Isaiah 28
1Hoy (woe, doom) to the ateret ge'ut (crown of pride), 1 to the shikkorei Ephrayim (drunkards of Ephrayim), 1 whose glorious beauty 1 is a fading tzitz (flower), 1 which are on the rosh of the verdant gey (valley) 1 of them that are overcome with yayin! 1
2Hinei, Adonoi hath one, chazak and strong, 1 which as a tempest of barad (hail) and a destroying storm, 1 as a flood of mighty mayim overflowing, 1 shall cast them down to ha'aretz with the yad. 1
3The ateret ge'ut (crown of pride), the shikkorei Ephrayim, 1 shall be trodden under foot; 1
4And the glorious beauty, 1 which is at the rosh of the verdant gey, 1 shall be a fading tzitz, 1 and as the bikkurah (first ripe fruit) before kayitz (summer); which when he that looketh upon it seeth, 1 while it is yet in his palm he eateth it up. 1
5In that day shall Hashem Tzva'os be 1 for an ateret of glory, 1 and for a wreath tiferet, 1 unto the remnant of His people, 1
6And for a ruach mishpat 1 to him that sitteth in mishpat, 1 and for gevurah to them 1 that turn back the milchamah at the gate. 1
7But they also have gone astray through yayin, 1 and through strong drink are out of the way; 1 the kohen and the navi have erred through strong drink, 1 they are swallowed up with yayin, 1 they are out of the way through strong drink; 1 they go astray from the vision, 1 they stumble in rendering decisions. 1
8For all shulchanot are full of vomit and filthiness, 1 so that there is no makom (place) clean. 1
9Whom shall He teach da'as? 1 And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? 1 Them that are just weaned from cholov, 1 and just drawn from the breasts. 1
10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; 1 line upon line, line upon line; 1 sham (here) a little, and sham (there) a little; 1
11For with stammering safah (lips) and with lashon acheret (another tongue, different tongue) 1 will He speak to HaAm Hazeh. 1
12To whom He said, 1 This is the menuchah (rest) wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; 1 and this is the refreshing; 1 yet they would not hear. 1
13But the Devar Hashem was unto them 1 precept upon precept, precept upon precept; 1 line upon line, line upon line; 1 sham a little, and sham a little; 1 that they might go, and fall backward, 1 and be broken, and snared, and taken [captive]. 1
14Therefore hear the Devar Hashem, ye scoffing anashim, 1 that rule HaAm Hazeh which is in Yerushalayim. 1
15Because ye have said, 1 We have cut a brit with mavet, 1 and with Sheol are we in agreement; 1 when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, 1 it shall not come unto us; 1 for we have made kazav our refuge, 1 and under sheker have we hid ourselves; 1
16Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: 1 Hineni, I lay in Tziyon for a foundation an even (stone), 1 an even bochan (a tried stone), a pinnat yikrat (precious cornerstone), a sure foundation; 1 the ma'amin (believer) shall not panic. 1
17Mishpat also will I make as the measuring line, 1 and tzedakah to be the plumbline; 1 and the barad shall sweep away the refuge of kazav, 1 and the mayim shall overflow the hiding place. 1
18And your brit (covenant) with mavet shall be annulled, 1 and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand; 1 when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, 1 then ye shall be trodden down by it. 1
19As often as it goeth forth it shall seize you; 1 for boker by boker shall it pass over, 1 by day and by night; 1 and it shall be a terror just to understand the message. 1
20For the matztza (bed, mattress) is shorter than one can stretch himself on it; 1 and the blanket narrower than that he can wrap himself in. 1
21For Hashem shall rise up as in Har Peratzim, 1 He shall be in wrath as in the valley of Giv'on, 1 that He may do His ma'aseh, His zar ma'aseh (strange work, foreign work); 1 and bring to pass His avodah, His nochriyah avodah. 1
22Now therefore be ye not mockers, 1 lest your chains be made chazak; 1 for I have heard from Adonoi Hashem Tzva'os 1 a destruction, 1 even determined upon kol ha'aretz (the whole earth). 1
23Give ye ozen, and hear my voice; 1 pay heed, and hear my speech. 1
24Doth the plowman plow kol hayom to sow? 1 Doth he keep turning and breaking the clods of his adamah? 1
25When he hath made level the surface thereof, 1 doth he not sow the dill, 1 and scatter the cumin, 1 and plant in rows the chittah (wheat) and the se'orah (barley) in the appointed place, 1 and the spelt in their place? 1
26For Elohav doth instruct him, 1 and doth teach him properly. 1
27For the dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, 1 neither is an ofan agalah (cart wheel) rolled about upon the cumin; 1 but the dill is beaten out with a rod, 1 and the cumin with a club. 1
28Grain for lechem must be ground; 1 because he will not ever be threshing it, 1 nor break it with the gilgal (wheel) of his agalah (cart, wagon), 1 nor grind it with his parash. 1
29This also cometh forth from Hashem Tzva'os, 1 Who is wonderful in etzah, and excellent in wisdom.