orah (barley) in the appointed place, and the spelt in their place?
26 For Elohav doth instruct him, and doth teach him properly.
27 For the dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, neither is an ofan agalah (cart wheel) rolled about upon the cumin; but the dill is beaten out with a rod, and the cumin with a club.
28 Grain for lechem must be ground; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the gilgal (wheel) of his agalah (cart, wagon), nor grind it with his parash.
29 This also cometh forth from Hashem Tzva’os, Who is wonderful in etzah, and excellent in wisdom.
Isaiah 28
New International Version
Isaiah 28
New International Version
Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
28 Woe(A) to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(B) drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley(C)—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!(D)
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful(E) and strong.
Like a hailstorm(F) and a destructive wind,(G)
like a driving rain and a flooding(H) downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(I) drunkards,
will be trampled(J) underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,(K)
will be like figs(L) ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5 In that day(M) the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious(N) crown,(O)
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant(P) of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice(Q)
to the one who sits in judgment,(R)
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle(S) at the gate.
7 And these also stagger(T) from wine(U)
and reel(V) from beer:
Priests(W) and prophets(X) stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,(Y)
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit(Z)
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?(AA)
To whom is he explaining his message?(AB)
To children weaned(AC) from their milk,(AD)
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that[a];
a little here, a little there.(AE)”
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues(AF)
God will speak to this people,(AG)
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;(AH)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13 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(AI)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured(AJ) and snared and captured.(AK)
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord,(AL) you scoffers(AM)
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,(AN)
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(AO)
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie(AP) our refuge
and falsehood[b] our hiding place.(AQ)”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,(AR) a tested stone,(AS)
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;(AT)
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.(AU)
17 I will make justice(AV) the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;(AW)
hail(AX) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow(AY) your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.(AZ)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(BA)
you will be beaten down(BB) by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;(BC)
morning after morning,(BD) by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.(BE)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.(BF)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,(BG)
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon(BH)—
to do his work,(BI) his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,(BJ)
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed(BK) against the whole land.(BL)
23 Listen(BM) and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting,(BN) does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?(BO)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,[c]
barley(BP) in its plot,[d]
and spelt(BQ) in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches(BR) him the right way.
27 Caraway is not threshed(BS) with a sledge,(BT)
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,(BU)
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart(BV) may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,(BW)
whose wisdom is magnificent.(BX)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
- Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods
- Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.