1 W o the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim. And the fading flower of the beauty of his glory, That on the head of the fat valley of the broken down of 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 L o, a mighty and strong one to the Lord, As a storm of hail -- a destructive shower, As an inundation of mighty waters overflowing, He cast down to the earth with the 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 B y feet trodden down is the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,

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

4 A nd the fading flower of the beauty of his glory That on the head of the fat valley, Hath been as its first-fruit before summer, That its beholder seeth, While it yet in his hand he swalloweth 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 is Jehovah of Hosts For a crown of beauty, and for a diadem of glory, 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 nd for a spirit of judgment To him who is sitting in the judgment, And for might those turning back the battle to 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 even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially.

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 have been full of vomit, Filth -- without place!

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

9 B y whom doth He teach knowledge? And by whom doth He cause to understand the report? The weaned from milk, the removed from 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 rule on rule, rule on rule, 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 F or by scorned lip, and by another tongue, Doth He speak unto this people.

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

12 U nto whom He hath said, `This the rest, give ye rest to the weary, And this -- the refreshing:' And they have not been willing to 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 A nd to whom a word of Jehovah hath been, Rule on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there, So that they go and have stumbled backward, And been broken, and snared, and captured.

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 a word of Jehovah, ye men of scorning, Ruling this people that in Jerusalem.

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

15 B ecause ye have said: `We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a provision, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Doth not meet us, Though we have made a lie our refuge, And in falsehood have been hidden.'

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 said the Lord Jehovah: `Lo, I am laying a foundation in Zion, A stone -- a tried stone, a corner stone precious, a settled foundation, He who is believing doth not make haste.

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 nd I have put judgment for a line, And righteousness for a plummet, And sweep away doth hail the refuge of lies, And the secret hiding-place do waters overflow.

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 A nd disannulled hath been your covenant with death, And your provision with Sheol doth not stand, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Then ye have been to it for a treading-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 F rom the fulness of its passing over it taketh you, For morning by morning it passeth over, By day and by night, And it hath been only a trembling to consider 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 shorter hath been the bed Than to stretch one's self out in, And the covering hath been narrower Than to wrap one's self up 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 as mount Perazim rise doth Jehovah, As the valley in Gibeon He is troubled, To do His work -- strange His work, And to do His deed -- strange His deed.'

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, show not yourselves scorners, Lest strong be your bands, For a consumption, that is determined, I have heard, by the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, for all the land.

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, Attend, and hear my saying:

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

24 T he whole day plougheth the ploughman to sow? He openeth and harroweth his ground!

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

25 H ath he not, if he have made level its face, Then scattered fitches, and cummin sprinkle, And hath placed the principal wheat, And the appointed barley, And the rie its own border?

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 A nd instruct him for judgment doth his God, He doth direct him.

for his God instructs him correctly and teaches him.

27 F or not with a sharp-pointed thing threshed are fitches, And the wheel of a cart on cummin turned round, For with a staff beaten out are fitches, And 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- is beaten small, For not for ever doth he sorely thresh it, Nor crushed hath a wheel of his cart, Nor do his hoofs beat it small.

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 E ven this from Jehovah of Hosts hath gone out, He hath made counsel wonderful, He hath made wisdom great!

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