New International Version NIV
Young's Literal Translation YLT
1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
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Wo [to] the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim. And the fading flower of the beauty of his glory, That [is] on the head of the fat valley of the broken down of wine.
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
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Lo, a mighty and strong one [is] to the Lord, As a storm of hail -- a destructive shower, As an inundation of mighty waters overflowing, He cast down to the earth with the hand.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.
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By feet trodden down is the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest— as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.
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And the fading flower of the beauty of his glory That [is] on the head of the fat valley, Hath been as its first-fruit before summer, That its beholder seeth, While it [is] yet in his hand he swalloweth it.
5 In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.
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In that day is Jehovah of Hosts For a crown of beauty, and for a diadem of glory, To the remnant of His people.
6 He will be 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.
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And for a spirit of judgment To him who is sitting in the judgment, And for might [to] those turning back the battle to the gate.
7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.
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And even these through wine have erred, And through strong drink have wandered, Priest and prophet erred through strong drink, They have been swallowed up of the wine, They wandered because of the strong drink, They have erred in seeing, They have stumbled judicially.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.
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For all tables have been full of vomit, Filth -- without place!
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?
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By whom doth He teach knowledge? And by whom doth He cause to understand the report? The weaned from milk, the removed from breasts,
10 For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that ; a little here, a little there.”
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For rule [is] on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,
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For by scorned lip, and by another tongue, Doth He speak unto this people.
12 to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen.
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Unto whom He hath said, `This [is] the rest, give ye rest to the weary, And this -- the refreshing:' And they have not been willing to hear,
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— so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.
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And to whom a word of Jehovah hath been, Rule on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there, So that they go and have stumbled backward, And been broken, and snared, and captured.
14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
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Therefore, hear a word of Jehovah, ye men of scorning, Ruling this people that [is] in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
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Because ye have said: `We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a provision, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Doth not meet us, Though we have made a lie our refuge, And in falsehood have been hidden.'
16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
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Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: `Lo, I am laying a foundation in Zion, A stone -- a tried stone, a corner stone precious, a settled foundation, He who is believing doth not make haste.
17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.
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And I have put judgment for a line, And righteousness for a plummet, And sweep away doth hail the refuge of lies, And the secret hiding-place do waters overflow.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.
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And disannulled hath been your covenant with death, And your provision with Sheol doth not stand, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Then ye have been to it for a treading-place.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.
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From the fulness of its passing over it taketh you, For morning by morning it passeth over, By day and by night, And it hath been only a trembling to consider the report.
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
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For shorter hath been the bed Than to stretch one's self out in, And the covering hath been narrower Than to wrap one's self up in.
21 The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.
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For as [at] mount Perazim rise doth Jehovah, As [at] the valley in Gibeon He is troubled, To do His work -- strange [is] His work, And to do His deed -- strange [is] His deed.'
22 Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
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And now, show not yourselves scorners, Lest strong be your bands, For a consumption, that is determined, I have heard, by the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, [Is] for all the land.
23 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
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Give ear, and hear my voice, Attend, and hear my saying:
24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
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The whole day plougheth the ploughman to sow? He openeth and harroweth his ground!
25 When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place,barley in its plot,and spelt in its field?
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Hath he not, if he have made level its face, Then scattered fitches, and cummin sprinkle, And hath placed the principal wheat, And the appointed barley, And the rie [in] its own border?
26 His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
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And instruct him for judgment doth his God, He doth direct him.
27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick.
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For not with a sharp-pointed thing threshed are fitches, And the wheel of a cart on cummin turned round, For with a staff beaten out are fitches, And cummin with a rod.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.
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Bread-[corn] is beaten small, For not for ever doth he sorely thresh it, Nor crushed [it] hath a wheel of his cart, Nor do his hoofs beat it small.
29 All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.
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Even this from Jehovah of Hosts hath gone out, He hath made counsel wonderful, He hath made wisdom great!
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Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.