EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 28:29

It is God who teaches the farmer how to obtain each crop. So, how much more capable is God to achieve his own purposes in the lives of his people!

Assyrian ~ A person from the country called Assyria or anything that has a relationship with the country called Assyria.
Lord ~ God’s name in the Bible. In the original language, it means ‘head over all’ and ‘God always’.
BC ~ ‘Before Christ’ (for dates before the birth of Jesus Christ).
woe ~ a very sad cry because there is much pain to come.
wine ~ a drink which people make from the juice of grapes.
grape ~ small sweet fruit of the vine; its juice makes wine.
vine ~ plant whose fruit makes wine.
prophet ~ a person who speaks on behalf of God.
Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, the capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah. But the ‘New Jerusalem’ is God’s future, perfect home for his people.
Sheol ~ the place where many Jews thought that dead people went.
Jews ~ people who belong to the countries called Judah and Israel; people who belong to the 12 tribes (large families) of Israel.
Zion ~ the mountain in Jerusalem where God’s holy Temple was.
Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, the capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah. But the ‘New Jerusalem’ is God’s future, perfect home for his people.
Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews praised God and offered him prayers and gifts.
Jews ~ people who belong to the countries called Judah and Israel; people who belong to the 12 tribes (large families) of Israel.
measure ~ stick (or tape) with marks on it to show the size of something.'New Testament ~ the second part of the Bible. It contains 27 books, all from the time when Jesus was born.
Messiah ~ Old Testament title for Christ.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible. It contains 39 books, all from the time before Jesus was born.
Jews ~ people who belong to the countries called Judah and Israel; people who belong to the 12 tribes (large families) of Israel.
worship ~ to praise God and to pray to him.'plumb-line ~ a heavy weight that hangs on a string to show an accurate up-and-down line.

Isaiah: New *Heavens and a New Earth

The Sad People

Isaiah Chapter s 28 to 33

Gordon Churchyard

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

Tap the * before a word to show an explanation.

The words in brackets, […], are not in the *Hebrew Bible. They make the book easier to understand in English. Isaiah wrote his book in the *Hebrew language.

Isaiah Chapter s 7 to 40: God’s king rules God’s people

Section 4 (Isaiah Chapter s 28 to 33): The sad people

Chapter 28 A sad day for people in Ephraim and Judah

v1 [There will be a] very sad [day in] Ephraim (Israel)! [Ephraim wears] a crown of [which its people are] proud. [But its leaders] are drunks. [Ephraim is like] a beautiful flower, but its *glory will die. [Ephraim’s capital] is at the top of a valley where good crops grow. But wine makes [its people] fall over.

v2 Look! The *Lord has [somebody that is] powerful and strong. He (the army from Assyria) is like a storm of ice. And [he is like] a wind that destroys [things]. [He (Assyria’s army) is] like a storm of rain. And [he is like] a great flood. He will throw [Ephraim] to the ground with [his] hands!

v3 The drunks in Ephraim [wear] a crown, of [which they are] proud. [But his (Assyria’s army’s)] feet will step on [that crown].

v4 And [Ephraim] will be like a ripe fig (sweet fruit with many seeds) before harvest. When someone sees it, he will pick it. Then he will swallow it! [That country’s capital is] at the top of a valley. Good crops grow there. [But this Ephraim is like] a flower whose *glory is dying. And its beauty is dying.

v5 [However], in those days [this will be true]. The *LORD of Everything will be [like] a wonderful crown. And [he will be like] a beautiful crown for his people. [That is, those people] that remain [loyal to him].

v6 [The *LORD] is a spirit. [He will] help a judge to make a good decision. He will give strength to people that defend their city.

