28 It will be very bad for Ephraim's beautiful city, Samaria! The people who live there drink too much wine and they become drunk. They are proud of their great city. It is on a hill above a valley where many good things grow. It is like a beautiful flower, but it will be beautiful no more and it will die.
2 Look! The Lord God is sending a strong and powerful army to attack it. [ b ] It comes like a strong storm of ice. Its wind destroys everything. It is like rain that pours down and causes a flood. He will knock down Ephraim's great city to the ground with his great power!
3 The drunk people of Samaria think that their city is great. But their enemies will knock it down and walk all over it. 4 The city is like a beautiful flower that will soon die. It is on a hill above a valley where many good things grow. But it will be like a fig on a tree. It is ready to eat before the harvest time. When someone sees it, he will quickly pick it. And he will eat it!
5 At that time. the Lord Almighty will be a great leader of his people. He will be like a beautiful crown for his people who still remain alive. 6 He will help judges to decide what is right. He will give strength to the people who keep the city safe from those who attack it.
7 But now wine causes the leaders in Ephraim to become drunk. They cannot walk in a straight line because they drink too much beer. Beer causes the priests and the prophets to fall over. Wine confuses their minds. When they see visions, they cannot understand them. When they judge people, they cannot decide what is right.
8 They are sick over all their tables. Everywhere is covered with dirt.
9 They say, ‘Why does the Lord try to teach us like that? Who does he think that we are? He speaks to us as if we are babies! He thinks that we have just left our mother's breast! 10 He teaches us one rule at a time, one line at a time. He says it several times, a little bit here, a little bit there.’
11 So now the Lord will use foreign enemies to speak to these people. He will speak to them in a strange language.
12 In the past, he said to them, ‘This is a place where you can rest when you are tired. It is a place where you can be safe.’ But his people refused to listen. 13 So the Lord 's message will seem to them like, ‘One rule at a time, one line at a time, a little bit here, a little bit there.’ So as they try to move forward, they will fall over. An enemy will hurt them, and he will catch them in a trap.
14 So listen to the Lord 's message, you leaders in Jerusalem who rule these people. Do not laugh at what the Lord is doing.
15 You boast, ‘We have made a covenant with death. Yes, we have made an agreement with Sheol. When trouble comes to our city like a deep flood of water, we will be safe. We trust in our lies to keep us safe.’
16 So the Almighty Lord says this:
‘Look! I am putting a special stone in Zion. It is a valuable stone, because it makes a strong foundation at the corner of my building. Anyone who trusts in that foundation will never be disappointed.
17 Justice and righteousness will make that foundation strong and true. But if you trust in lies, a storm of ice will destroy your safe place. A flood of water will destroy the place where you are hiding. 18 I will stop your covenant with death. Your agreement with Sheol will not continue. When trouble comes like a deep flood of water, it will drown you. 19 A flood of punishment will come again and again, and it will carry you away. It will come every morning, and all through the day and the night.’
When you understand this message from the Lord , you will be very afraid. 20 You will not be able to rest, like a tall person who tries to sleep on a short bed. Your blanket will not cover your whole body.
21 But the Lord will do a great thing, like he did at Mount Perazim. He will be very angry, as he was in the Gibeon Valley. He will do something that is very wonderful and strange.
22 So do not laugh at me when I warn you. If you do not listen, your punishment will become even worse. The Lord Almighty has told me what he has decided. He has decided to destroy the whole land.
23 So listen carefully to my message. Hear what I am saying!
24 A farmer ploughs the ground because he wants to plant seeds in it. He does not continue to plough for ever. 25 When he has prepared the ground, he plants many different seeds. He plants dill and cummin. He plants wheat, barley and different grains in their proper places.
26 God teaches the farmer and he tells him the right thing to do. 27 After the harvest, the farmer knows how to remove seeds from dill or from cummin. He will not pull a heavy iron weight over dill. He will not run the wheels of a cart over cummin. Instead, he will hit them with a light stick.
28 When he crushes grain to make flour for bread, he does not do it for a long time. He drives the wheels of his cart over the grain, but he does not let his horses crush it.
29 The Lord Almighty causes farmers to know all that. His ideas are very wise, and he shows us how to live in a wise way.
28 Look at Samaria!
The drunks of Ephraim are proud of that city.
It sits on a hill with a rich valley around it.
The Samarians think their city is a beautiful crown of flowers.
But they are drunk with wine,
and this “beautiful crown” is just a dying plant.
2 Look, the Lord has someone who is strong and brave.
He will come into the country like a storm of hail and rain.
Like a powerful river of water flooding the country,
he will throw that crown [ a ] down to the ground.
3 The drunks of Ephraim are proud of their beautiful crown,
but that city will be trampled down.
4 That city sits on a hill with a rich valley around it.
But that beautiful crown of flowers is just a dying plant.
