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Ephraim’s Captivity Predicted
Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the fertile valley
Of those who are overcome with wine!
Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the fertile valley
Of those who are 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 a strong and mighty agent;
As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,
He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.
As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,
He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.
The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot.
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.
And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the fertile valley,
Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer,
Which one sees,
And as soon as it is in his hand,
He swallows it.
Which is at the head of the fertile valley,
Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer,
Which one sees,
And as soon as it is in his hand,
He swallows it.
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.
In that day the LORD of hosts will become a beautiful crown
And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people;
And a glorious diadem to 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.
A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.
A strength to those who repel the onslaught 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.
And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink:
The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink;
They reel while having visions,
They totter when rendering judgment.
The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink;
They reel while having visions,
They totter when rendering judgment.
Their tables are covered with vomit;
filth is everywhere.
filth is everywhere.
For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.
“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 would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just 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 He says,
‘Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.’”
‘Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.’”
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!
Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
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.
He who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,”
And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen.
And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen.
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.
So the word of the LORD to them will be,
“Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.
“Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.
Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD,
you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
Judah Is Warned
Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol we have made a pact.
The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by,
For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.”
And with Sheol we have made a pact.
The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by,
For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.”
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed.
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed.
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.
“I will make justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
And righteousness the level;
Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
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.
“Your covenant with death will be canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
Then you become its trampling place.
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
Then you become its trampling place.
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 seize you;
For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”
For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”
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.
The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in.
And the blanket is too small 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 at Mount Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon,
To do His task, His unusual task,
And to work His work, His extraordinary work.
He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon,
To do His task, His unusual task,
And to work His work, His extraordinary 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.
And now do not carry on as scoffers,
Or your fetters will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts
Of decisive destruction on all the earth.
Or your fetters will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts
Of decisive destruction on all the earth.
Listen to me;
listen, and pay close attention.
listen, and pay close attention.
Give ear and hear my voice,
Listen and hear my words.
Listen and hear my words.
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 the farmer plow continually to plant seed?
Does he continually turn and harrow the ground?
Does he continually turn and harrow the 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?
Does he not level its surface
And sow dill and scatter cummin
And plant wheat in rows,
Barley in its place and rye within its area?
And sow dill and scatter cummin
And plant wheat in rows,
Barley in its place and rye within its area?
The farmer knows just what to do,
for God has given him understanding.
for God has given him understanding.
For his God instructs and teaches him properly.
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.
For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
Nor is the cartwheel driven over cummin;
But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a club.
Nor is the cartwheel driven over cummin;
But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a club.
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.
Grain for bread is crushed,
Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.
Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.