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 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!

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 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.

3 T he crown of pride, the drunk men of Ephraim, will be crushed under foot.

The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot.

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 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.

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 the Lord of hosts will become a beautiful crown And a glorious diadem to the remnant 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.

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

And 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.

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

For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.

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?

“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?

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

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

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

Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

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.

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

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

So 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

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

Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, O scoffers, Who rule this people who are 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 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.”

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 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.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.”

“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.”

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

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

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 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.

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

And 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.

23 L isten 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 all the time to plant seed? Does he keep on turning and digging up the ground?

Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he continually turn and harrow the 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?

Does 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?

26 F or his God tells him what to do and teaches him the right way.

For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

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 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.

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.

Grain 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.

29 T his also comes from the Lord of All, Who has given wonderful wise words and great wisdom.

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