1Woe 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! 2Behold, 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. 3The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot. 4And 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 upon it sees, while it is yet in his hand, he eats it up. 5In that day LORD of hosts will become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people, 6and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. 7And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest 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. 8For all tables are full of vomit, filthiness, no place [clean]. 9Whom 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? 10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little. 11No, but by [men of] strange lips and with another tongue he will speak to this people, 12to whom he said, This is the rest. Give ye rest to him who is weary. And this is the refreshing. Yet they would not hear. 13Therefore the word of LORD shall 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. 14Therefore hear the word of LORD, ye scoffers, who rule this people that is in Jerusalem. 15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and we are at agreement with Sheol. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through it shall not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hid ourselves unde 16Therefore thus says lord LORD, 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 shall, no, not be shamed (LXX/NT). 17And 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. 18And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. 19As often as it passes though, it shall take you. For morning by morning it shall pass through, by day and by night. And it shall be nothing but terror to understand the report. 20For 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. 21For LORD will rise up as in mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act. 22Now therefore be ye not scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong. For I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, LORD of hosts, upon the whole earth. 23Give ye ear, and hear my voice, hearken, and hear my speech. 24Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he [continually] open and harrow his ground? 25When 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? 26For his God instructs him aright, [and] teaches him. 27For 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. 28Bread [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. 29This also comes forth from LORD of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.