Isaiah 28

¹ Woe to the haughty crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of its proud splendour overlooking the lush valley, to those prostrated by wine!

² See, a strong and mighty one, sent by the Lord, like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of torrential, overflowing waters; with his hand he throws them to the ground.

³ There will be trampled underfoot the haughty crown of Ephraim’s drunkards,

⁴ and the faded flower of its proud splendour overlooking the lush valley. Just like a fig before summer comes: whoever notices it, picks it, no sooner in the hand than swallowed.

⁵ That day, Yahweh Sabaoth will be a crown of glory and a diadem of splendour for the remnant of his people,

⁶ a spirit of justice for him who sits in judgement, and a spirit of courage for him who thrusts back the attacker to the gate.

⁷ These, too, are reeling with wine, staggering from strong drink. Priest and prophet are reeling from strong drink, they are muddled with wine; strong drink makes them stagger, they totter when they are having visions, they stumble when they are giving judgement.

⁸ Yes, all the tables are covered with vomit, not a place left clean.

⁹ ‘Who does he think he is lecturing? Who does he think his message is for? Babies just weaned? Babies just taken from the breast?

¹⁰ With his sav lasav, sav lasav, kav lakav, kav lakav, zeer sham, zeer sham!'[*a]

¹¹ Yes, certainly with stammering lips and in a foreign language, he will talk to this nation,

¹² he who once told them: Here is rest; let the weary rest. Here is repose. – But they would not listen.

¹³ That is why Yahweh now says: kav lakav, kav lakav, sav lasav, sav lasav, zeer sham, zeer sham. So that when they walk they may fall over backwards and be broken, snared and made captive.

¹⁴ Listen to the word of Yahweh, you scoffers, rulers of this people in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ You say, ‘We have made a covenant with Mot,[*b] and with Sheol we have made a pact. The destructive whip, as it goes by, will not catch us, for we have made lies our refuge, and falsehood our shelter.’

¹⁶ That is why the Lord Yahweh says this: See how I lay in Zion a stone of witness, a precious cornerstone, a foundation stone: The believer shall not stumble.

¹⁷ And I will make justice the measure, integrity the plumb-line.

¹⁸ your covenant with Mot will be broken and your pact with Sheol annulled. When the destructive whip goes by it will crush you;

¹⁹ each time it goes by, it will seize you. It will go by, morning after morning, both day and night; what panic there would be if you were to understand what it meant!

²⁰ The bed is too short to stretch in, the blanket too narrow for covering.

²¹ Yes, as Yahweh did on Mount Perazim, he is going to rise, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon he is going to stir himself to do the deed, his extraordinary deed, to work the work, his mysterious work.

²² Stop scoffing, then, or your bonds will be tightened further; for I have listened to the warrant of destruction issued against the whole country by the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth.

²³ Listen closely to my words, be attentive and understand what I am saying.

²⁴ Does the ploughman do nothing but plough and turn the soil and harrow it?

²⁵ Will he not, after he has levelled it, scatter fennel, sow cummin, put in wheat and barley and, on the edges, spelt?

²⁶ He has been taught this discipline by his God who instructs him.

²⁷ For fennel must not be crushed, nor a drag be rolled over cummin; fennel must be beaten with a stick, and cummin with a flail.

²⁸ Does a man crush wheat? No; he does not thresh it endlessly. When he has rolled the drag over it he winnows it without crushing it.

²⁹ This too comes from Yahweh Sabaoth, whose advice is always admirable, whose deeds are very great.