1Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephrayim, and to the fading flower of its splendid comeliness that is on the head of the fertile valley, to those who are overcome with wine!

2See, יהוה has one who is mighty and strong, like a downpour of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, who casts down to the earth with the hand.

3The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephrayim, is trampled under foot;

4and the fading flower of its splendid comeliness that is on the head of the fertile valley, like the first fruit before the summer, which, when one sees it, he eats it up while it is still in his hand.

5In that day יהוה of hosts is for a crown of splendour and a head-dress of comeliness to the remnant of His people,

6and a spirit of right-ruling to him who sits in right-ruling, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7And these too have gone astray through wine, and through strong drink wandered about. Priest and prophet have gone astray through strong drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they wander about through strong drink, they go astray in vision, they stumble in right-ruling.

8For all tables shall be covered with vomit, no place without filth.

9Whom would He teach knowledge? And whom would He make to understand the message? Those weaned from milk, those taken from the breasts!

10For it is: command upon command, command upon command, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.

11For with a jabbering lip and a foreign tongue He speaks to this people,

12to whom He said, “This is the rest, give rest to the weary,” and, “This is the refreshing.” But they would not hear.

13But the Word of יהוה was to them, “Command upon command, command upon command, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,” so that they go and shall stumble backward, and be broken and snared and taken captive.

14Therefore hear the Word of יהוה, you men of scorn, who rule this people who are in Yerushalayim,

15because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with the grave we have effected a vision. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it does not come to us, for we have made lying our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”

16Therefore thus said the Master יהוה, “See, I am laying in Tsiyon a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a settled foundation. He who trusts shall not hasten away.

17And I shall make right-ruling the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet. And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lying, and the waters overflow the hiding place.

18And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your vision with the grave not stand. When an overflowing scourge passes through, then you shall be trampled down by it.

19As often as it passes through it shall take you, for it shall pass through every morning, and by day and by night. And it shall be only trembling to understand the message.”

20For the bed shall be too short for a man to stretch out on, and the covering shall be too narrow to wrap himself in it.

21For יהוה rises up as at Mount Peratsim, and He is wroth as at the Valley of Giḇ‛on, to do His work, His strange work, and to do His deed, His strange deed.

22And now, do not be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong. For I have heard from the Master יהוה of hosts, a destruction decreed upon all the earth.

23Give ear and hear my voice, listen and hear my Word.

24Does the ploughman keep ploughing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?

25When he has levelled its surface, does he not sow the caraway and scatter the cummin, plant the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place?

26For He instructs him for right-ruling, his Elohim teaches him.

27For caraway is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a wagon wheel rolled over cummin, but caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cummin with a rod.

28Grain is crushed, so one does not go on threshing it forever, nor break it with his wagon wheel, nor crush it with his horsemen.

29Even this has come from יהוה of hosts, who did wonders in counsel, who made wisdom great.