Notes

Verse 1 ‘There will be a very sad day’ is just one word in the *Hebrew Bible. It is ‘*hoy’. By means of that word, Isaiah asks us to give our attention to Ephraim. This is because something bad will happen to Ephraim. Ephraim is another name for Israel, the country that was north from Judah. ‘A crown of [which its people are] proud’ is poetry. It describes Ephraim’s capital, which was Samaria city. The city was on a hill, and it had many valleys round it. They all produced good crops of food. But Isaiah said that Samaria’s *glory would not last. It would be like a flower that dies. He was right! ‘B.C.’ means ‘years Before Christ came to the earth’. In 722 *B.C., armies from Assyria destroyed Samaria. And they took the people away from their own country, Israel. ‘Glory’ here is something wonderful that makes people proud. The people in the city are proud because that city is so great. ‘Wine makes its people fall over’ is poetry. It means ‘its people are drunk’. Those words show that their behaviour disgusts Isaiah. It also disgusted Amos. (Look in Amos 4:1 and Amos 6:6.) He wrote his book a few years before Isaiah.

Verses 2-3 The *Hebrew word for ‘lord’ means ‘master’. Here, with a capital letter L, it is a name for God. It is not the same *Hebrew word that we translate ‘*LORD’, with 4 capital letters. Here Isaiah does not say who ‘somebody’ is. But we know this. ‘He’ here refers to Assyria. Here is a description of the damage that a storm does. To destroy Ephraim (Israel), the soldiers from Assyria will use both their hands (verse 2) and their feet (verse 3). The idea ‘hands and feet’ here means that they will use ‘everything’. ‘The crown of [which they are] proud’ means Ephraim’s (Israel’s) capital city, Samaria (verse 1).

Verse 4 Here is another description. A ‘fig’ is a fairly small sweet fruit with many small seeds in it. When someone swallows a fig, it disappears completely. And that will happen to Israel’s leaders too. They will disappear! Some poor people will remain (verse 5).

Verse 5 After the message about punishment, here is another message. It is a message about hope. The *LORD will always give help to the people that obey him. He will be like a crown for them. Samaria city, the capital of Israel, will not be their crown. The people that remain will not go into *exile. The ‘*LORD of Everything’ is a special name for God. Isaiah often uses it. The *Hebrew word that we translate as ‘*LORD’ probably means ‘always alive’.

Verse 6 The ‘good decision’ is one that is always right. The *Hebrew words for ‘defend their city’ are ‘the battle at their gate’. The gate of the city was the place where the judges made their decisions.

v7 But wine makes those [people] also fall down. And beer makes them slip over. Beer makes the priests and the *prophets fall over. And wine confuses [their minds]. Beer makes them slip over. And the [priests and *prophets] fall over when they see *visions. They become stupid when they make decisions.

v8 They cover all the tables with their vomit (stuff from the stomach, that comes out of the mouth). And everywhere is dirty.

v9 [Those leaders say this. ‘We wonder] to whom he (Isaiah) is teaching knowledge. [We wonder] to whom he is explaining his message. [We are not babies] that do not drink milk any longer. [Surely he (Isaiah) does not think that. Certainly] we have not just come from [our mother’s] breast.

v10 [Isaiah’s speech sounds strange to us, like this.] “Tsaw latsaw tsaw latsaw. Qaw laqaw qaw laqaw. Zeir sham, zeir sham.” ’

v11 So, with foreign lips he (the *LORD) will speak to this nation. And [he will speak to them with] a strange tongue (language).

v12 [The *LORD] said to [this nation], ‘This [is your] place to rest. Allow the tired [people] to rest.’ And [the *LORD said], ‘This [is your] place in which to be quiet.’ But they would not listen.

v13 So then, the *LORD’s message will sound to them like [this]. ‘Tsaw latsaw tsaw latsaw, qaw laqaw qaw laqaw, zeir sham, zeir sham.’ So they will go and they will fall over. [An enemy] will cause injuries to them. He will make a trap for them, [and] then he will catch them.

