| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valleys, To those who are overcome with wine! | 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. |
| 2Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand. | 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. |
| 3The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot; | 3The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. |
| 4And the glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valley, Like the first fruit before the summer, Which an observer sees; He eats it up while it is still in his hand. | 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. |
| 5In that day the LORD of hosts will be For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty To the remnant of His people, | 5On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people, |
| 6For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. | 6a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate. |
| 7But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment. | 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. |
| 8For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean. | 8For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth. |
| 9“Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? | 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? |
| 10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” | 10For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.” |
| 11For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, | 11Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people |
| 12To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear. | 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. |
| 13But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught. | 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. |
| 14Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, | 14Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. |
| 15Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.” | 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.” |
| 16Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. | 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. |
| 17Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place. | 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. |
| 18Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it. | 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. |
| 19As often as it goes out it will take you; For morning by morning it will pass over, And by day and by night; It will be a terror just to understand the report.” | 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. |
| 20For the bed is too short to stretch out on, And the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it. | 20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you. |
| 21For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon— That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act. | 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. |
| 22Now therefore, do not be mockers, Lest your bonds be made strong; For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts, A destruction determined even upon the whole earth. | 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. |
| 23Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my speech. | 23Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say. |
| 24Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods? | 24Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil? |
| 25When he has leveled its surface, Does he not sow the black cummin And scatter the cummin, Plant the wheat in rows, The barley in the appointed place, And the spelt in its place? | 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. |
| 26For He instructs him in right judgment, His God teaches him. | 26For his God instructs and teaches him properly. |
| 27For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge, Nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin; But the black cummin is beaten out with a stick, And the cummin with a rod. | 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. |
| 28Bread flour must be ground; Therefore he does not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or crush it with his horsemen. | 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. |
| 29This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance. | 29This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. |
|
