28:1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley–to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
28:2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
28:3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.
28:4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like a fig ripe before harvest–as soon as someone sees it and takes it in his hand, he swallows it.
28:5 In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.
28:6 He will be a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
28:7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.
28:8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.
28:9 “Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?
28:10 For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there.”
28:11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,
28:12 to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”–but they would not listen.
28:13 So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there–so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured.
28:14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
28:15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
28:16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.
28:17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.
28:18 Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.
28:19 As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.
28:20 The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
28:21 The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon–to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.
28:22 Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
28:23 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
28:24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?
28:25 When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cummin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?
28:26 His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
28:27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a stick.
28:28 Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. Though he drives the wheels of his threshing cart over it, his horses do not grind it.
28:29 All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.
28:1 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim / And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, / Which is at the head of the fat valley of those who are overcome by wine.
28:2 Indeed the Lord has someone strong and mighty; / As a hailstorm and a tempest of destruction, / As a storm of mighty overflowing waters, / He will cast down to the earth with His hand.
28:3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim / Will be trodden under foot;
28:4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, / Which is at the head of the fat valley, / Will be like the first-ripe fig before the summer, / Which when someone looks upon it he sees it, / And in an instant it is in his hand, and he swallows it up.
28:5 In that day Jehovah of hosts / Will become a crown of beauty and a diadem of glory to the remnant of His people,
28:6 And a spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment / And strength to those who turn away the battle at the gate.
28:7 But these also reel with wine / And stagger from liquor: / The priest and the prophet stagger from liquor; / They are swallowed up with wine; / They stagger from liquor, / They reel in their visions, / They totter in their judgments.
28:8 For all the tables are full of vomit and filth; / There is no place clean.
28:9 Whom will he teach knowledge? / And whom will he instruct with the report? / Those weaned from milk? / Those drawn from the breasts?
28:10 For his words are: Rule upon rule, rule upon rule; / Line upon line, line upon line; / Here a little, there a little.
28:11 For with stammering lips / And with a foreign tongue / He will speak to this people,
28:12 He who said to them, / This is rest; give rest to the weary; / And, This is repose. / But they would not hear.
28:13 Therefore Jehovah’s word to them will be: / Rule upon rule, rule upon rule; / Line upon line, line upon line; / Here a little, there a little; / That they may go and stumble backward, / And be broken, snared, and taken.
28:14 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, / You scoffing men, / Who rule this people / Who are in Jerusalem:
28:15 Because you have said, We have made / A covenant with death, / And with Sheol / We have made an agreement: / When the overflowing scourge passes through, / It will not come upon us; / For we have made falsehood our refuge / And have hidden ourselves in deception.
28:16 Therefore thus says / The Lord Jehovah: / Indeed I lay a stone in Zion as a foundation, / A tested stone, / A precious cornerstone as a foundation firmly established; / He who believes will not hasten away.
28:17 And I will make justice the line / And righteousness the plummet; / And the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, / And the waters will overflow the secret place.
28:18 And your covenant with death will be annulled, / And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; / When the overflowing scourge passes through, / You will be a trampling ground to it.
28:19 As often as it passes through, / It will take hold of you. / For morning by morning it will pass through, / By day and by night; / And it will be nothing but terror / To understand the report of it.
28:20 For the bed is too short for a man to stretch on, / And the sheet is too narrow for him to wrap himself in.
28:21 For Jehovah will rise as on Mount Perazim, / He will be agitated as in the valley of Gibeon, / To do His deed, His strange deed, / And to do His work, His most different work.
28:22 Now therefore do not be mockers, / Lest your fetters become stronger; / For I have heard from the Lord Jehovah of hosts / Of complete and decisive destruction upon the whole earth.
28:23 Hearken and hear my voice; / Attend and hear my speech.
28:24 Does the plowman plow all day long to sow his seed? / Does he open and harrow his ground continually?
28:25 Does he not, once he levels the surface, / Scatter dill and broadcast cummin, / And put the wheat in rows and the barley in its appointed place / And the rye where it belongs?
28:26 For his God instructs him toward such discretion / And teaches him so.
28:27 For dill is not threshed with a sharp tool, / Nor is the cart wheel turned upon the cummin; / But dill is beaten out with a rod, / And cummin with a stick.
28:28 Bread grains are ground, / Yet one does not thresh and thresh forever. / And once the wheel of his cart and his horses drive over it, / One does not grind it.
28:29 This also comes forth from Jehovah of hosts, / He who makes His counsel extraordinary and His sound wisdom great.