Isaiah 28-29

Isaiah 28

¹Wo to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim. And the fading flower of the beauty of his glory, That is on the head of the fat valley of the broken down of wine.

²Lo, a mighty and strong one is to the Lord, As a storm of hail -- a destructive shower, As an inundation of mighty waters overflowing, He cast down to the earth with the hand.

³By feet trodden down is the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,

⁴And the fading flower of the beauty of his glory That is on the head of the fat valley, Hath been as its first-fruit before summer, That its beholder seeth, While it is yet in his hand he swalloweth it.

⁵In that day is Jehovah of Hosts For a crown of beauty, and for a diadem of glory, To the remnant of His people.

⁶And for a spirit of judgment To him who is sitting in the judgment, And for might to those turning back the battle to the gate.

⁷And even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially.

⁸For all tables have been full of vomit, Filth -- without place!

⁹By whom doth He teach knowledge? And by whom doth He cause to understand the report? The weaned from milk, the removed from breasts,

¹⁰For rule is on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,

¹¹For by scorned lip, and by another tongue, Doth He speak unto this people.

¹²Unto whom He hath said, ‘This is the rest, give ye rest to the weary, And this -- the refreshing:' And they have not been willing to hear,

¹³And to whom a word of Jehovah hath been, Rule on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there, So that they go and have stumbled backward, And been broken, and snared, and captured.

¹⁴Therefore, hear a word of Jehovah, ye men of scorning, Ruling this people that is in Jerusalem.

¹⁵Because ye have said: ‘We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a provision, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Doth not meet us, Though we have made a lie our refuge, And in falsehood have been hidden.'

¹⁶Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: ‘Lo, I am laying a foundation in Zion, A stone -- a tried stone, a corner stone precious, a settled foundation, He who is believing doth not make haste.

¹⁷And 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.

¹⁸And disannulled hath been your covenant with death, And your provision with Sheol doth not stand, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Then ye have been to it for a treading-place.

¹⁹From the fulness of its passing over it taketh you, For morning by morning it passeth over, By day and by night, And it hath been only a trembling to consider the report.

²⁰For shorter hath been the bed Than to stretch one's self out in, And the covering hath been narrower Than to wrap one's self up in.

²¹For as at mount Perazim rise doth Jehovah, As at the valley in Gibeon He is troubled, To do His work -- strange is His work, And to do His deed -- strange is His deed.'

²²And now, show not yourselves scorners, Lest strong be your bands, For a consumption, that is determined, I have heard, by the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is for all the land.

²³Give ear, and hear my voice, Attend, and hear my saying:

²⁴The whole day plougheth the ploughman to sow? He openeth and harroweth his ground!

²⁵Hath he not, if he have made level its face, Then scattered fitches, and cummin sprinkle, And hath placed the principal wheat, And the appointed barley, And the rie in its own border?

²⁶And instruct him for judgment doth his God, He doth direct him.

²⁷For not with a sharp-pointed thing threshed are fitches, And the wheel of a cart on cummin turned round, For with a staff beaten out are fitches, And cummin with a rod.

²⁸Bread-corn is beaten small, For not for ever doth he sorely thresh it, Nor crushed it hath a wheel of his cart, Nor do his hoofs beat it small.

²⁹Even this from Jehovah of Hosts hath gone out, He hath made counsel wonderful, He hath made wisdom great!

Isaiah 29

¹Wo to Ariel, Ariel, The city of the encampment of David! Add year to year, let festivals go round.

²And I have sent distress to Ariel, And it hath been lamentation and mourning, And it hath been to me as Ariel.

³And I encamped, O babbler, against thee, And I laid siege against thee -- a camp. And I raised up against thee bulwarks.

⁴And thou hast been low, From the earth thou speakest, And from the dust makest thy saying low, And thy voice hath been from the earth, As one having a familiar spirit, And from the dust thy saying whisperest,

⁵And as small dust hath been The multitude of those scattering thee, And as chaff passing on the multitude of the terrible, And it hath been at an instant -- suddenly.

⁶By Jehovah of Hosts thou art inspected, With thunder, and with an earthquake, And great noise, hurricane, and whirlwind, And flame of devouring fire.

⁷And as a dream, a vision of night, hath been The multitude of all the nations Who are warring against Ariel, And all its warriors, and its bulwark, Even of those distressing her.

⁸And it hath been, as when the hungry dreameth, And lo, he is eating, And he hath waked, and empty is his soul, And as when the thirsty dreameth, And lo, he is drinking, and he hath waked, And lo, he is weary, and his soul is longing, So is the multitude of all the nations Who are warring against mount Zion.

⁹Tarry and wonder, look ye, yea, look, Be drunk, and not with wine, Stagger, and not with strong drink.

¹⁰For poured out on you hath Jehovah a spirit of deep sleep, And He closeth your eyes -- the prophets, And your heads -- the seers -- He covered.

¹¹And the vision of the whole is to you, As words of the sealed book, That they give unto one knowing books, Saying, ‘Read this, we pray thee,' And he hath said, ‘I am not able, for it is sealed;'

¹²And the book is given to him who hath not known books, Saying, ‘Read this, we pray thee,' And he hath said, ‘I have not known books.'

¹³And the Lord saith: Because drawn near hath this people, with its mouth, And with its lips they have honoured Me, And its heart it hath put far off from Me, And their fear of Me is -- A precept of men is taught!

¹⁴Therefore, lo, I am adding to do wonderfully with this people, A wonder, and a marvel, And perished hath the wisdom of its wise ones, And the understanding of its intelligent ones hideth itself.'

¹⁵Wo to those going deep from Jehovah to hide counsel, And whose works have been in darkness. And they say, ‘Who is seeing us? And who is knowing us?'

¹⁶Your perversion! as clay is the potter esteemed? That the work saith of its maker, ‘He hath not made me?' And the framed thing said of its framer, ‘He did not understand?'

¹⁷Is it not yet a very little, And turned hath Lebanon to a fruitful field, And the fruitful field for a forest is reckoned?

¹⁸And heard in that day have the deaf the words of a book, And out of thick darkness, and out of darkness, The eyes of the blind do see.

¹⁹And the humble have added joy in Jehovah, And the poor among men In the Holy One of Israel rejoice.

²⁰For ceased hath the terrible one, And consumed hath been the scorner, And cut off have been all watching for iniquity,

²¹Causing men to sin in word, And for a reprover in the gate lay a snare, And turn aside into emptiness the righteous.

²²Therefore, thus said Jehovah, Who ransomed Abraham, Concerning the house of Jacob: ‘Not now ashamed is Jacob, Nor now doth his face become pale,

²³For in his seeing his children, The work of My hand, in his midst, They sanctify My name, And have sanctified the Holy One of Jacob, And the God of Israel they declare fearful.

²⁴And the erring in spirit have known understanding, And murmurers learn doctrine!'