Esias 28

1 Woe to the crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, the flower that has fallen from the glory of the top of the fertile mountain, they that are drunken without wine.

Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.

2 Behold, the anger of the Lord is strong and severe, as descending hail where there is no shelter, violently descending; as a great body of water sweeping away the soil, he shall make rest for the land.

Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground.

3 The crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, shall be beaten down with the hands and with the feet.

The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.

4 And the fading flower of the glorious hope on the top of the high mountain shall be as the early fig; he that sees it, before he takes it into his hand, will desire to swallow it down.

The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest: Whoever sees it will take it in his hand and swallow it.

5 In that day the Lord of hosts shall be the crown of hope, the woven [crown] of glory, to the remnant of the people.

On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people,

6 They shall be left in the spirit of judgement for judgement, and for the strength of them that hinder slaying.

a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.

7 For these have trespassed through wine; they have erred through strong drink: the priest and the prophet are mad through strong drink, they are swallowed up by reason of wine, they have staggered through drunkenness; they have erred: this is [their] vision.

These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

8 A curse shall devour this counsel, for this [is their] counsel for the sake of covetousness.

For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth.

9 To whom have we reported evils? and to whom have we reported a message? [even to those] that are weaned from the milk, who are drawn from the breast.

Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?

10 Expect you affliction on affliction, hope upon hope: yet a little, [and] yet a little,

For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.”

11 by reason of the contemptuous [words] of the lips, by means of another language: for they shall speak to this people, saying to them,

Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people

12 This is the rest to him that is hungry, and this is the calamity: but they would not hear.

to whom He has said: “This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen.

13 Therefore the oracle of God shall be to them affliction on affliction, hope on hope, yet a little, [and] yet a little, that they may go and fall backward; and they shall be crushed and shall be in danger, and shall be taken.

Then the word of the LORD to them will become: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go stumbling backward and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.

14 Therefore hear you the word of the Lord, you afflicted men, and you princes of this people that is in Jerusalem.

Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.

15 Because you have said, We have made a covenant with Hades, and agreements with death; if the rushing storm should pass, it shall not come upon us: we have made falsehood our hope, and by falsehood shall we be protected: (Sheol h7585)

For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” (Sheol h7585)

16 Therefore thus says the Lord, [even] the Lord, Behold, I lay for the foundations of Sion a costly stone, a choice, a corner-stone, a precious [stone], for its foundations; and he that believes [on him] shall by no means be ashamed.

So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.

17 And I will cause judgement [to be] for hope, and my compassion shall be for [just] measures, and you that trust vainly in falsehood [shall fall]: for the storm shall by no means pass by you,

I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.

18 except it also take away your covenant of death, and your trust in Hades shall by no means stand: if the rushing storm should come upon you, you shall be beaten down by it. (Sheol h7585)

Your covenant with death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it. (Sheol h7585)

19 Whenever it shall pass by, it shall take you; morning by morning it shall pass by in the day, and in the night there shall be an evil hope. Learn to hear,

As often as it passes through, it will carry you away; it will sweep through morning after morning, by day and by night.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.

20 you that are distressed; we can’t fight, but we are ourselves too weak for you to be gathered.

Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you.

21 The Lord shall rise up as a mountain of ungodly [men], and shall be in the valley of Gabaon; he shall perform his works with wrath, [even] a work of bitterness, and his wrath shall deal strangely, and his destruction shall be strange.

For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim. He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing task.

22 Therefore do not you rejoice, neither let your bands be made strong; for I have heard of works finished and cut short by the Lord of hosts, which he will execute upon all the earth.

So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become heavier. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land.

23 Listen, and hear my voice; attend, and hear my words.

Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say.

24 Will the ploughman plough all the day? or will he prepare the seed beforehand, before he tills the ground?

Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil?

25 Does he not, when he has levelled the surface thereof, then sow the small black poppy, or cumin, and afterward sow wheat, and barley, and millet, and bread-corn in your borders?

When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, and rye within its border.

26 So you shall be chastened by the judgement of your God, and shall rejoice.

For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

27 For the black poppy is not cleansed with harsh treatment, nor will a wagon-wheel pass over the cumin; but the black poppy is threshed with a rod, and the cumin shall be eaten with bread;

Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin. But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

28 for I will not be angry with you for ever, neither shall the voice of my anger crush you.

Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it.

29 And these signs came forth from the Lord of hosts. Take counsel, exalt vain comfort.

This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.