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, 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!

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 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.

3 B y feet trodden down is the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,

The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot;

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 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.

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 day the Lord of hosts will be For 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.

For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, And for 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 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.

8 F or all tables have been full of vomit, Filth -- without place!

For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place 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,

“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?

10 F or rule on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,

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

11 F or by scorned lip, and by another tongue, Doth He speak unto this people.

For with stammering lips and another tongue He will 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 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.

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.

But 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.

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 scornful men, Who rule this people who are 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 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

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

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.

Also 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.

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.

Your 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.

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 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.”

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 to stretch out on, And the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.

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 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.

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 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

23 G ive ear, and hear my voice, Attend, and hear my saying:

Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my speech.

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

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

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 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?

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

For He instructs him in right judgment, His God 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 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.

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.

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

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 and excellent in guidance.