Isaiah 28 ISV NLT Parallel

◄ Isaiah 28 ►

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1How terrible it will be for that arrogant garland— the drunks of Ephraim! How terrible it will be for that fading flower of his glorious beauty, which sits on the heads of people bloated with food, of people overcome with wine!

1What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine.

2Look! The LORD has one who is mighty and strong, like a hailstorm and destructive tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing water— and he will give rest to the land.

2For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground.

3With hands and feet, that proud garland — those drunks of Ephraim—will be trampled.

3The proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel — will be trampled beneath its enemies’ feet.

4And that fading flower, his glorious beauty, which sits on the heads of people bloated with food, will be like an early fig before summer— whenever someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it's in his hand.

4It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. Whoever sees it will snatch it up, as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten.

5At that time, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will become a glorious crown, a beautiful diadem for the remnant of his people,

5Then at last the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people.

6and a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

6He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates.

7These people also stagger from wine and reel from strong drink. Priests and prophets stagger from strong drink; they're drunk from wine; they reel from strong drink, waver when seeing visions, and stumble when rendering decisions.

7Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions.

8For all the tables are covered in vomit and filth, with no clean space left.

8Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere.

9To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? To children just weaned from milk? To those just taken from the breast?

9“Who does the LORD think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned?

10For it is: "Do this and do that, do this and do that, Line upon line, line upon line, a little here, a little there."

10He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”

11Very well, then, through the mouths of foreigners and foreign languages the LORD will speak to this people

11So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!

12to whom he said, "This is the resting place, so give rest to the weary"' and, "This is the place of repose"— but they would not listen.

12God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.

13So, then, the message from the LORD to them will become: "Do this and do that, do this and do that, line upon line, line upon line, a little here, a little there," so that they will go, but fall backward, and be injured, snared, and captured.

13So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.

14"Therefore hear the message from the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people that are in Jerusalem.

14Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.

15Because you said: 'We have entered into a covenant with death, and we have an agreement with Sheol, so when the overwhelming scourge makes its choice, it cannot reach us, since we have made lies our refuge and have concealed ourselves inside falsehood'

15You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.”

16therefore this is what the LORD God says: "Look! I am laying a foundation stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation: Whoever believes firmly will not act hastily.

16Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.

17And I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and floods will overflow your hiding place.

17I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away.

18"Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be trampled by it.

18I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground.

19As often as it sweeps through, it will carry you away, for it will sweep by morning after morning in the day; but understanding this message will bring sheer terror at night,

19Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away.” This message will bring terror to your people.

20because the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its blankets too narrow to wrap around oneself!

20The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you.

21For the LORD will stand upon Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself in the Valley of Gibeon; to carry out his work— his strange deed, and to perform his task— his alien task!

21The LORD will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange thing; he will come to do an unusual deed:

22But as for you, don't start mocking, or your chains will become tighter; for I have heard from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies about destruction, and it is decreed against the whole land.

22For the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land. So scoff no more, or your punishment will be even greater.

23"Pay attention! Listen to what I have to say; Pay attention, and hear my speech.

23Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention.

24Does he who plows for sowing plow all the time? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing his field?

24Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?

25When he has leveled its surface, he scatters caraway and sows cumin, doesn't he? He plants wheat in rows, barley in its designated place, and feed for livestock around its borders, doesn't he?

25Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place?

26His God instructs him regarding the correct way, directing him how to plant.

26The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.

27For caraway is not threshed with a sharp sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin. Instead, caraway is winnowed with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

27A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail.

28It must be ground; one cannot keep threshing it forever. Even if he drives his cart and horses over it, he cannot crush it.

28Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn’t keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn’t pulverize it.

29This insight also comes from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, who is distinguished in practical advice and magnificent in sound wisdom."

29The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.

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