It will be like the first figs of summer.
As soon as someone sees a ripe one, they pick it and eat it.
5 At that time the Lord All-Powerful will become the “Beautiful Crown.” He will be the “Wonderful Crown of Flowers” for his people who are left. 6 Then he will give wisdom to the judges who rule his people. He will give strength to the people who are in battles at the city gates. 7 But now those leaders are drunk. The priests and prophets are all drunk with wine and beer. They stumble and fall down. The prophets are drunk when they see their dreams. The judges are drunk when they make their decisions. 8 Every table is covered with vomit. There is not a clean place anywhere.
9 The people say, “Who does he think he is trying to teach and explain his message to? Does he think we are babies who were at their mother’s breast only a very short time ago? 10 He speaks to us as though we were babies:
“Saw lasaw saw lasaw
Qaw laqaw qaw laqaw
Ze’er sham ze’er sham.” [ b ]
11 So God will use this strange way of talking, and he will use other languages to speak to these people.
12 In the past he spoke to them and said, “Here is a resting place. Let those who are tired come and rest. This is the place of peace.”
But they would not listen to him. 13 So the Lord ’s words will be senseless sounds [ c ] to them:
“Saw lasaw saw lasaw.
Qaw laqaw qaw laqaw.
Ze’er sham ze’er sham.”
When the people try to walk, they will fall backwards. They will be defeated, trapped, and captured.
14 You leaders in Jerusalem should listen to the Lord ’s message, but now you refuse to listen to him. 15 You have said, “We have made an agreement with death. We have a contract with death. So we will not be punished. Punishment will pass us without hurting us. We will hide behind our tricks and lies.”
16 Because of these things, the Lord God says, “I will put a rock—a cornerstone—in the ground in Zion. This will be a very precious stone. [ d ] Everything will be built on this very important rock. Anyone who trusts in that rock will not be disappointed. [ e ]
17 “Workers use a string and weight to show their work is straight and true. I will use justice as the string and goodness as the weight when I lay that foundation. But your safe places were built on lies. So they will be destroyed and washed away when the troubles come against you like hail storms and floods. 18 Your agreement with death will be erased. Your contract with Sheol will not help you.
“Someone will come and punish you. He will make you like the dirt he walks on. 19 He will come and take you away. Your punishment will be terrible. Your punishment will come early in the morning, and it will continue late into the night.
“Then you will understand this story: 20 A man tried to sleep on a bed that was too short for him. He had a blanket that was not wide enough to cover him. The bed and blanket were useless, and so were your agreements. ”
21 The Lord will fight as he did at Mount Perazim. He will be angry as he was in Gibeon Valley. [ f ] He will do what he must do. It will be what some stranger should do, but he will finish his work. Yes, this is a stranger’s job. 22 Now don’t complain about these things. If you fight against them, you will only tighten the ropes around you.
The words I heard will not change. They came from the Lord God All-Powerful, the ruler of all the earth, and these things will be done.
23 Listen closely to the message I am telling you. 24 Does a farmer plow his field all the time? No, he doesn’t work the soil all the time. 25 A farmer prepares the ground, and then he plants the seed. He plants different kinds of seeds different ways. He scatters dill seeds, he throws cumin seeds on the ground, and he plants wheat in rows. A farmer plants barley in its special place, and he plants spelt seeds at the edge of his field.
26 Our God is using this to teach you a lesson. This example shows us that God is fair when he punishes his people. 27 Does a farmer use large boards with sharp teeth to crush dill seeds? No, and he doesn’t use a wagon to crush cumin seeds. A farmer uses a small stick to break the hulls from these seeds of grain. 28 People grind grain to make flour, but they don’t grind it forever. As God does in punishing people, a worker might drive his wagon over the grain to remove the hulls, but he does not allow the horses [ g ] to crush it. 29 This lesson comes from the Lord All-Powerful, who gives wonderful advice. He is very wise.
28 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.
3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:
4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,
6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord , ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God , Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?
25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?
26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.
29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.
28 Woe to the proud crown of the ( A ) habitually drunk of ( B ) Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [ a ] fertile valley
Of those who are [ b ] overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and ( C ) mighty agent ;
As a storm of ( D ) hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of ( E ) mighty overflowing waters,
He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.
3 The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is ( F ) trampled underfoot.
4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [ c ] fertile valley,
Will be like the ( G ) first-ripe fig prior to the summer,
Which [ d ] one sees,
And [ e ] as soon as it is in his [ f ] hand,
He swallows it.
5 On that day the ( H ) Lord of armies will become a beautiful ( I ) crown
And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;
6 A ( J ) spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A ( K ) strength to those who repel the [ g ] onslaught at the gate.
7 And these also ( L ) reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:
( M ) The priest and ( N ) the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from ( O ) intoxicating drink;
They reel while [ h ] having ( P ) visions,
They stagger when rendering a verdict.
