Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem
1 Ah, the proud crown of [Hos. 7:5]the drunkards of Ephraim,
and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has [ch. 8:7] one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like ver. 15, 18a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he casts down to the earth with his hand.
3 ver. 1The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden underfoot;
4 [Amos 8:1,2] and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like Hos. 9:10;Mic. 7:1a first-ripe fig28:4 Or fruit before the summer:
when someone sees it, he swallows it
as soon as it is in his hand.
5 ch. 2:11In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,28:5 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6 and [1 Kgs. 3:28] a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and [ch. 38:6]strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 [ch. 3:12] These also reel with wine
and Hos. 4:11stagger with strong drink;
the priest and ch. 9:15;56:10,12the prophet reel with strong drink,
they are swallowed by28:7 Or confused by wine,
they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
they stumble in giving judgment.
8 For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
with no space left.
9 Jer. 6:10"To whom will he teach knowledge,
and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
those taken from the breast?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little."
11 Cited 1 Cor. 14:21;See ch. 5:26-29For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
12 to whom he has said,
ch. 30:15;[Matt. 11:28,29]"This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose";
yet they would not hear.
13 And the word of the Lord will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
ch. 8:15that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.
A Cornerstone in Zion
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you ver. 22;ch. 29:20scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
15 Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the ver. 2, 18;[ch. 8:7,8] overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made [Rom. 1:25]lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter";
16 therefore thus says the Lord God,
Cited Rom. 9:33;1 Pet. 2:6;[Ps. 118:22;Matt. 21:42;Acts 4:11] "Behold, I am the one who has laid28:16 Dead Sea Scroll I am laying as a foundation ch. 14:32in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
17 And I will make justice [2 Kgs. 21:13]the line,
and righteousness [2 Kgs. 21:13]the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter."
18 Then ver. 15your covenant with death will be annulled,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it passes through it will take you;
[ch. 50:4] for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;
and it will be [2 Chr. 32:18]sheer terror to understand the message.
20 For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up [2 Sam. 5:20;1 Chr. 14:11] as on Mount Perazim;
See Josh. 10:10-14as in the Valley of 1 Chr. 14:16;See Josh. 9:3Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
and to work his work—alien is his work!
22 Now therefore do not ver. 14scoff,
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard ch. 10:23a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.
23 Give ear, and hear my voice;
give attention, and hear my speech.
24 Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
25 [ch. 55:10,11]When he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
and put in wheat in rows
and barley in its proper place,
and emmer28:25 A type of wheat as the border?
26 [ch. 21:10]For he is rightly instructed;
his God teaches him.
27 Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
28 Does one crush grain for bread?
No, he does not thresh it forever;28:28 Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever
when he drives his cart wheel over it
with his horses, he does not crush it.
29 This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
he is Jer. 32:19;[ch. 9:6]wonderful in counsel
and excellent in wisdom.
/images/a/iTK5eqmWOIFINBZ2i5Kbk)
/images/a/a0208299-6f37-40a0-66e1-2576b9435f00)