| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 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! | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 3With hands and feet, that proud garland — those drunks of Ephraim—will be trampled. | 3The splendid crown of Ephraim's drunkards will be trampled underfoot. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 5At that time, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will become a glorious crown, a beautiful diadem for 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. |
| 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. | 6He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. |
| 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. | 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 the tables are covered in vomit and filth, with no clean space left. | 8Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit; no place is untouched. |
| 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? | 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 it is: "Do this and do that, do this and do that, Line upon line, line upon line, a little here, a little there." | 10Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. |
| 11Very well, then, through the mouths of foreigners and foreign languages the LORD will speak to this people | 11For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 14"Therefore hear the message from the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people that are in Jerusalem. | 14Therefore, listen to the LORD's word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside 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' | 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." |
| 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, 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 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, | 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. |
| 20because the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its blankets too narrow to wrap around oneself! | 20For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 23"Pay attention! Listen to what I have to say; Pay attention, and hear my speech. | 23Pay attention and listen to my message! Be attentive and listen to what I have to say! |
| 24Does he who plows for sowing plow all the time? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing his field? | 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, 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? | 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? |
| 26His God instructs him regarding the correct way, directing him how to plant. | 26His God instructs him; he teaches him the principles of agriculture. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 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 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 who commands armies, who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom. |
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