Verse 7 The leaders are drunks. Alcohol makes them fall over when they walk. It confuses their minds when they make decisions. Some Bible students translate the last sentence as ‘drink flowed out of them’. That would link well with verse 8, because this is a drink of alcohol. But we may wonder who the leaders are. Some Bible students link verses 7-13 with verses 1-6, which are about Ephraim (Israel). Other Bible students link verses 7-13 with verses 14-22, which are about Judah and Jerusalem. This translation follows the second choice. The ‘decisions’ would then mean the agreement with the leaders of Egypt. ‘*Prophets’ told people what God was saying. But here, the *prophets were not true *prophets like Isaiah. They were false prophets, who had not listened to God. In *Hebrew, ‘listen’ also means ‘obey’!

Verse 8 ‘Vomit’ comes out of our stomachs through our mouths. It comes when we are sick. Often, people that have drunk too much alcohol are sick. Some Bible students think that Isaiah is describing a great, special meal with much food and drink. The leaders of Judah were happy, because Egypt’s leaders had agreed to help them. But Isaiah thought that it was not a good idea. He told them that it was wrong. However, the leaders had eaten too much food and they had drunk too much wine. So they laughed at Isaiah (verses 9 and 10). Then, they were sick all over the table where they sat.

Verse 9 ‘He’ here is Isaiah. He tried to tell Judah’s leaders that they were wrong to agree with Egypt’s leaders. In the *Hebrew text, Judah’s leaders actually asked four questions. ‘To whom is he teaching knowledge? To whom is he explaining his message? [In his opinion, are we babies] that do not drink milk any more? Have we just come from [our mother’s] breast?’ All four questions in this verse mean ‘To whom is Isaiah telling this?’ Clearly, the answer is the leaders of Judah, who are in Jerusalem. But Isaiah’s words sounded like nonsense to them. It was as if he was talking to very small children (verse 10). So they wondered whether he could really be talking to them.

Verse 10 The drunks that lead Judah are saying this. ‘Isaiah is like someone that is teaching the alphabet to a child.’ ‘Tsaw’ and ‘qaw’ are old names for two letters in the *Hebrew alphabet. ‘La’ is the *Hebrew word for ‘no’. Bible students do not agree about whether we should translate this verse or not. One possible translation is this.

Do this. Do not do that. Do this. Do not do that.

Rules and no rules. Rules and no rules.

A little here, a little there.

Verse 11 Now Isaiah answers the leaders like this. ‘You think that my words are nonsense. But God himself will speak to you what sounds like nonsense!’ Here ‘he’ is the *LORD, who gives the promises in verse 12. There are similar promises in Deuteronomy 12:10. The foreign language is probably Assyrian (the language that people spoke in the country called Assyria). Assyria’s people became more powerful between 750 and 700 B.C. (‘B.C.’ means ‘years Before Christ came to the Earth’.) In 732 to 721 B.C. armies from Assyria defeated Israel’s army. In 701 B.C. they attacked Jerusalem, but they did not defeat its people. However, the people could hear the strange language that the soldiers from Assyria spoke.

Verse 12 Some Bible students think that Isaiah meant ‘rest’ from politics. In other words, he meant this. ‘Do not agree with Egypt to oppose Assyria. Only the *LORD can make you really safe.’ The word ‘listen’ in *Hebrew means this. ‘Hear and obey.’

Verse 13 Isaiah’s words sounded like nonsense to Jerusalem’s leaders. In the future, the same would happen with God’s words. His words would also sound like nonsense to them. ‘Go’ probably means this. ‘Go to Egypt so that you can get help to fight against Assyria.’ But the leaders would ‘fall over’. That is, their plan would finally fail.

v14 Therefore, listen to the *LORD’s message. [Hear it], you people that laugh [at me]. [Hear it], you rulers of the people in Jerusalem.

v15 What you are really saying [is this]. ‘We have made a *covenant with death. And [we have made] an agreement with [the leaders of] *Sheol. The flood will rise and it will advance. But it cannot touch us. [That is] because we put our trust in lies. And we will find shelter in what is not true.’

