| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! | 1Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim's drunkards, and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley. Woe to those overcome with wine. |
| 2Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. | 2Look, the Lord has a strong and mighty one-- like a devastating hail storm, like a storm with strong flooding waters. He will bring it across the land with His hand. |
| 3The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: | 3The majestic crown of Ephraim's drunkards will be trampled underfoot. |
| 4And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. | 4The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest. Whoever sees it will swallow it while it is still in his hand. |
| 5In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, | 5On that day the LORD of Hosts will become a crown of beauty and a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people, |
| 6And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. | 6a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. |
| 7But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. | 7These also stagger because of wine and stumble under the influence of beer: priest and prophet stagger because of beer, they are confused by wine. They stumble because of beer, they are muddled in their visions, they stumble in their judgments. |
| 8For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. | 8Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit; there is no place without a stench. |
| 9Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. | 9Who is he trying to teach? Who is he trying to instruct? Infants just weaned from milk? Babies removed from the breast? |
| 10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: | 10For he says: "Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there." |
| 11For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. | 11So He will speak to this people with stammering speech and in a foreign language. |
| 12To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. | 12He had said to them:" This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose." But they would not listen. |
| 13But the word of the LORD was unto 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. | 13Then the word of the LORD came to them:" Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there," so they go stumbling backward, to be broken, trapped, and captured. |
| 14Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. | 14Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you mockers who rule this people in Jerusalem. |
| 15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: | 15For you said, "We have cut a deal with Death, and we have made an agreement with Sheol; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not touch us, because we have made falsehood our refuge and have hidden behind treachery." |
| 16Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. | 16Therefore the Lord GOD said:" Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable. |
| 17Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. | 17And I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the mason's level." Hail will sweep away the false refuge, and water will flood your hiding place. |
| 18And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. | 18Your deal with Death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled. |
| 19From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report. | 19Every time it passes through, it will carry you away; it will pass through every morning-- every day and every night. Only terror will cause you to understand the message. |
| 20For 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. | 20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its cover too small to wrap up in. |
| 21For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. | 21For the LORD will rise up as He did at Mount Perazim. He will rise in wrath, as at the Valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing task. |
| 22Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth. | 22So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become stronger. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction for the whole land. |
| 23Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. | 23Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say. |
| 24Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground? | 24Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed? Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil? |
| 25When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place? | 25When he has leveled its surface, does he not then scatter black cumin and sow cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, with spelt as their border. |
| 26For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him. | 26His God teaches him order; He instructs him. |
| 27For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod. | 27Certainly black cumin is not threshed with a threshing board, and a cart wheel is not rolled over the cumin. But black cumin is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. |
| 28Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen. | 28Bread grain is crushed, but is not threshed endlessly. Though the wheel of the farmer's cart rumbles, his horses do not crush it. |
| 29This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. | 29This also comes from the LORD of Hosts. He gives wonderful advice; He gives great wisdom. |
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