1 W oe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine!

Woe 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!

2 B ehold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent; As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters, He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.

Behold, 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.

3 T he proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot.

With feet the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden down.

4 A nd the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley, Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand, He swallows it.

And 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.

5 I n that day the Lord of hosts will become a beautiful crown And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people;

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

6 A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.

And 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.

7 A nd these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment.

But 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.

8 F or all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.

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

9 “ To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?

To 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?

10 “ For He says, ‘ Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.’”

For it is: precept upon precept, precept upon precept, rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little.

11 I ndeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

No, but by men with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.

12 H e who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,” And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen.

To 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.

13 S o the word of the Lord to them will be, “ Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,” That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive. Judah Is Warned

Therefore 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.

14 T herefore, hear the word of the Lord, O scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,

Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem!

15 B ecause you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.”

Because 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.

16 T herefore thus says the Lord God, “ Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.

Therefore 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.

17 “ I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place.

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).

18 “ Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place.

And 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.

19 “ As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”

As 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.

20 T he bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in.

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

21 F or the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon, To do His task, His unusual task, And to work His work, His extraordinary work.

For 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.

22 A nd now do not carry on as scoffers, Or your fetters will be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts Of decisive destruction on all the earth.

Now 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.

23 G ive ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words.

Give ear and hear my voice; listen and hear my words.

24 D oes the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he continually turn and harrow the ground?

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

25 D oes he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter cummin And plant wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its area?

When 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?

26 F or his God instructs and teaches him properly.

for his God instructs him correctly and teaches him.

27 F or dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, Nor is the cartwheel driven over cummin; But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a club.

For 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.

28 G rain for bread is crushed, Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it, He does not thresh it longer.

Does 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.

29 T his also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.

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