International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

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!

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 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.

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.

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

3The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot.

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.

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.

5At that time, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will become a glorious crown, a beautiful diadem for 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;

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.

6A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.

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.

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.

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

8For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.

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?

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 it is: "Do this and do that, do this and do that, Line upon line, line upon 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.'"

11Very well, then, through the mouths of foreigners and foreign languages the LORD will speak to this people

11Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

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.

12He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen.

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.

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.

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

14Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,

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'

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 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.

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 plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and floods will overflow 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.

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.

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.

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,

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."

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

20The bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

23Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words.

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

24Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he continually turn and harrow the ground?

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?

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

26For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

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.

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.

28It must be ground; one cannot keep threshing it forever. Even if he drives his cart and horses over it, he cannot 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 insight also comes from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, who is distinguished in practical advice and magnificent in sound wisdom."

29This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.

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

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