v16 Therefore the *Lord, [who is] *LORD, says this. ‘Look! I have laid a stone in Zion (Jerusalem). [It is] a stone [that I have] tested. [That] stone [is] precious [and I have fixed it at the] corner. [It is] a strong base on which to build. The person that trusts [in the *LORD] will never be sorry [about it].

v17 I have made fair behaviour [to be like] a line to measure with. I have made right behaviour [to be like] a plumbline (string to test whether walls are straight). Rain and ice will sweep away the lies in which you put your trust. And water will flow into your shelter.

v18 [I will] cancel your *covenant with death. And your agreement with *Sheol will not stand. When the flood advances, it will rise up to flow over [you] strongly and quickly. [The flood will drown] you.

v19 Every time when it comes to you, it will carry you away. Certainly, every morning it could flow over [you] strongly and quickly. [It could do that] any day and any night. And if you understand the message, then you will be very, very afraid.

v20 [You know what people say.] ‘The bed is so short that you cannot lie straight on it. The blanket is so narrow that you cannot wrap it round yourself.’

v21 But the *LORD will rise up, as he did at the hill called Perazim. He will be very angry, as he was in the valley at Gibeon. He will do something that is very strange. He will do something that is very unusual.

v22 So, therefore, do not laugh [at me]. [If you do that], your chains will be even heavier. The *Lord, the *LORD of Everything, told me that [he has] decided to destroy the whole country.

Notes

Verse 14 Again, as in verse 12, ‘listen’ means this: ‘Hear and obey.’ ‘Laugh’ refers to what the leaders said in verse 10.

Verse 15 ‘Covenant’ means a special serious agreement. The people that lived in Judah and Israel were called *Jews. They thought that people went to *Sheol after death. But ‘death’ was also the name of a false god. The Jews had made an agreement with the leaders of Egypt. But Isaiah was saying that the result of the agreement would be the nation’s death. That is, the end of the nation. The leaders in Jerusalem thought that the flood would pass by them. So then they would not drown. The ‘flood’ meant the many soldiers in the army from Assyria. Some translations have ‘whip’ instead of ‘flood’. They imagine Assyria’s army as a whip that God would use to punish Judah.

Verse 16 The leaders are really saying, ‘We put our trust in lies’ (verse 15). So here is God’s answer to that. God says that he has already given Zion (Jerusalem) to them. He has given it as a shelter from the enemy. The first stone that people lay in a building is a stone in the foundation (base for the building). Usually, people cannot see it. It is below the ground. You cannot see God, but he is there. You can build on his promises. Bible students suggest three meanings for this stone:

It means Jerusalem city itself, called Zion here.
It means all the kings of Judah, who are called the ‘royal line’.
It means Jesus, the last king in Judah’s royal line.

For people when Isaiah was alive, the first two meanings were important. For Christians, the first and third meanings are important. That is because Jerusalem is still important in God’s plans. Also, read what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:4-10.

Verse 17 This verse begins with ‘I have made’. That links with ‘we have made’ in verse 15. It is God’s answer to what people have done. Builders use a line to measure whether a wall is straight. A ‘plumbline’ is a string with a heavy object on its end. People have made the object from a heavy metal called lead. So the string hangs straight down at 90 degrees to the ground. Therefore builders can compare walls with the plumbline (string) to make sure that the walls stand straight up. In that way, they can make good buildings. So in verse 16, God describes himself as a builder. Here he uses a builder’s tools in his description. People are like a wall. They must be ‘straight’. (In other words, they must be fair.) And they must be ‘at 90 degrees to the ground’. (In other words, their behaviour must be right.) Then God uses a special description of a storm with ice and rain. The ice and rain will destroy the ‘shelter’, the safe place, in verse 15. The storm is probably a description of an angry enemy. God will use that enemy to punish the bad leaders.

