The Captivity of Ephraim

1O to the crown of pride, wo to the hirelings of Ephraim! a flower falling away is the glory of his beauty which is upon the head of the valley of fatness of those smitten with wine.

2Behold, a strong and active one to Jehovah, as a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, as a storm of vast waters overflowing, let fall to the earth with the hand.

3With the feet shall the crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, be trodden down.

4And the flower falling away was the glory of his beauty which is upon the head of the valley of fatness, as the first-fruits before fruit harvest which he looking at it shall see, in its continuing in his hand he will swallow it up.

5In that day shall Jehovah of armies be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people.

6And for a spirit of judgment to him sitting upon the judgment, and for strength of them turning back the battle of the storm.

7And these also went astray by wine, and by strong drink they erred; the priest and the prophet went astray by strong drink, they were swallowed up from wine, they erred from strong drink, they went astray in seeing, they wavered in judgment.

8For all tables were full of vomit, of filth without place.

9Whom shall he teach knowledge? whom shall he cause to understand hearing? those weaned from milk and those taken away from the breasts.

10For precept to precept, precept to precept; line to line, line to line; a little there, a little there:

11For with the stammerings of the lip and with another tongue he will speak to this people.

12To whom he said to them, This the rest they caused to the weary to rest; and this the quiet: and they would not hear.

13And the word of Jehovah was to them, precept to precept, precept to precept; line to line, line to line; a little there, a little there, so that they shall go and they stumbled backward, and were broken and snared and taken.

A Cornerstone in Zion
(1 Corinthians 3:10–15; Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:1–8)

14For this, hear ye the word of Jehovah, ye men of scorn, ruling this people which is in Jerusalem.

15Because ye said, We cut out a covenant with death, and with hades we did this; when this overflowing scourge passed through it shall not come to us, for we set falsehood our refuge, and in a lie we hid ourselves.

16For this, thus said the Lord. Jehovah, Behold me placing for a foundation in Zion a stone, a stone of trial, a corner precious, a foundation being founded: and he believing shall not hasten.

17And I set judgment to the line and justice to the weight: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of falsehood, and the waters shall overflow the covering.

18And your covenant with death was obliterated, and your league with hades shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through and ye were for a treading down to it.

19When passing through it shall take you: for by morning by morning it shall pass through in the day and in the night: and it was only an agitation to; understand the hearing.

20For the spreading was shortened above stretching out, and the covering narrow for hiding one's self.

21For as mount Perazim shall Jehovah rise up, as the valley in Gibeon shall he be moved to do his work, his strange work, and to work his service, his unknown service.

22And now ye shall not be mocker's lest your bonds shall be strong: for I heard a completion and decision from the Lord. Jehovah of armies upon all the earth.

Listen and Hear

23Give ear and hear my voice; tend and hear my saying.

24Shall he ploughing, plough all the day to sow? shall he open and level his earth?

25Did he not make level its face and disperse the fennel flower, and he will scatter the cummin, and he set the wheat in order, and designated the barley, and the spilt in his bound?

26He will instruct him, according to judgment his God will teach him.

27For the fennel flower shall not be beaten with the threshing sledge, and the wheel of a wagon shall not be turned about upon the cummin; for the fennel flower shall be beaten out with the rod and the cummin with the rod.

28Bread shall be beaten small; for threshing, he will not forever thresh it; and the wheel of his wagon he put in motion and his horsemen shall not beat it small.

29Also this shall come forth from Jehovah of armies, he being wonderful of counsel and great of understanding.