| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard 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, and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley. Woe to those overcome with 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. | 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. |
| 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, 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. |
| 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 become a crown of beauty and 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 the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle 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 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. |
| 8For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean. | 8Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit; there is no place without a stench. |
| 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? | 9Who is he trying to teach? Who is he trying to instruct? Infants just weaned from milk? 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 he says: "Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there." |
| 11For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, | 11So He will speak to this people with stammering speech and in a foreign language. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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, you mockers 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 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." |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 deal with Death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled. |
| 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.” | 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. |
| 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 its cover too small to wrap up in. |
| 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 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. |
| 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 stronger. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction for 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 every day to plant seed? Does he continuously break up and cultivate 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 then scatter black cumin and sow cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, with spelt as their border. |
| 26For He instructs him in right judgment, His God teaches him. | 26His God teaches him order; He instructs him. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 28Bread flour must be ground; Therefore he does not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or crush it with his horsemen. | 28Bread grain is crushed, but is not threshed endlessly. Though the wheel of the farmer's cart rumbles, his 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. He gives wonderful advice; He gives great wisdom. |
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