8 For all the tables are full of filthy ( Q ) vomit, without a single clean place.
9 “To ( R ) whom would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just ( S ) weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 For He says ,
‘ [ i ] ( T ) Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.’”
11 Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through ( U ) stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 He who said to them, “This is the ( V ) place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”
And, “This is the resting place,” but they would not listen.
13 So the word of the Lord to them will be,
“ [ j ] Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and ( W ) stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
14 Therefore, ( X ) hear the word of the Lord , you ( Y ) scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, “We have made a ( Z ) covenant with death,
And with [ k ] Sheol we have made a [ l ] pact.
( AA ) The [ m ] gushing flood will not reach us when it passes by,
Because we have made ( AB ) falsehood our refuge and we have ( AC ) concealed ourselves with deception.”
16 Therefore this is what the Lord [ n ] God says:
“ ( AD ) Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested ( AE ) stone,
A precious cornerstone for the foundation, [ o ] firmly placed.
The one who believes in it will not be [ p ] disturbed.
17 I will make ( AF ) justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then ( AG ) hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
18 Your ( AH ) covenant with death will be [ q ] ( AI ) canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the ( AJ ) [ r ] gushing flood passes through,
Then you will become its ( AK ) trampling ground .
19 As ( AL ) often as it passes through, it will [ s ] seize you;
For ( AM ) morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be [ t ] sheer ( AN ) terror to understand [ u ] what it means.”
20 The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the ( AO ) blanket is too [ v ] small to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up as at Mount ( AP ) Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the Valley of ( AQ ) Gibeon,
To do His ( AR ) task, His [ w ] ( AS ) unusual task,
And to work His work, His [ x ] extraordinary work.
22 And now do not carry on as ( AT ) scoffers,
Or your shackles will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord [ y ] God of armies
Of decisive ( AU ) destruction on all the earth.
23 Listen and hear my voice,
Pay attention and hear my words.
24 Does the [ z ] farmer plow [ aa ] continually to plant seed?
Does he continually [ ab ] turn and break up his ground?
25 Does he not level its surface
And sow dill and scatter ( AV ) cumin
And [ ac ] plant ( AW ) wheat in rows,
Barley in its place and rye within its [ ad ] area?
26 For his God instructs and teaches him properly.
27 For dill is not threshed with a ( AX ) threshing sledge,
Nor is the cartwheel [ ae ] driven over cumin;
But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.
28 Grain for bread is crushed,
Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually [ af ] damage it ,
He does not thresh it longer .
29 This also comes from the Lord of armies,
Who has made His counsel ( AY ) wonderful and His wisdom ( AZ ) great.
28 Woe ( A ) to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s ( B ) drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley ( C ) —
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine! ( D )
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful ( E ) and strong.
Like a hailstorm ( F ) and a destructive wind, ( G )
like a driving rain and a flooding ( H ) downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s ( I ) drunkards,
will be trampled ( J ) underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley, ( K )
will be like figs ( L ) ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5 In that day ( M ) the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious ( N ) crown, ( O )
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant ( P ) of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice ( Q )
to the one who sits in judgment, ( R )
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle ( S ) at the gate.
7 And these also stagger ( T ) from wine ( U )
and reel ( V ) from beer:
Priests ( W ) and prophets ( X ) stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions, ( Y )
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit ( Z )
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach? ( AA )
To whom is he explaining his message? ( AB )
To children weaned ( AC ) from their milk, ( AD )
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that [ a ] ;
a little here, a little there. ( AE ) ”
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues ( AF )
God will speak to this people, ( AG )
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; ( AH )
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there ( AI ) —
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured ( AJ ) and snared and captured. ( AK )
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord , ( AL ) you scoffers ( AM )
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, ( AN )
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, ( AO )
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie ( AP ) our refuge
and falsehood [ b ] our hiding place. ( AQ ) ”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, ( AR ) a tested stone, ( AS )
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; ( AT )
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic. ( AU )
17 I will make justice ( AV ) the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line; ( AW )
hail ( AX ) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow ( AY ) your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. ( AZ )
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, ( BA )
you will be beaten down ( BB ) by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away; ( BC )
morning after morning, ( BD ) by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror. ( BE )
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you. ( BF )
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, ( BG )
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon ( BH ) —
to do his work, ( BI ) his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking, ( BJ )
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed ( BK ) against the whole land. ( BL )
23 Listen ( BM ) and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting, ( BN ) does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? ( BO )
Does he not plant wheat in its place, [ c ]
barley ( BP ) in its plot, [ d ]
and spelt ( BQ ) in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches ( BR ) him the right way.
27 Caraway is not threshed ( BS ) with a sledge, ( BT )
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod, ( BU )
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart ( BV ) may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful, ( BW )
whose wisdom is magnificent. ( BX )
