Isaiah 5:22
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing beer,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
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
- Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing beer,
- KJV
- Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
- WEB
- Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;
- ASV
- Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;
- DARBY
- Woe unto them that are mighty for drinking wine, and men valiant to mix strong drink;
- BLB
- Woe [to] the mighty at drinking wine and men of strength in mixing strong drink,
- ÅB
- Ve dem som er helter til å drikke vin og dyktige til å blande sterk drikk,
- OTB
- Ve dem som er helter til å drikke vin og modige til å blande sterk drikk,
- B1930
- Ve dem som er helter til å drikke vin og dyktige til å blande sterk drikk,
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Isaiah 5:11
Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.
Read in contextHabakkuk 2:15
Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!
Read in contextIsaiah 28:7
These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.
Read in contextIsaiah 56:12
“Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”
Read in contextProverbs 23:19–20
Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right course.
Read in contextIsaiah 28:1–3
Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.
Read in context