King James Bible

International Standard Version

1Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are 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 hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the 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 crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

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

4And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

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 shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue 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 for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to 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.

7But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in 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 vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

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

9Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

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 precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and 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 with stammering lips and another tongue will he 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 said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: 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.

13But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might 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.

14Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

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

15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

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 saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make 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.

17Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

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.

18And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden 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.

19From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

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 shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

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

21For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

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 be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

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 ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

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

24Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

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

25When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

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 his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

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

27For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin 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.

28Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

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 cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

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

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.