Isaiah 28:13

¹¹ Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people

¹² to whom He has said: “This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen.

Then the word of the LORD to them will become: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go stumbling backward and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.

¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Then the word of the LORD to them will become: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go stumbling backward and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.
KJV: But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
WEB: Therefore the LORD’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken.
ASV: Therefore shall the word of Jehovah be unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
DARBY: And the word of Jehovah was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little: that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
BLB: And the word of YHWH will become to them “Order on order, order on order; line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” that they might go and stumble backward, and be broken and ensnared and captured.

ÅB: Så skal da Herrens ord bli dem bud på bud, bud på bud, regel på regel, regel på regel, litt her, litt der, så de skal gå og falle baklengs og knuses og bindes og fanges.
OTB: Så Herrens ord til dem vil være: Bud på bud, bud på bud, linje på linje, linje på linje, litt her, litt der, slik at de kan gå og falle bakover, bli brutt, fanget og fanget.
B1930: Så skal da Herrens ord bli dem bud på bud, bud på bud, regel på regel, regel på regel, litt her, litt der, så de skal gå og falle baklengs og knuses og bindes og fanges.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Matthew 13:14
In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
Read in context
Isaiah 6:9–10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Read in context
2 Peter 3:16
He writes this way in all his letters, speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Read in context
Isaiah 28:10
For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.”
Read in context
Isaiah 8:14–15
And He will be a sanctuary— but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.
Read in context
Jeremiah 23:36–38
But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.
Read in context
Psalms 69:22
May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.
Read in context
Matthew 21:44
He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Read in context