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 his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are overcome 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 hath a mighty and strong one; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty waters overflowing, will he cast down to the earth with the hand.

3 T he crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot;

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

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 his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as the first-ripe fig 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 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 day will Jehovah of hosts become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, unto the residue 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 that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them that 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.

And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8 F or all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean.

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

Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn 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; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little.

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

Nay, but by men of strange lips and with 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 whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

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 shall the word of Jehovah be unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; 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,

Wherefore hear the word of Jehovah, ye scoffers, that rule this people that is 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 ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol 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 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 saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner -stone of sure foundation: he that believeth shall not be in haste.

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.

And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.

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 shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall 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 passeth through, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night: and it shall be nought but terror to understand the message.

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 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 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 Jehovah will rise up as in mount Perazim, he will 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 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 be ye not scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for a decree of destruction have I heard from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, upon the whole earth.

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

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

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

Doth he that ploweth to sow plow continually? doth he continually open and harrow his ground?

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 hath levelled the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and put in the wheat in rows, and the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in the border thereof?

26 F or He instructs him in right judgment, His God teaches him.

For his God doth instruct him aright, and doth teach 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 the fitches are not threshed with a sharp 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 B read flour must be ground; Therefore he does not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or crush it with his horsemen.

Bread grain is ground; for he will not be always threshing it: and though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he doth not grind it.

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

This also cometh forth from Jehovah of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.