English Standard Version

International Standard Version

1Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!

1How terrible it will be for that arrogant garland— the drunks of Ephraim! How terrible it will be for that fading flower of his glorious beauty, which sits on the heads of people bloated with food, of people overcome with wine!

2Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters, he casts down to the earth with his hand.

2Look! The LORD has one who is mighty and strong, like a hailstorm and destructive tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing water— and he will give rest to the land.

3The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot;

3With hands and feet, that proud garland — those drunks of Ephraim—will be trampled.

4and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer: when someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it is in his hand.

4And that fading flower, his glorious beauty, which sits on the heads of people bloated with food, will be like an early fig before summer— whenever someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it's in his hand.

5In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,

5At that time, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will become a glorious crown, a beautiful diadem for the remnant of his people,

6and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

6and a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment.

7These people also stagger from wine and reel from strong drink. Priests and prophets stagger from strong drink; they're drunk from wine; they reel from strong drink, waver when seeing visions, and stumble when rendering decisions.

8For all tables are full of filthy vomit, with no space left.

8For all the tables are covered in vomit and filth, with no clean space left.

9“To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?

9To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? To children just weaned from milk? To those just taken from the breast?

10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

10For it is: "Do this and do that, do this and do that, Line upon line, line upon line, a little here, a little there."

11For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD will speak to this people,

11Very well, then, through the mouths of foreigners and foreign languages the LORD will speak to this people

12to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear.

12to whom he said, "This is the resting place, so give rest to the weary"' and, "This is the place of repose"— but they would not listen.

13And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

13So, then, the message from the LORD to them will become: "Do this and do that, do this and do that, line upon line, line upon line, a little here, a little there," so that they will go, but fall backward, and be injured, snared, and captured.

14Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem!

14"Therefore hear the message from the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people that are in Jerusalem.

15Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;

15Because you said: 'We have entered into a covenant with death, and we have an agreement with Sheol, so when the overwhelming scourge makes its choice, it cannot reach us, since we have made lies our refuge and have concealed ourselves inside falsehood'

16therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’

16therefore this is what the LORD God says: "Look! I am laying a foundation stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation: Whoever believes firmly will not act hastily.

17And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

17And I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and floods will overflow your hiding place.

18Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it.

18"Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be trampled by it.

19As often as it passes through it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.

19As often as it sweeps through, it will carry you away, for it will sweep by morning after morning in the day; but understanding this message will bring sheer terror at night,

20For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.

20because the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its blankets too narrow to wrap around oneself!

21For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work!

21For the LORD will stand upon Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself in the Valley of Gibeon; to carry out his work— his strange deed, and to perform his task— his alien task!

22Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord GOD of hosts against the whole land.

22But as for you, don't start mocking, or your chains will become tighter; for I have heard from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies about destruction, and it is decreed against the whole land.

23Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech.

23"Pay attention! Listen to what I have to say; Pay attention, and hear my speech.

24Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground?

24Does he who plows for sowing plow all the time? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing his field?

25When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border?

25When he has leveled its surface, he scatters caraway and sows cumin, doesn't he? He plants wheat in rows, barley in its designated place, and feed for livestock around its borders, doesn't he?

26For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him.

26His God instructs him regarding the correct way, directing him how to plant.

27Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

27For caraway is not threshed with a sharp sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin. Instead, caraway is winnowed with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

28Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it.

28It must be ground; one cannot keep threshing it forever. Even if he drives his cart and horses over it, he cannot crush it.

29This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

29This insight also comes from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, who is distinguished in practical advice and magnificent in sound wisdom."

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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