| Holman Christian Standard Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 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. | 1Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine! |
| 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. | 2Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent; As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters, He has cast it down to the earth with His hand. |
| 3The majestic crown of Ephraim's drunkards will be trampled underfoot. | 3The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot. |
| 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. | 4And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley, Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand, He swallows it. |
| 5On that day the LORD of Hosts will become a crown of beauty and a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people, | 5In that day the LORD of hosts will become a beautiful crown And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people; |
| 6a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. | 6A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate. |
| 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. | 7And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. |
| 8Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit; there is no place without a stench. | 8For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place. |
| 9Who is he trying to teach? Who is he trying to instruct? Infants just weaned from milk? Babies removed from the breast? | 9"To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? |
| 10For he says: "Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there." | 10"For He says, 'Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.'" |
| 11So He will speak to this people with stammering speech and in a foreign language. | 11Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, |
| 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. | 12He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen. |
| 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. | 13So the word of the LORD to them will be, "Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there," That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive. |
| 14Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you mockers who rule this people in Jerusalem. | 14Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, |
| 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." | 15Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception." |
| 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. | 16Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. |
| 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. | 17"I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. |
| 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. | 18"Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. |
| 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. | 19"As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means." |
| 20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its cover too small to wrap up in. | 20The bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in. |
| 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. | 21For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon, To do His task, His unusual task, And to work His work, His extraordinary work. |
| 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. | 22And now do not carry on as scoffers, Or your fetters will be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts Of decisive destruction on all the earth. |
| 23Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say. | 23Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words. |
| 24Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed? Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil? | 24Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he continually turn and harrow the ground? |
| 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. | 25Does he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter cummin And plant wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its area? |
| 26His God teaches him order; He instructs him. | 26For his God instructs and teaches him properly. |
| 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. | 27For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, Nor is the cartwheel driven over cummin; But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a club. |
| 28Bread grain is crushed, but is not threshed endlessly. Though the wheel of the farmer's cart rumbles, his horses do not crush it. | 28Grain for bread is crushed, Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it, He does not thresh it longer. |
| 29This also comes from the LORD of Hosts. He gives wonderful advice; He gives great wisdom. | 29This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great. |
| Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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