Verse 18 Again, God gives an answer to what the leaders had decided in verse 15. They had agreed that Egypt’s army would help them. But there would be no help. The army from Assyria would not pass by. It would beat Judah’s people down. In other words, it would defeat Judah. Again, instead of ‘the flood will drown you’, some translations have this. ‘The whip will beat you down.’ The meaning is the same. An enemy will defeat Judah. Actually, Assyria’s army did much damage to Judah, but it did not destroy Jerusalem. It was Babylon’s army that defeated Judah and Jerusalem, over 100 years later. Then Babylon’s army took the people into *exile. But during those 100 years, Jerusalem was under Assyria’s control.

Verse 19 Notice the words ‘flow over’ in verses 18 and 19. The *Hebrew words for that mean ‘pass over’. They would remind people of what God did to take his people from Egypt (Exodus 12:12). But here God uses those words against his own people. Look also at Amos 8:2. Also there, God uses a special description to speak against his own people.

Verse 20 This message is not comfortable. It is like a bed that gives no comfort. The agreement with Egypt will not cover (or protect) Judah’s people. It is like a blanket that is too small! Isaiah probably used those words to describe his message because everybody knew them. The bed reminds us of the place in which to rest (verse 12).

Verse 21 The *Hebrew words for the first sentence mean this. ‘The *LORD will rise up as the hill called Perazim [rises].’ Isaiah was probably saying that King David won a battle at the hill called Perazim. That had happened several centuries earlier. The story about it is in 2 Samuel 5:17-21. Now, similarly, the *LORD will win the battle against Assyria. Or he will win against the leaders in Jerusalem. Next, the *Hebrew Bible has this. ‘He will tremble as the valley at Gibeon [trembled]’. It probably means this. As Joshua won the battle in Gibeon (Joshua 10:6-11), so the *LORD will win this battle. Or perhaps that text refers to another battle that David won with the *LORD’s help. That battle was in a valley near Gibeon (2 Samuel 5:22-25). Then we read in this verse that the *LORD will do something. It is something that his people do not expect.

v23 Listen and hear my voice! Give your attention [to me]. Hear what I am saying!

v24 When the farmer ploughs to plant [seeds], he does not plough every day. He does not always break up his soil into small pieces.

v25 When he has made the surface level, he sows [seeds of plants called] caraway and cummin. He plants wheat in rows. And [he plants] another kind of corn in another place. And [he plants] other grain round the edge.

v26 His God teaches him. And [his God] tells him the right [thing] to do.

v27 [Farmers] do not use a special machine in order to remove [the seeds of the plant called] caraway. Nor do they get [the seeds of the plant called] cummin like that. They beat [the seeds] out [of] caraway with a stick. And they beat [the seeds] out [of] cummin with a rod (the same as a stick).

v28 [But they do use] a special machine [in order] to prepare [grain] for bread. But they do not continue to use it for too long [because that would damage the grain]. [The farmer] drives the wheels of the special machine over [the corn]. But his horses must not walk on [the corn].

v29 That [knowledge] also comes from the *LORD of Everything. His advice is wonderful and his wisdom is magnificent.

Notes

Verse 23 These words start a new part of the chapter. This part is a special description. It is an example of a farmer’s work. But it also refers back to these previous verses:

verse 21 – What the *LORD does may seem strange.
verses 14 and 22 – Do not laugh at the *LORD’s *prophet.

As the farmer knows what to do on his farm, so the *LORD knows what to do in his world. This part is another parable, as in Isaiah chapter 5. A ‘parable’ is a special story to teach us about God and ourselves. The teacher has hidden inside the story what he really means.

Verse 24 In the *Hebrew text, there are actually two questions. ‘Does he plough every day? Does he always break up his soil into small pieces?’ But we know that the answer to both questions is ‘No!’

Verse 25 Caraway and cummin are plants. Their seeds give flavour to food.

Verse 26 This verse is very short. In the *Hebrew Bible, it is just 4 words. ‘The right [thing] to do’ probably means ‘what is right in the circumstances’. Read Exodus 31:1-6, where there is something similar. In this verse, we learn that skill is a gift from God. It reminds us about a traditional idea that God told farmers what to do.

