Wilted Crowns and the Only Rest

Ah, the proud crowns of the drunkards of Ephraim,Whose glorious beauty is but wilted flowersOn the heads of those bloated is contracted from geʼe; cf. Ibn Ezra. with rich food,Who are overcome by wine! Lo, my Sovereign has something strong and mighty,Like a storm of hail,A shower of pestilence.Something like a storm of massive, torrential rain Shall be hurled with force to the ground. Trampled underfoot shall beThe proud crowns of the drunkards of Ephraim, The wilted flowers—On the heads of those bloated with rich food—That are his glorious beauty.They shall be like an early figBefore the fruit harvest;Whoever sees it devours itWhile it is still in his hand. In that day, GOD of Hosts shall become a crown of beauty and a diadem of glory for the remnant of this people, and a spirit of judgment for the one who sits in judgment and of valor for those who repel attacks at the gate. But these are also muddled by wineAnd dazed by liquor:Priest and prophetAre muddled by liquor;They are confused by wine,They are dazed by liquor;They are muddled in their visions,They stumble in judgment. Yea, all tables are coveredWith vomit and filth,So that no space is left. “To whom would he give instruction?To whom expound a message?To those newly weaned from milk,Just taken away from the breast? That same mutter upon mutter,Murmur upon murmur,Now here, now there!” Truly, as one who speaks to that people in a stammering jargon and an alien tongue is he who declares to them, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” They refuse to listen. To them the word of GOD is:“Mutter upon mutter,Murmur upon murmur,Now here, now there.”And so they will march, But they shall fall backward,And be injured and snared and captured. Hear now the word of GOD,You scoffers,Who govern that people In Jerusalem! For you have said,“We have made a covenant with Death,Concluded a pact with Sheol.When the sweeping flood passes through,It shall not reach us;For we have made falsehood our refuge,Taken shelter in treachery.” Assuredly,Thus said the Sovereign GOD:“Behold, I will found in Zion,Stone by stone,A tower of precious cornerstones, Exceedingly firm;One who trusts need not fear. But I will apply judgment as a measuring lineAnd retribution as weights; Hail shall sweep away the refuge of falsehood,And flood-waters engulf your shelter. Your covenant with Death shall be annulled,Your pact with Sheol shall not endure;When the sweeping flood passes through,You shall be its victims. It shall catch youEvery time it passes through;It shall pass through every morning,Every day and every night.And it shall be sheer horrorTo grasp the message.” The couch is too short for stretching out,And the cover too narrow for curling up! For GOD will ariseAs on the hill of Perazim;[God] will be rousedAs in the vale of Gibeon,To do godly work—Strange is this work!And to perform God’s task—Astounding is this task! Therefore, refrain from mockery,Lest your bonds be tightened.For I have heard a decree of destructionFrom my Sovereign GOD of HostsAgainst all the land. Give diligent ear to my words,Attend carefully to what I say. Do those who plow to sowPlow all the time,Breaking up and furrowing their land? When they have smoothed its surface,Do they not rather broadcast black cuminAnd scatter cumin,Or set wheat in a row, Barley in a strip,And emmer in a patch? For they are taught the right manner,Their God instructs them. So, too, black cumin is not threshed with a threshing board,Nor is the wheel of a threshing sledge rolled over cumin;But black cumin is beaten out with a stickAnd cumin with a rod. It is cereal that is crushed. For even if as equivalent to lu. it is threshed thoroughly,And overwhelmed by the wheel of a sledge and horses, It will not be crushed. That, too, is ordered by GOD of Hosts—Whose counsel is unfathomable,And whose wisdom is marvelous.

Isaiah 28 confronts the proud, drunken leadership of Ephraim/Judah with the coming storm of judgment, then contrasts human lies ('we have made a covenant with Death') with God's invitation: 'This is the resting place... let the weary rest' — a rest that scoffers refuse to receive.