1 ¶ Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the summit of a hill in the fertile valley of those overcome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong, whom his hand will bring across the land, like a hailstorm and destructive tempest, like a flood of mighty overflowing waters.

3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, will be trodden under foot:

4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the summit of a hill in a fertile valley, will be a fading flower, and like the early fig ripe before the summer; which is eaten as soon as someone sees it, while it is yet in their hand.

5 On that day the LORD of armies will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to those who are left of his people,

6 And a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who throw back the enemy at the gate.

7 But these men also stagger with wine, and reel because of strong drink; the priest and the prophet totter from drink, they are confused by wine, they have gone astray through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8 Every table is full of filthy vomit, and there is no clean place.

9 ¶ To whom can he teach knowledge? and who will he enable to understand doctrine? Those who are weaned from milk, and withdrawn from the breasts.

10 For truth must be upon truth, truth upon truth; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

11 For he will speak to this people with odd sounding speech and another language.

12 To whom he has said, This is the rest that you may bring to the weary; and this is the refreshing: but they would not hear.

13 But the word of the LORD was to 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 ¶ Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, who rule these people who are in Jerusalem.

15 Because you say, We have made a covenant with death, and an agreement with the grave; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not touch us: for we have made lies our refuge, and falsehood our shelter:

16 Therefore the Lord GOD says, Behold, I am laying as a foundation in Zion, a carefully chosen stone, a precious corner stone, a solid foundation: and he who trusts in him will not be put to shame.

17 I will make justice a measuring line, and righteousness a plumb-line: then the hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and the waters will wash away your hiding place.

18 And your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with the grave will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, then you will be beaten down by it.

19 Every time it passes through it will carry you away: it will pass through every morning, every day and every night: if you understood this report, you would feel sheer terror.

20 For the bed is too short to stretch yourself: and the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.

21 For the LORD will rise up as on mount Perazim, he will rise in wrath as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and perform his task, surprising as it is.

22 Therefore stop scoffing now, or your chains will become stronger: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of armies, a decree of destruction for the entire earth.

23 ¶ Listen, hear what I say; pay attention, and heed what I am saying.

24 Does a farmer plow all day when he should sow? does he continue turning over and breaking up the clods in his field?

25 When he has made its surface smooth, doesn’t he scatter dill, and sow cummin, plant wheat in rows and put barley and rye in their place?

26 For his God instructs him correctly, and teaches him.

27 For the dill is not threshed with a threshing instrument, nor is a cart wheel turned about on the cummin; but the dill is beaten out with a stick, and cummin with a rod.

28 Grain for bread is beaten out; but one does not thresh it forever, yet the wheels of a cart are rolled over it, since horses will not crush it.

29 This also comes from the LORD of hosts, whose plans are wonderful, and yield excellent results.