Verse 27 The special machine in the *Hebrew Bible is something big and unsuitable. The *Hebrew text has two different words for a stick. A ‘rod’ is another word for a stick. It was the right tool to use in order to get the seeds from the plants called caraway and cummin. The big special tool was not right for that job.

Verse 28 The special machine is something heavy that animals pull over the wheat and other corn. It is too heavy to use for the plants called caraway and cummin (verse 27). But it is not too heavy for wheat and other corn. However, the farmer must not use it too much, otherwise it will damage the grain. He does not let his horses walk on the grain either.

Verse 29 God always has good plans. Those plans include what he will do with Israel and Judah. ‘His advice is wonderful.’ That reminds us of the ‘wonderful adviser’ in Isaiah 9:6. The words ‘wonderful’ and ‘magnificent’ show that it is very good advice. It is better advice than any human leader can give.

Something to do

1. Read these verses:

Isaiah 17:3-11. Isaiah wrote that about Israel and its people.
Amos 6:1-6. Amos wrote that about Israel’s leaders in Samaria.

2. Learn to say verse 16 by heart. That means that you say it aloud. But you do not look at the words while you say it.

3. Read Paul’s words about strange languages (usually called ‘tongues’) in 1 Corinthians 14:20-22.

4. Study some verses about people that laugh at God and his words. The verses are Proverbs 1:22; Proverbs 13:1; Proverbs 14:9; Proverbs 21:24; Psalms 1:1.

5. Read the story about the man that built his house on a rock. It is in Matthew 7:24-27. Compare it with Isaiah 28:15-18.

6. Study the words ‘pass through’ in Exodus 12:12. And study the words 'flow over' in Isaiah 28:18 19. The *Hebrew word is the same in both cases. We can also translate it as 'pass over'. And Amos 8:2 contains that same *Hebrew word, with the meaning ‘delay punishment’. There is also another *Hebrew word for 'pass over', and that is in Exodus 12:13. 7. David defeated his enemies at Perazim hill. And he also defeated them at the valley near Gibeon. Read 2 Samuel 5:17-25 to discover what happened.

8. Pray for the leaders of your country. Ask God that they will only do fair and right things (verse 17).

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

heavens ~ another word for ‘skies’. It can also mean where God lives and the skies above us.
Hebrew ~ the language that Isaiah spoke.
glory ~ great beauty and honour.
lord ~ someone with authority. With a capital L, it is a name for God.
LORD ~ a special name for God that only his servants should use. It is not a translation. It represents the Hebrew word YHWH. It probably means that God is always alive.
Hebrew ~ the language that Isaiah spoke.
lord ~ someone with authority. With a capital L, it is a name for God.
LORD ~ a special name for God that only his servants should use. It is not a translation. It represents the Hebrew word YHWH. It probably means that God is always alive.
Hebrew ~ the language that Isaiah spoke.
hoy ~ a Hebrew word that asks for attention. Isaiah uses this word to warn about danger.
Hebrew ~ the language that Isaiah spoke.
exile ~ people that an enemy takes to another country are ‘in exile’. They are away from home. We also call these people ‘exiles’. They have gone ‘into exile’.
prophet ~ a prophet told people what God had said to him. Sometimes the prophet told people what would happen in future times.
vision ~ what somebody sees, perhaps in their imagination. God sometimes gave messages to the prophets by means of visions.
prophet ~ a prophet told people what God had said to him. Sometimes the prophet told people what would happen in future times.
prophet ~ a prophet told people what God had said to him. Sometimes the prophet told people what would happen in future times.
covenant ~ usually in the Bible, what God and his people agreed to do. But also, what the leaders in Jerusalem and Sheol agreed to do (Isaiah 28:15 and Isaiah 28:18); or, what the leaders of Assyria agreed to do (Isaiah 33:8).
Sheol ~ where people go when they die. In the Old Testament, people used this word to describe death.

Old Testament ~ the first 39 books in the Bible.
Sheol ~ where people go when they die. In the Old Testament, people used this word to describe death.

