New Living Translation

Holman Christian Standard Bible

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.

1Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim's drunkards, and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley. Woe to those overcome with wine.

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.

2Look, the Lord has a strong and mighty one-- like a devastating hail storm, like a storm with strong flooding waters. He will bring it across the land with His hand.

3The proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel — will be trampled beneath its enemies’ feet.

3The majestic crown of Ephraim's drunkards will be trampled underfoot.

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.

4The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest. Whoever sees it will swallow it while it is still in his hand.

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.

5On that day the LORD of Hosts will become a crown of beauty and a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people,

6He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates.

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

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.

7These also stagger because of wine and stumble under the influence of beer: priest and prophet stagger because of beer, they are confused by wine. They stumble because of beer, they are muddled in their visions, they stumble in their judgments.

8Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere.

8Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit; there is no place without a stench.

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?

9Who is he trying to teach? Who is he trying to instruct? Infants just weaned from milk? Babies removed from the breast?

10He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”

10For he says: "Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there."

11So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!

11So He will speak to this people with stammering speech and in a foreign language.

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.

12He had said to them:" This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose." But they would not listen.

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.

13Then the word of the LORD came to them:" Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there," so they go stumbling backward, to be broken, trapped, and captured.

14Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.

14Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you mockers who rule this people in Jerusalem.

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.”

15For you said, "We have cut a deal with Death, and we have made an agreement with Sheol; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not touch us, because we have made falsehood our refuge and have hidden behind treachery."

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.

16Therefore the Lord GOD said:" Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable.

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.

17And I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the mason's level." Hail will sweep away the false refuge, and water will flood your hiding place.

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.

18Your deal with Death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled.

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.

19Every time it passes through, it will carry you away; it will pass through every morning-- every day and every night. Only terror will cause you to understand the message.

20The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you.

20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its cover too small to wrap up in.

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:

21For the LORD will rise up as He did at Mount Perazim. He will rise in wrath, as at the Valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing task.

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.

22So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become stronger. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction for the whole land.

23Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention.

23Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say.

24Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?

24Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed? Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil?

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?

25When he has leveled its surface, does he not then scatter black cumin and sow cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, with spelt as their border.

26The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.

26His God teaches him order; He instructs him.

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.

27Certainly black cumin is not threshed with a threshing board, and a cart wheel is not rolled over the cumin. But black cumin is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

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.

28Bread grain is crushed, but is not threshed endlessly. Though the wheel of the farmer's cart rumbles, his horses do not crush it.

29The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.

29This also comes from the LORD of Hosts. He gives wonderful advice; He gives great wisdom.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.