| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine. | 1What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine. |
| 2Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground. | 2For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground. |
| 3The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. | 3The proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel — will be trampled beneath its enemies’ feet. |
| 4The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest: Whoever sees it will take it in his hand and swallow it. | 4It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. Whoever sees it will snatch it up, as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten. |
| 5On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people, | 5Then at last the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people. |
| 6a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate. | 6He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates. |
| 7These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments. | 7Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions. |
| 8For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth. | 8Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere. |
| 9Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast? | 9“Who does the LORD think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned? |
| 10For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.” | 10He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!” |
| 11Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people | 11So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! |
| 12to whom He has said: “This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen. | 12God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen. |
| 13Then the word of the LORD to them will become: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go stumbling backward and will be injured, ensnared, and captured. | 13So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured. |
| 14Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. | 14Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem. |
| 15For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” | 15You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.” |
| 16So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken. | 16Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. |
| 17I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place. | 17I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. |
| 18Your covenant with death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it. | 18I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground. |
| 19As often as it passes through, it will carry you away; it will sweep through morning after morning, by day and by night.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror. | 19Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away.” This message will bring terror to your people. |
| 20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you. | 20The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you. |
| 21For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim. He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing task. | 21The LORD will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange thing; he will come to do an unusual deed: |
| 22So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become heavier. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land. | 22For the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land. So scoff no more, or your punishment will be even greater. |
| 23Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say. | 23Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention. |
| 24Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil? | 24Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? |
| 25When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, and rye within its border. | 25Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place? |
| 26For his God instructs and teaches him properly. | 26The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. |
| 27Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin. But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. | 27A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail. |
| 28Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it. | 28Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn’t keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn’t pulverize it. |
| 29This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. | 29The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom. |
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