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v1
Ah! The garland of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim and the withering flower of the glory of his beauty, which is at the head of the rich valley, ^[Literally “a valley of fat”] ones overcome ^[Literally “ones struck”] with wine!
v2
Look! The Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a rainstorm of hail, a wind storm of destruction, like a rainstorm of mighty overflowing waters, he will put them to the earth with his hand.
v3
The garland of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trampled ^[The Hebrew is plural] by feet,
v4
and the withering flower of the glory of its beauty which is at the head of the rich valley ^[Literally “a valley of fat”] will be like its early fig before summer, which the one who sees it swallows ^[Literally “Which, when the one who sees it sees it, he swallows it”] while it is still in his hand.
v5
In that day, Yahweh of hosts will become a garland of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people,
v6
and a spirit of justice to the one who sits over judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
v7
And these also stagger because of wine and stagger because of strong drink; priest and prophet stagger because of strong drink; they are confused ^[Or “swallowed”] because of wine. They stagger because of strong drink; they err in vision. They stagger in the rendering of a decision,
v8
for all _the_ tables are full _of_ disgusting vomit, _with no place left_. ^[Literally "without a place"]
v9
To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from milk, those taken from the breast?
v10
For it is blah-blah upon blah-blah, blah-blah upon blah-blah, gah-gah upon gah-gah, gah-gah upon gah-gah, ^[In this context, the Hebrew expressions tsaw-tsaw and qaw-qaw are likely meant to sound like baby talk, but they could mean “command upon command” and “rule upon rule”] a little here, a little there.
v11
For he will speak with stammering ^[Literally “stammer of lip”] and another tongue to this people,
v12
to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet ^[Or “and”] they were not willing to hear.
v13
And to them the word of Yahweh will be blah-blah upon blah-blah blah-blah upon blah-blah gah-gah upon gah-gah gah-gah upon gah-gah, ^[In this context, the Hebrew expressions tsaw-tsaw and qaw-qaw are likely meant to sound like baby talk, but they could mean “command upon command” and “rule upon rule”] a little here, a little there, so that they may go and stumble backward and be broken and ensnared and captured.
v14
Therefore hear the word of Yahweh, men of mockery, rulers of these people in Jerusalem:
v15
Because you have said, “We have made ^[Literally “cut”] a covenant with death, and we have made an agreement with Sheol. The overwhelming flood, when it passes through, will not come to us, for we have made lies ^[Hebrew “lie”] our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves in falsehood.”
v16
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: “Look! I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested ^[Literally “testing”] stone, a precious cornerstone, a founded foundation: ‘The one who trusts will not panic.’ ^[Literally “hurry”]
v17
And I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, ^[Hebrew “lie”] and waters will flood over the hiding place.
v18
And your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; you will become a trampling place for the overwhelming flood when it passes through.
v19
_As often as it passes through_, ^[Literally "From enough his passing through"] it will take you,
for morning by morning ^[Literally “in the morning in the morning”] it will pass through, in the day and in the night, and understanding the message will be only terror.”
v20
For the bed is too short to stretch out on, ^[Literally “from stretching oneself”] and the covering is too narrow when wrapping oneself.
v21
For Yahweh will rise up as at Mount Perazim; he will rave as in the valley at Gibeon to do his deed—his deed is strange— and to work his work—his work is alien!
v22
And now you must not scoff, or your bonds will be strong, for I have heard from the Lord, Yahweh of hosts: complete destruction decreed upon all the land.
v23
Listen, and hear my voice! Listen attentively, and hear my word!
v24
Is it all day that the plowman plows, opens to sow seed, harrows his ground?
v25
When he has leveled its surface, ^[Literally “face”] does he not scatter dill, and sow cumin seed, and plant ^[Literally “place”] wheat in planted rows, ^[Hebrew “row”] and barley in an appointed place, and spelt grain as its border?
v26
And his God instructs him about the prescription; ^[That is, “the proper way”] he teaches him.
v27
For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a wheel of a utility cart rolled ^[Literally “turned”] over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.
v28
Grain is crushed fine, but certainly one does not thresh it forever; and one drives the wheel of his cart, but his horses do not crush it.
v29
This also comes forth from Yahweh of hosts. He is wonderful in advice; he makes great wisdom.