1 W oe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valleys, To 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 mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them 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 crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot;

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

4 A nd the glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valley, Like the first fruit before the summer, Which an observer sees; He eats it up while it is still in his hand.

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 be For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty 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 F or a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, And for strength to those who turn back the battle 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 B ut they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in 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 tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean.

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

9 “ Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?

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 F or precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”

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

11 F or with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,

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

12 T o whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.

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 B ut the word of the Lord was to 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 caught.

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, you scornful men, 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 are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.” A Cornerstone in Zion

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 lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.

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 A lso I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding 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 Y our covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it.

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 A s often as it goes out it will take you; For morning by morning it will pass over, And by day and by night; It will be a terror just to understand the report.”

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 F or the bed is too short to stretch out on, And the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.

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 angry as in the Valley of Gibeon— That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.

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 N ow therefore, do not be mockers, Lest your bonds be made strong; For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts, A destruction determined even upon the whole earth. Listen to the Teaching of God

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 speech.

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

24 D oes the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?

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

25 W hen he has leveled its surface, Does he not sow the black cummin And scatter the cummin, Plant the wheat in rows, The barley in the appointed place, And the spelt in its place?

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 He instructs him in right judgment, His God teaches him.

for his God instructs him correctly and teaches him.

27 F or the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge, Nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin; But the black cummin is beaten out with a stick, And the cummin with a rod.

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 B read flour must be ground; Therefore he does not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or crush it with his horsemen.

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 is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.

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