MLV(i)
1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley of those who are overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one. As a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty waters overflowing, he will cast down to the earth with the hand.
3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden under foot. 4 And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, will be as the first-ripe fig before the summer, which, when he who looks upon it sees, while it is yet in his hand, he eats it up.
5 In that day Jehovah of hosts will become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people, 6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 And even these reel with wine and wander around with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up of wine. They wander around with strong drink; they reel in vision; they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit, filthiness, no place clean.
9 Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those who are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little. 11 No, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue he will speak to this people, 12 to whom he said, This is the rest. Give rest to him who is weary. And this is the refreshing. Yet they would not hear.
13 Therefore the word of Jehovah will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken.
14 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, you* scoffers, who rule this people that is in Jerusalem. 15 Because you* have said, We have made a covenant with death and we are at agreement with Sheol. When the overflowing scourge will pass through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge and we have hid ourselves under falsehood. 16 Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner- stone, a sure foundation. He who believes in him will never be shamed. 17 And I will make justice the line and righteousness the plummet.
And the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies and the waters will overflow the hiding place. 18 And your* covenant with death will be annulled and your* agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overflowing scourge will pass through, then you* will be trodden down by it. 19 As often as it passes though, it will take you*. For morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night. And it will be nothing but terror to understand the report. 20 For the bed is shorter than what a man can stretch himself on it and the covering narrower than what he can wrap himself in it.
21 For Jehovah will rise up as in Mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his foreign work and work his work, his alien work.
22 Now therefore be you* not scoffers, lest your* bonds be made strong. For I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, upon the whole earth. 23 Listen and hear my voice, listen and hear my speech.
24 Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? 25 When he has leveled the face of it, does he not cast abroad the chick-peas and scatter the cummin and put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place and the spelt in the border of it?
26 For his God instructs him aright, and teaches him. 27 For the chick-peas are not threshed with a sharp instrument, nor is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin, but the chick-peas are beaten out with a staff and the cummin with a rod. 28 Bread grain is ground, for he will not be always threshing it. And though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he does not grind it. 29 This also comes forth from Jehovah of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden under foot. 4 And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, will be as the first-ripe fig before the summer, which, when he who looks upon it sees, while it is yet in his hand, he eats it up.
5 In that day Jehovah of hosts will become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people, 6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 And even these reel with wine and wander around with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up of wine. They wander around with strong drink; they reel in vision; they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit, filthiness, no place clean.
9 Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those who are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little. 11 No, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue he will speak to this people, 12 to whom he said, This is the rest. Give rest to him who is weary. And this is the refreshing. Yet they would not hear.
13 Therefore the word of Jehovah will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken.
14 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, you* scoffers, who rule this people that is in Jerusalem. 15 Because you* have said, We have made a covenant with death and we are at agreement with Sheol. When the overflowing scourge will pass through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge and we have hid ourselves under falsehood. 16 Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner- stone, a sure foundation. He who believes in him will never be shamed. 17 And I will make justice the line and righteousness the plummet.
And the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies and the waters will overflow the hiding place. 18 And your* covenant with death will be annulled and your* agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overflowing scourge will pass through, then you* will be trodden down by it. 19 As often as it passes though, it will take you*. For morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night. And it will be nothing but terror to understand the report. 20 For the bed is shorter than what a man can stretch himself on it and the covering narrower than what he can wrap himself in it.
21 For Jehovah will rise up as in Mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his foreign work and work his work, his alien work.
22 Now therefore be you* not scoffers, lest your* bonds be made strong. For I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, upon the whole earth. 23 Listen and hear my voice, listen and hear my speech.
24 Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? 25 When he has leveled the face of it, does he not cast abroad the chick-peas and scatter the cummin and put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place and the spelt in the border of it?
26 For his God instructs him aright, and teaches him. 27 For the chick-peas are not threshed with a sharp instrument, nor is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin, but the chick-peas are beaten out with a staff and the cummin with a rod. 28 Bread grain is ground, for he will not be always threshing it. And though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he does not grind it. 29 This also comes forth from Jehovah of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.