Old Testament ~ the first 39 books in the Bible.
Jews ~ God’s people that lived in Judah and Israel.

Isaiah: New *Heavens and a New Earth

The Sad People

Isaiah Chapter s 28 to 33

Gordon Churchyard

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

Tap the * before a word to show an explanation.

The words in brackets, […], are not in the *Hebrew Bible. They make the book easier to understand in English. Isaiah wrote his book in the *Hebrew language.

Isaiah Chapter s 7 to 40: God’s king rules God’s people

Section 4 (Isaiah Chapter s 28 to 33): The sad people

Chapter 28 A sad day for people in Ephraim and Judah

v3 The drunks in Ephraim [wear] a crown, of [which they are] proud. [But his (Assyria’s army’s)] feet will step on [that crown].

v6 [The *LORD] is a spirit. [He will] help a judge to make a good decision. He will give strength to people that defend their city.

Notes

v8 They cover all the tables with their vomit (stuff from the stomach, that comes out of the mouth). And everywhere is dirty.

v10 [Isaiah’s speech sounds strange to us, like this.] “Tsaw latsaw tsaw latsaw. Qaw laqaw qaw laqaw. Zeir sham, zeir sham.” ’

v11 So, with foreign lips he (the *LORD) will speak to this nation. And [he will speak to them with] a strange tongue (language).

Do this. Do not do that. Do this. Do not do that.

Rules and no rules. Rules and no rules.

A little here, a little there.

v14 Therefore, listen to the *LORD’s message. [Hear it], you people that laugh [at me]. [Hear it], you rulers of the people in Jerusalem.

v20 [You know what people say.] ‘The bed is so short that you cannot lie straight on it. The blanket is so narrow that you cannot wrap it round yourself.’

v22 So, therefore, do not laugh [at me]. [If you do that], your chains will be even heavier. The *Lord, the *LORD of Everything, told me that [he has] decided to destroy the whole country.

Notes

Verse 14 Again, as in verse 12, ‘listen’ means this: ‘Hear and obey.’ ‘Laugh’ refers to what the leaders said in verse 10.

It means Jerusalem city itself, called Zion here.
It means all the kings of Judah, who are called the ‘royal line’.
It means Jesus, the last king in Judah’s royal line.

v23 Listen and hear my voice! Give your attention [to me]. Hear what I am saying!

v24 When the farmer ploughs to plant [seeds], he does not plough every day. He does not always break up his soil into small pieces.

v26 His God teaches him. And [his God] tells him the right [thing] to do.

v29 That [knowledge] also comes from the *LORD of Everything. His advice is wonderful and his wisdom is magnificent.

Notes

Verse 23 These words start a new part of the chapter. This part is a special description. It is an example of a farmer’s work. But it also refers back to these previous verses:

verse 21 – What the *LORD does may seem strange.
verses 14 and 22 – Do not laugh at the *LORD’s *prophet.

Verse 25 Caraway and cummin are plants. Their seeds give flavour to food.

Something to do

1. Read these verses:

Isaiah 17:3-11. Isaiah wrote that about Israel and its people.
Amos 6:1-6. Amos wrote that about Israel’s leaders in Samaria.

2. Learn to say verse 16 by heart. That means that you say it aloud. But you do not look at the words while you say it.

3. Read Paul’s words about strange languages (usually called ‘tongues’) in 1 Corinthians 14:20-22.

4. Study some verses about people that laugh at God and his words. The verses are Proverbs 1:22; Proverbs 13:1; Proverbs 14:9; Proverbs 21:24; Psalms 1:1.

5. Read the story about the man that built his house on a rock. It is in Matthew 7:24-27. Compare it with Isaiah 28:15-18.

8. Pray for the leaders of your country. Ask God that they will only do fair and right things (verse 17).

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

Old Testament ~ the first 39 books in the Bible.
Sheol ~ where people go when they die. In the Old Testament, people used this word to describe death.

Old Testament ~ the first 39 books in the Bible.
Jews ~ God’s people that lived in Judah and Israel.

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