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Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem
Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
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.
Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain,
they will burst upon it like a surging flood
and smash it to the ground.
Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he casts down to the earth with his hand.
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he casts down to the earth with his hand.
The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden underfoot;
will be trodden underfoot;
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.
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.
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.
will himself be Israel’s glorious crown.
He will be the pride and joy
of the remnant of his people.
He will give a longing for justice
to their judges.
He will give great courage
to their warriors who stand at the gates.
to their judges.
He will give great courage
to their warriors who stand at the gates.
and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
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.
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.
Their tables are covered with vomit;
filth is everywhere.
filth is everywhere.
For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
with no space left.
with no space left.
“Who does the LORD think we are?” they ask.
“Why does he speak to us like this?
Are we little children,
just recently weaned?
“Why does he speak to us like this?
Are we little children,
just recently weaned?
“To whom will he teach knowledge,
and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
those taken from the breast?
and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
those taken from the breast?
He tells us everything over and over —
one line at a time,
one line at a time,
a little here,
and a little there!”
one line at a time,
one line at a time,
a little here,
and a little there!”
For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”
So now God will have to speak to his people
through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!
through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!
For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
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.
“Here is a place of rest;
let the weary rest here.
This is a place of quiet rest.”
But they would not listen.
to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
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.
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.
And the word of the Lord will 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.
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.
Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD,
you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
A Cornerstone in Zion
Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
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.
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.
And I will make justice the line,
and righteousness the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
and righteousness the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
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.
and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave.
When the terrible enemy sweeps through,
you will be trampled into the ground.
Then your covenant with death will be annulled,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
you will be beaten down by it.
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
you will be beaten down by it.
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.
morning after morning,
day and night,
until you are carried away.”
This message will bring terror to your people.
As often as it passes through it will take you;
for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;
and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.
for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;
and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.
The bed you have made is too short to lie on.
The blankets are too narrow to cover you.
The blankets are too narrow to cover you.
For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
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:
and against the Amorites at Gibeon.
He will come to do a strange thing;
he will come to do an unusual deed:
For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim;
as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed — strange is his deed!
and to work his work — alien is his work!
as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed — strange is his deed!
and to work his work — alien is his work!
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.
has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land.
So scoff no more,
or your punishment will be even greater.
Now therefore do not scoff,
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.
Listen to me;
listen, and pay close attention.
listen, and pay close attention.
Give ear, and hear my voice;
give attention, and hear my speech.
give attention, and hear my speech.
Does a farmer always plow and never sow?
Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?
Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?
Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
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?
black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat —
each in its proper way,
and each in its proper place?
The farmer knows just what to do,
for God has given him understanding.
for God has given him understanding.
For he is rightly instructed;
his God teaches him.
his God teaches him.
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.
rather, it is beaten with a light stick.
A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin;
instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail.
Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
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.
so he doesn’t keep on pounding it.
He threshes it under the wheels of a cart,
but he doesn’t pulverize it.