1 W oe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome and smitten down with wine!

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

2 B ehold, the Lord has a strong and mighty one; like a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty overflowing waters, he will cast it down to the earth with violent hand.

Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

3 W ith feet the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden down.

The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

4 A nd the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like the early fig before the fruit harvest, which, when anyone sees it, he snatches and eats it up greedily at once.

And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

5 i n that '> Messianic] day the Lord of hosts shall become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people,

In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

6 A nd a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment and administers the law, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

7 B ut even these reel from wine and stagger from strong drink: the priest and the prophet reel from strong drink; they are confused from wine, they stagger and are gone astray through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble when pronouncing judgment.

But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8 F or all the tables are full of filthy vomit, so that there is no place that is clean.

For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

9 T o whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message? Those who are babies, just weaned from the milk and taken from the breasts?

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 F or it is: precept upon precept, precept upon precept, rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

11 N o, but by men with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

12 T o these had said, This is the true rest that you shall give to the weary, and, This is the refreshing—yet they would not listen.

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

13 T herefore the word of the Lord will be to them: precept upon precept, precept upon precept, rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little—that they may go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and taken.

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.

14 T herefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem!

Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

15 B ecause you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol (the place of the dead) we have an agreement—when the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter.

Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

16 T herefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes (trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone) will not be ashamed or give way or hasten away.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plummet; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the hiding place (the shelter).

Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

18 A nd your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol (the place of the dead) shall not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, then you will be trodden down by it.

And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

19 A s often as it passes through, it will take you; for morning by morning will it pass through, by day and by night. And it will be utter terror merely to hear and comprehend the report and the message of it.

From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

20 F or the bed is too short for a man to stretch himself on and the covering too narrow for him to wrap himself in.

For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

21 F or the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim, He will be wrathful as in the Valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work, and bring to pass His act, His strange act.

For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

22 N ow therefore do not be scoffers, lest the bands which bind you be made strong; for a decree of destruction have I heard from the Lord God of hosts upon the whole land and the whole earth.

Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

23 G ive ear and hear my voice; listen and hear my words.

Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

24 D oes he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continue to plow and harrow the ground after it is smooth?

Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

25 W hen he has leveled its surface, does he not cast abroad dill or fennel and scatter cummin, and put the wheat in rows, and barley in its intended place, and spelt as the border?

When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

26 f or his God instructs him correctly and teaches him.

For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

27 F or dill is not threshed with a sharp threshing instrument, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin; but dill is beaten off with a staff, and cummin with a rod.

For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

28 D oes one crush bread grain? No, he does not thresh it continuously. But when he has driven his cartwheel and his horses over it, he scatters it without having crushed it.

Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

29 T his also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel excellent in wisdom and effectual working.

This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.