1 Ai da soberba coroa dos bêbados de Efraim e da flor caduca da sua gloriosa formosura que está sobre a parte alta do fertilíssimo vale dos vencidos do vinho! 2 Eis que o Senhor tem certo homem valente e poderoso; este, como uma queda de saraiva, como uma tormenta de destruição e como uma tempestade de impetuosas águas que transbordam, com poder as derribará por terra. 3 A soberba coroa dos bêbados de Efraim será pisada aos pés. 4 A flor caduca da sua gloriosa formosura, que está sobre a parte alta do fertilíssimo vale, será como o figo prematuro, que amadurece antes do verão, o qual, em pondo nele alguém os olhos, mal o apanha, já o devora. 5 Naquele dia, o Senhor dos Exércitos será a coroa de glória e o formoso diadema para os restantes de seu povo; 6 será o espírito de justiça para o que se assenta a julgar e fortaleza para os que fazem recuar o assalto contra as portas.

7 Mas também estes cambaleiam por causa do vinho e não podem ter-se em pé por causa da bebida forte; o sacerdote e o profeta cambaleiam por causa da bebida forte, são vencidos pelo vinho, não podem ter-se em pé por causa da bebida forte; erram na visão, tropeçam no juízo. 8 Porque todas as mesas estão cheias de vômitos, e não há lugar sem imundícia. 9 A quem, pois, se ensinaria o conhecimento? E a quem se daria a entender o que se ouviu? Acaso, aos desmamados e aos que foram afastados dos seios maternos? 10 Porque é preceito sobre preceito, preceito e mais preceito; regra sobre regra, regra e mais regra; um pouco aqui, um pouco ali. 11 Pelo que por lábios gaguejantes e por língua estranha falará o Senhor a este povo, 12 ao qual ele disse: Este é o descanso, dai descanso ao cansado; e este é o refrigério; mas não quiseram ouvir. 13 Assim, pois, a palavra do Senhor lhes será preceito sobre preceito, preceito e mais preceito; regra sobre regra, regra e mais regra; um pouco aqui, um pouco ali; para que vão, e caiam para trás, e se quebrantem, se enlacem, e sejam presos.

14 Ouvi, pois, a palavra do Senhor, homens escarnecedores, que dominais este povo que está em Jerusalém. 15 Porquanto dizeis: Fizemos aliança com a morte e com o além fizemos acordo; quando passar o dilúvio do açoite, não chegará a nós, porque, por nosso refúgio, temos a mentira e debaixo da falsidade nos temos escondido. 16 Portanto, assim diz o Senhor Deus: Eis que eu assentei em Sião uma pedra, pedra já provada, pedra preciosa, angular, solidamente assentada; aquele que crer não foge. 17 Farei do juízo a régua e da justiça, o prumo; a saraiva varrerá o refúgio da mentira, e as águas arrastarão o esconderijo. 18 A vossa aliança com a morte será anulada, e o vosso acordo com o além não subsistirá; e, quando o dilúvio do açoite passar, sereis esmagados por ele. 19 Todas as vezes que passar, vos arrebatará, porque passará manhã após manhã, e todos os dias, e todas as noites; e será puro terror o só ouvir tal notícia.

20 Porque a cama será tão curta, que ninguém se poderá estender nela; e o cobertor, tão estreito, que ninguém se poderá cobrir com ele. 21 Porque o Senhor se levantará, como no monte Perazim, e se irará, como no vale de Gibeão, para realizar a sua obra, a sua obra estranha, e para executar o seu ato, o seu ato inaudito. 22 Agora, pois, não mais escarneçais, para que os vossos grilhões não se façam mais fortes; porque já do Senhor, o Senhor dos Exércitos, ouvi falar de uma destruição, e essa já está determinada sobre toda a terra.

23 Inclinai os ouvidos e ouvi a minha voz; atendei bem e ouvi o meu discurso. 24 Porventura, lavra todo dia o lavrador, para semear? Ou todo dia sulca a sua terra e a esterroa? 25 Porventura, quando já tem nivelado a superfície, não lhe espalha o endro, não semeia o cominho, não lança nela o trigo em leiras, ou cevada, no devido lugar, ou a espelta, na margem? 26 Pois o seu Deus assim o instrui devidamente e o ensina. 27 Porque o endro não se trilha com instrumento de trilhar, nem sobre o cominho se passa roda de carro; mas com vara se sacode o endro, e o cominho, com pau. 28 Acaso, é esmiuçado o cereal? Não; o lavrador nem sempre o está debulhando, nem sempre está fazendo passar por cima dele a roda do seu carro e os seus cavalos. 29 Também isso procede do Senhor dos Exércitos; ele é maravilhoso em conselho e grande em sabedoria.

1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are overcome with wine! 2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty waters overflowing, will he cast down to the earth with the hand. 3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot: 4 and the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. 5 In that day will Jehovah of hosts become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people; 6 and a spirit of justice to him that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate.

7 And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

9 Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts? 10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little.

11 Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; 12 to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 Therefore shall the word of Jehovah be unto 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.

14 Wherefore hear the word of Jehovah, ye scoffers, that rule this people that is in Jerusalem: 15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol 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: 16 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone of sure foundation: he that believeth shall not be in haste. 17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. 18 And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. 19 As often as it passeth through, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night: and it shall be nought but terror to understand the message. 20 For 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. 21 For Jehovah will rise up as in mount Perazim, he will 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. 22 Now therefore be ye not scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for a decree of destruction have I heard from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, upon the whole earth.

23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. 24 Doth he that ploweth to sow plow continually? doth he continually open and harrow his ground? 25 When he hath levelled the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and put in the wheat in rows, and the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in the border thereof? 26 For his God doth instruct him aright, and doth teach him. 27 For the fitches are not threshed with a sharp 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. 28 Bread grain is ground; for he will not be always threshing it: and though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he doth not grind it. 29 This also cometh forth from Jehovah of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.

1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley — to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!

2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.

3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.

4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest — as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.

5 In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.

6 He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.

8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.

9 "Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?

10 For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that "; a little here, a little there."

11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,

12 to whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place of repose" — but they would not listen.

13 So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there — so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.

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

15 You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood "our hiding place."

16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.

17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.

18 Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.

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

20 The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.

21 The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon — to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.

22 Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.

23 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.

24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?

25 When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, "barley in its plot, "and spelt in its field?

26 His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.

27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick.

28 Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.

29 All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.