Summary
The chapter begins with a lament for the prideful and intoxicated people of Ephraim, depicting their vanity as a fading flower and their arrogance as a crown of pride. Isaiah describes the Lord’s impending judgment as a tempest, hail, and flood that will crush the boastful and those who have made agreements with death and hell. He emphasizes that only the remnants of His people will receive glory and justice, contrasting the spiritual foundation with the instability of the proud. The prophet calls the priests and prophets to repentance, noting their drunken error and the corrupt state of the tables of judgment. Isaiah then instructs that teaching must be delivered step by step, with the Lord’s word as a steady stream of instruction, warning the people to listen. He proclaims the Lord’s stone foundation in Zion, promising that those who believe will not be hurried or destroyed, while those who mock will be consumed. Finally, the chapter concludes with agricultural imagery of a plowman, symbolizing disciplined labor and the Lord’s guidance.