1 I t is a time of trouble to the crown of pride and to the drunk men of Ephraim, whose shining beauty is a dying flower. It is at the head of the rich valley of those who have taken too much 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 S ee, the Lord has one who is strong and powerful, like a storm of hail, a destroying storm. As with a flood of powerful waters flowing over, He will bring them down to the earth with His 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 T he crown of pride, the drunk men of Ephraim, will be crushed under foot.

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

4 T he dying flower of its shining beauty which is at the head of the rich valley will be like the first fig grown before the summer. When one sees it, he takes it in his hand and eats it.

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 day the Lord of All will be a crown of shining-greatness, a beautiful crown to those who are left 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 H e will be a spirit of what is fair to him who judges the people. He will be a 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 T hese also walk from one side to the other side because of wine and strong drink. The religious leaders and the men who tell what will happen in the future make mistakes because of strong drink. They are troubled by wine. They walk from side to side because of strong drink. They make mistakes as they have special dreams. And they make mistakes when judging between right and wrong.

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 A ll the tables are covered with what they have spit up. There is no place that is clean.

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

9 “ Who is it He is trying to teach? To whom will He tell what He has to say? Children finished with their nursing and just taken from the breast?

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 He says, ‘Law on law, law on law, rule on rule, rule on rule, a little here, a little there.’”

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

11 T he Lord will speak to these people through men from other lands and in strange languages.

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

12 H e Who said to them, “This is rest, give rest to the tired and weak.” And, “This is the place to rest,” but 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 S o the Word of the Lord to them will be, “Law on law, law on law, rule on rule, rule on rule, a little here, a little there,” that they may go and fall back, be broken, trapped, and taken away by those who hate them. A Stone of Great Worth in Jerusalem

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 S o hear the Word of the Lord, you who laugh at the truth, who rule the people in Jerusalem!

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

15 Y ou have said, “We have made an agreement with death. With the place of the dead we have made an agreement. The destroying flood will not touch us when it passes by. We have made lies our safe place. We have hidden ourselves with what is false.”

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 S o the Lord God says, “See, I lay in Jerusalem a Stone of great worth to build upon, a tested Stone. Anyone who puts his trust in Him will not be afraid of what will happen.

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 A nd I will use what is fair to decide about the base. And I will use what is right and good to make it straight. Then hail will take away all the lies you depend on, and the waters will flow over the place where you hide.

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 Y our agreement with death will come to an end. Your agreement with the place of the dead will be stopped. When a flood of trouble passes through, you will be beaten 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. And it will pass through morning after morning, anytime during the day or night. To understand what it means will bring much fear.”

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 T he bed is too short to lie on in comfort. And the covering is too small to put around yourself.

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, to do what He needs to do, His strange act, and to do His work, His different kind of work.

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 S o now do not laugh, or your chains will be made stronger. I have heard that the Lord God of All plans to destroy the whole earth. The Wisdom of God

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 L isten and hear my voice. Listen and hear my words.

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

24 D oes the farmer plow all the time to plant seed? Does he keep on turning and digging up the ground?

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

25 W hen he gets the ground ready to plant, does he not sow dill seeds and cummin seeds and wheat in rows? Does he not put barley in its place, and rye in the right place?

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 tells him what to do and teaches him the right way.

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

27 D ill is not crushed with a crushing object. And the wagon wheel is not rolled over cummin. But dill is beaten out with a stick, and cummin with a heavy stick.

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 G rain for bread is crushed. He does not keep on crushing it forever. When he drives his wagon-wheel over it with his horses, it does not crush 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 All, Who has given wonderful wise words and great wisdom.

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