1 Ho! crown of pride of those who are given up to wine in Ephraim, and the dead flower of his glory which is on the head of those who are overcome by strong drink!
2 See, the Lord has a strong and cruel one; like a rain of ice, a storm of destruction, like the overflowing of a strong river, he will violently overcome them.
3 The crown of pride of those who are given up to wine in Ephraim will be crushed under foot;
4 And the dead flower of his glory, which is on the head of the fertile valley, will be like the first early fruit before the summer; which a man takes and puts in his mouth the minute he sees it.
5 In that day will the Lord of armies be a crown of glory, and a fair ornament, to the rest of his people;
6 And a spirit of wisdom to the judge, and strength to those who keep back the attackers at the door of the town.
7 And further, these are uncertain through wine, and have gone out of the right way through strong drink: the priest and the prophet are uncertain through strong drink, they are overcome by wine, they have gone out of the way through strong drink; their vision is false, they go wrong in their decisions.
8 For all the tables are covered with coughed-up food, so that there is not a clean place.
9 To whom will he give knowledge? and to whom will he make clear the word? Will it be to those who have newly given up milk, and who have only now been taken from the breast?
10 For it is one rule after another; one line after another; here a little, there a little.
11 No, but with broken talk, and with a strange tongue, he will give his word to this people:
12 To whom he said, This is the rest, give rest to him who is tired; and by this you may get new strength; but they would not give ear.
13 For this cause the word of the Lord will be to them rule after rule, line after line, here a little, there a little; so that they may go on their way, and falling back may be broken, and taken in the net.
14 Give ear then to the word of the Lord, you men of pride, the rulers of this people in Jerusalem:
15 Because you have said, We have made death our friend, and with the underworld we have made an agreement; when the overflowing waters come through they will not come near us; for we are looking to false words for help, taking cover in what is untrue:
16 For this cause says the Lord God, See, I am placing in Zion as a base, a stone, a tested stone, an angle-stone which is certain and of great value: and he who has faith will not give way.
17 And I will make right decision the measuring-line, and righteousness the weight: and the ice-storm will take away the safe place of false words, and the secret place will be covered by the flowing waters.
18 And the help you were looking for from death will come to nothing, and your agreement with the underworld will be broken; when the overflowing waters come through, then you will be overcome by them.
19 Whenever they come through they will overtake you; for they will come through morning after morning, by day and by night: and the news will be nothing but fear.
20 For the bed is not long enough for a man to be stretched out on: and the cover is not wide enough for him to be covered with.
21 For the Lord will come up as on Mount Perazim, he will be moved to wrath as in the valley of Gibeon; so that he may do his work--strange is his work; and give effect to his act--unnatural is his act.
22 And now, take care that you do not make sport of him, or your bands will be made strong; for I have had word from the Lord, the Lord of armies, of an end, of a complete end, which is to come on all the land.
23 Let your ears be open to my voice; give attention to what I say.
24 Is the ploughman for ever ploughing? does he not get the earth ready and broken up for the seed?
25 When the face of the earth has been levelled, does he not put in the different sorts of seed, and the grain in lines, and the barley in its place, and the spelt at the edge?
26 For his God is his teacher, giving him the knowledge of these things.
27 For the fitches are not crushed with a sharp instrument, and a cart-wheel is not rolled over the cummin; but the grain of the fitches is hammered out with a stick, and of the cummin with a rod.
28 Is the grain for bread crushed? He does not go on crushing it for ever, but he lets his cart-wheels and his horses go over it without crushing it.
29 This comes from the Lord of armies, purposing wonders, and wise in all his acts.
1 以法莲那些醉汉所戴的高傲冠冕， 有祸了！ 它在肥美谷山顶上的荣美， 有祸了！ 它必如将残的花朵， 满了喝醉酒的人。
2 看哪！ 主有一个大能大力的人， 像一阵冰雹、一阵毁灭的暴风， 像涨溢猛流的大水， 他必用手把它摔落地上。
3 以法莲的醉汉所戴的高傲冠冕， 必被践踏在脚下。
4 它在肥美谷山顶上如将残的花朵一般的荣美， 必像夏天以前初熟的无花果。那些看见它的人， 都必注意； 一到手里， 就把它吞吃了。
5 到那日， 万军之耶和华必作他余民的荣耀冠冕，
6 也必作在位上施行审判者公平的心灵， 并作在城门口击退敌人者的力量。
7 就是这地的人， 也因酒摇晃不定， 因浓酒东倒西歪； 祭司和先知都因浓酒摇晃不定， 被酒弄至昏乱， 因浓酒东倒西歪。他们见异象的时候， 摇晃不定， 他们判断的时候， 也颠颠倒倒。
8 因为各席上都满了污秽的呕吐， 没有一处是干净的。
9 他们说： "他要把知识教导谁呢？要使谁明白他所传的信息呢？是那些刚断奶， 刚离开母怀的吗？
10 因为他所说的， 只是些重复又重复的话， 和毫无意义的字母， 这里一点， 那里一点罢了。"
11 耶和华要借着外族人的嘴唇和外族人的舌头， 对这人民说话。
12 他曾对他们说： "这就是安息之处， 你们若使疲乏的人得安息， 就必得着这安歇的地方。"但他们不肯听从。
13 所以耶和华对他们所说的话， 就成了重复又重复的话， 和毫无意义的字母， 这里一点， 那里一点， 以致他们虽然往前走， 却必仰面跌倒， 并且跌伤， 陷入网罗被缠住。
14 因此好讥笑人的人哪！ 就是管辖这些在耶路撒冷的人民的， 你们要听耶和华的话。
15 因为你们曾说： "我们与死亡立了约， 与阴间结了盟； 刑罚的鞭子扫过的时候， 必不会碰到我们， 因为我们以谎言作遮蔽， 以虚假作庇护。"
16 所以主耶和华这样说： "看哪！ 我在锡安放置一块石头， 是试验过的石头， 是稳固的基石， 宝贵的房角石； 信靠的人， 必不着急。
17 我要以公平为准绳， 以公义为线铊； 冰雹必把谎言的遮蔽冲去， 大水必漫过庇护所。"
18 你们与死亡所立的约要废除， 你们与阴间所结的盟必立不住； 刑罚的鞭子扫过的时候， 你们就必被践踏。
19 每次扫过的时候， 都把你们抓去； 因为每早晨它必漫过， 白天与黑夜也是这样； 人若明白所传的， 必受惊恐。
20 床铺太短， 人就不能伸直， 被窝太窄， 就盖不住全身。
21 耶和华必像在毗拉心山一样兴起， 又像在基遍谷一样发怒， 为要作成他的工， 他那奇妙的工， 好成就他的事， 就是奇异的事。
22 现在， 你们不可再讥笑了， 免得捆绑你们的绳索绑得更紧， 因为我从主万军之耶和华那里听到， 决定要在全地上施行毁灭的事。
23 你们要侧耳听我的声音， 留心听我的话。
24 农夫怎会不断耕犁来撒种呢？他怎会常常开垦耕地呢？
25 他犁平了地面， 不就撒种小茴香， 播种大茴香， 按行列种小麦， 在指定的地方种大麦， 在田边种粗麦吗？
26 因为他的 神教导他， 指教他正确的方法。
27 打小茴香是不用尖耙的， 轧大茴香也不用碾轮； 而是用杖打小茴香， 用棍打大茴香。
28 做饼的谷粒怎么要碾碎的呢？从来没有人碾碎它们， 虽然他让车轮和马匹辊过谷粒， 却不会把他们碾碎。
29 这也是出于万军之耶和华， 他的谋略奇妙， 他的智慧广大。