CHAPTER 28

1 Wo to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim;
For the splendour of his glory shall be a fading flower,
Which is on the head of the valley of the fat ones,
Of them that are overcome by wine.

2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one;
As a deluge of hail,
A desolating whirlwind;
As the violence of mighty waters overflowing,
Casting down to the earth with the hand.

3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim
Shall be trodden under feet.

4 And the splendour of his glory shall be a fading flower,
Which is on the head of the valley of the fat ones;
Like the premature fig before the summer,
Which, while he looketh at it,
While it is yet in his hand,
He that seeth it devoureth.

5 In that day will Jehovah of hosts
Become a crown of glory
And a diadem of excellence
To the remnant of his people,

6 And a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth on the judgment-seat,
And strength to them that drive back the battle to the gate.

7 But they also have erred through wine;
Through strong drink they have gone astray.
The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink;
They have been swallowed up by wine;
They have gone astray through strong drink;
They have erred in vision,
They have stumbled in judgment.

8 For all tables are full of nauseous vomiting,
So that no place is unoccupied.

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge?
And whom shall he make to understand doctrine?
Them that are weaned from the milk?
Them that are withdrawn from the breasts?

10 For precept must be on precept, precept on precept;
Instruction on instruction, instruction on instruction;
Here a little, there a little.

11 For with stammering lips will he speak to this people,
And with a foreign tongue.

12 For he said to them, This is the rest;
Cause the weary to rest;
And this is the refreshing;
And they refused to hear.

13 The word of Jehovah shall therefore be to them
Rule upon rule, rule upon rule;
Instruction upon instruction, instruction upon instruction;
Here a little, there a little;
Therefore they shall go, and shall fall backward,
Shall be broken, and snared, and taken.

14 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, ye scornful men,
Who govern this people, which is in Jerusalem.

15 Because ye have said,
We have struck a league with death,
And with hell have we made a compact;
When the overflowing scourge shall pass through,
It shall not come to us;
For we have made falsehood our refuge,
And under vanity have we hidden ourselves.

16 Wherefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah:
Behold, I will lay in Zion a stone, a stone of trial,
A precious corner-stone, a sure foundation.
He that believeth shall not make haste.

17 And I will lay judgment to the line,
And righteousness to the measure. ¹
The hail shall sweep away the reliance of falsehood,
And the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.

18 And your compact with death shall be disannulled;
Your agreement with hell shall not stand;
When the overflowing scourge shall pass through,
Then shall ye become a treading down to it.

19 From the time that it shall pass,
It shall seize you every morning,
And shall pass every day by day and by night;
And it shall be that terror ² alone
Shall cause them to understand the report.

20 For the bed is short, so that it is not enough;
The covering shall be narrow for wrapping,

21 For as in Mount Perazim will Jehovah stand up,
And as in the valley of Gibeon will he be angry; ³
To do his work, his strange work;
To perform his act, his strange act.

22 Now therefore be ye not mockers,
Lest your chains be more firmly fastened;
For I have heard from the Lord Jehovah of hosts a consumption,
And a completion on the whole earth.

23 Listen ye, and hear my voice;
Hearken, and hear my speech.

24 Doth the ploughman plough every day, that he may sow?
Doth he open and break the clods of his field?

25 When he hath leveled its surface,
Will he not then scatter fitches, and sow cummin,
And allot wheat in measure, and barley measured,
And spelt in its order?

26 His God instructeth him,
And teacheth him what is right.

27 Certainly vetches shall not be thrashed with a toothed instrument,
Nor shall the wheel of a cart be turned round on the cummin;
For vetches are beaten with a staff,
And cummin with a rod.

28 Though wheat be bruised,
He doth not bruise it continually,
Nor always cause the wheel of his cart to grind it,
Lest he crush it with its teeth.

29 This also hath proceeded from Jehovah of hosts,
Who is wonderful in counsel,
And majestic in procedure.