| Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
| 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. | 1The splendid crown of Ephraim's drunkards is doomed, the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, the crown of those overcome with 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. | 2Look, the sovereign master sends a strong, powerful one. With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, he will knock that crown to the ground with his hand. |
| 3The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. | 3The splendid crown of Ephraim's drunkards will be trampled underfoot. |
| 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. | 4The withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, will be like an early fig before harvest--as soon as someone notices it, he grabs it and swallows it. |
| 5On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people, | 5At that time the LORD who commands armies will become a beautiful crown and a splendid diadem for 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 discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. |
| 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. | 7Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer--priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused because of wine, they stumble around because of beer; they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, they totter while making legal decisions. |
| 8For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth. | 8Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit; no place is untouched. |
| 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? | 9Who is the LORD trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother's breast! |
| 10For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.” | 10Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. |
| 11Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people | 11For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people. |
| 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. | 12In the past he said to them, "This is where security can be found. Provide security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found." But they refused to 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's word to them will sound like meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, and be injured, ensnared, and captured. |
| 14Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. | 14Therefore, listen to the LORD's word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside 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.” | 15For you say, "We have made a treaty with death, with Sheol we have made an agreement. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by it will not reach us. For we have made a lie our refuge, we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word." |
| 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 master, the LORD, says: "Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic. |
| 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 make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line; hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place. |
| 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. | 18Your treaty with death will be dissolved; your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, you will be overrun by it. |
| 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. | 19Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you; indeed, every morning it will sweep by, it will come through during the day and the night." When this announcement is understood, it will cause nothing but terror. |
| 20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you. | 20For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. |
| 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. | 21For the LORD will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, to accomplish his work, his peculiar work, to perform his task, his strange task. |
| 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. | 22So now, do not mock, or your chains will become heavier! For I have heard a message about decreed destruction, from the sovereign master, the LORD who commands armies, against the entire land. |
| 23Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say. | 23Pay attention and listen to my message! Be attentive and listen to what I have to say! |
| 24Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil? | 24Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground? |
| 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. | 25Once he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant, sow the seed of the cumin plant, and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places? |
| 26For his God instructs and teaches him properly. | 26His God instructs him; he teaches him the principles of agriculture. |
| 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. | 27Certainly caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed. Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick, and cumin seed 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 is crushed, though one certainly does not thresh it forever. The wheel of one's wagon rolls over it, but his horses do not crush it. |
| 29This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. | 29This also comes from the LORD who commands armies, who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom. |
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