New Living Translation NLT
Hebrew Names Version HNV
1 What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine.
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Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Efrayim, 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 For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground.
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Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty waters overflowing, will he cast down to the eretz with the hand.
3 The proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel — will be trampled beneath its enemies’ feet.
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The crown of pride of the drunkards of Efrayim shall be trodden under foot:
4 It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. Whoever sees it will snatch it up, as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten.
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and the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer; which when he who looks on it sees, while it is yet in his hand he eats it up.
5 Then at last the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people.
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In that day will the LORD of Hosts become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people;
6 He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates.
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and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions.
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Even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the Kohen and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8 Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere.
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For all tables are full of vomit [and] filthiness, [so that there is] no place [clean].
9 “Who does the LORD think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned?
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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 He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”
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For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little.
11 So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!
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No, but by [men of] strange lips and with another language will he speak to this people;
12 God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.
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to whom he said, This is the rest, give you rest to him who is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.
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Therefore shall the word of the LORD be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14 Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
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Why hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers, that rule this people that is in Yerushalayim:
15 You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.”
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Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with She'ol are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
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therefore thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Tziyon for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner -[stone] of sure foundation: he who believes shall not be in haste.
17 I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away.
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I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.
18 I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground.
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Your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with She'ol shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then you shall be trodden down by it.
19 Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away.” This message will bring terror to your people.
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As often as it passes though, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night: and it shall be nothing but terror to understand the message.
20 The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you.
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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 The LORD will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange thing; he will come to do an unusual deed:
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For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim, he will be angry as in the valley of Giv`on; that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
22 For the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land. So scoff no more, or your punishment will be even greater.
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Now therefore don't you be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for a decree of destruction have I heard from the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, on the whole eretz.
23 Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention.
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Give you ear, and hear my voice; listen, and hear my speech.
24 Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?
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Does he who plows to sow plow continually? does he [continually] open and harrow his ground?
25 Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place?
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When he has leveled the surface of it, doesn't he cast abroad the dill, and scatter the cumin, and put in the wheat in rows, and the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in the border of it?
26 The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.
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For his God does instruct him aright, [and] does teach him.
27 A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail.
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For the dill are not threshed with a sharp [threshing] instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about on the cumin; but the dill are beaten out with a staff, and the cumin with a rod.
28 Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn’t keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn’t pulverize it.
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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 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.
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This also comes forth from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.