1 Woe [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. 2 Lo, 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. 3 By feet trodden down is the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, 4 And 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. 5 In that day is Jehovah of Hosts For a crown of beauty, and for a diadem of glory, To the remnant of His people. 6 And 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. 7 And 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. 8 For all tables have been full of vomit, Filth — without place! 9 By whom doth He teach knowledge? And by whom doth He cause to understand the report? The weaned from milk, the removed from breasts, 10 For rule [is] on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there, 11 For by scorned lip, and by another tongue, Doth He speak unto this people. 12 Unto 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, 13 And 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. 14 Therefore, hear a word of Jehovah, ye men of scorning, Ruling this people that [is] in Jerusalem. 15 Because 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.' 16 Therefore, 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. 17 And 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. 18 And 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. 19 From 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. 20 For 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. 21 For 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.' 22 And 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. 23 Give ear, and hear my voice, Attend, and hear my saying: 24 The whole day plougheth the ploughman to sow? He openeth and harroweth his ground! 25 Hath 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? 26 And instruct him for judgment doth his God, He doth direct him. 27 For 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. 28 Bread -[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. 29 Even this from Jehovah of Hosts hath gone out, He hath made counsel wonderful, He hath made wisdom great!
Isaiah · Young's Literal Translation
Isaiah 28 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (29)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Hosea 7:5; Isaiah 28:7; Isaiah 28:3–4; 2 Kings 14:25–27; Isaiah 5:22
- 2 Isaiah 30:30; Ezekiel 13:11; Nahum 1:8; Isaiah 27:1; Isaiah 29:6
- 3 Isaiah 26:6; Hebrews 10:29; Isaiah 28:1; Daniel 8:13; Revelation 11:2
- 4 Nahum 3:12; Micah 7:1; Hosea 6:4; Isaiah 28:1; Psalm 73:19–20
- 5 1 Peter 5:4; Isaiah 62:3; Isaiah 60:19; Romans 11:5–6; Psalm 90:16–17
- 6 Psalm 18:32–34; John 5:30; Numbers 11:16–17; Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 11:2–4
- 7 Isaiah 56:10–12; Luke 21:34; Micah 2:11; Isaiah 19:14; Ecclesiastes 10:17
- 8 Jeremiah 48:26; Proverbs 26:11; Habakkuk 2:15–16
- 9 Psalm 131:2; Jeremiah 6:10; John 12:38; Matthew 11:25; Matthew 21:15–16
- 10 Isaiah 28:13; 2 Timothy 3:7; Jeremiah 11:7; Jeremiah 25:3–7; Nehemiah 9:29–30
- 11 1 Corinthians 14:21; Deuteronomy 28:49; Jeremiah 5:15; Isaiah 33:19
- 12 Matthew 11:28–29; Isaiah 30:15; Jeremiah 6:16; Isaiah 11:10; Jeremiah 44:16
- 13 Matthew 13:14; Isaiah 6:9–10; 2 Peter 3:16; Isaiah 28:10; Isaiah 8:14–15
- 14 Isaiah 28:22; Isaiah 1:10; Isaiah 29:20; Acts 13:41; Hosea 7:5
- 15 Isaiah 8:7–8; Hosea 2:18; Daniel 11:22; Ecclesiastes 8:8; Jeremiah 5:31
- 16 Psalm 118:22; Acts 4:11–12; 1 Peter 2:6–8; Luke 20:17–18; Romans 9:33
- 17 2 Kings 21:13; Revelation 16:21; Amos 7:7–9; Romans 2:5; Romans 2:2
- 18 Isaiah 7:7; Isaiah 8:10; Isaiah 28:15; Malachi 4:1–3; Isaiah 28:3
- 19 Habakkuk 3:16; Jeremiah 19:3; Isaiah 33:7; Daniel 8:27; 2 Kings 24:2
- 20 1 Corinthians 1:18–31; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 9:30–32; Jeremiah 7:8–10; Isaiah 59:5–6
- 21 1 Chronicles 14:11; Joshua 10:12; 2 Samuel 5:20; Joshua 10:10; 2 Samuel 5:25
- 22 Isaiah 10:22–23; Isaiah 24:1–23; Luke 21:24; Lamentations 1:14; Jeremiah 15:17
- 23 Isaiah 1:2; Jeremiah 22:29; Deuteronomy 32:1; Revelation 2:14; Revelation 2:11
- 24 Hosea 10:11–12; Jeremiah 4:3
- 25 Ezekiel 4:9; Matthew 23:23; Exodus 9:31–32
- 26 Exodus 36:2; Exodus 31:3–6; James 1:17; Job 35:11; Psalm 144:1
- 27 Isaiah 41:15; Isaiah 27:7–8; Jeremiah 10:24; Jeremiah 46:28; 2 Kings 13:7
- 28 Amos 9:9; Isaiah 21:10; Matthew 13:37–43; Matthew 3:12; 1 Corinthians 3:9
- 29 Romans 11:33; Job 5:9; Jeremiah 32:19; Isaiah 9:6; Psalm 92:5
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Wherefore also Isaiah says: "Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I deposit in the foundations of Zion a stone, precious, elect, the chief, the corner-one, to be had in honour." So, then, we understand that His advent in human nature was not by the will of a man, but by the will of God.
… slavery, and through that astonishment was going on to a desire of trying it, and from it to the trial itself, and thence, perchance, to fall into that bondage whereat he was so astonished, seeing he was ready to enter into "a covenant with death;" and he that loves danger shall fall into it.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
He is called a Stone, not a lifeless stone, cut out by men's hands, but a chief corner-stone, on whom whosoever believeth shall not be put to shame.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Since then these things are so, and we have broken up for ourselves the fallows of Divinity, so as not to sow upon thorns, and have made plain the face of the ground, being moulded and moulding others by Holy Scripture...let us now enter upon Theological questions, setting at the head thereof the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
"Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded." Why anointed?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)