Isaiah

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

1Trouble is coming to the proud city that crowns the hill, where the leaders of Ephraim drink themselves senseless. Its beauty is a flower already wilting, above a rich green valley.

Note"Ephraim" is another name for the northern kingdom of Israel, whose capital city, Samaria, sat on a hill above a rich farming valley.

2Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

2Look, the Lord has someone strong and mighty ready. Like a hailstorm, like a wrecking wind, like a flood of rushing water, he will throw that crown to the ground.

3The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

3That proud crown, worn by the drunken leaders of Ephraim, will be trampled under people's feet.

4And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

4Its fading beauty above the rich valley will be like the first ripe fig before harvest. Whoever spots it grabs it, and swallows it while it is still in his hand.

5In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

5When that day comes, the LORD of Heaven's Armies will himself be the crown of glory and the beautiful wreath for the people who are left.

Note"LORD of hosts" means the LORD who commands armies, here rendered "LORD of Heaven's Armies."

6And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

6He will give a fair mind to the judge who hears cases, and strength to the soldiers who push the attack back from the city gate.

7But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

7But these people stagger from wine too, and strong drink makes them wobble. Priests and prophets reel from strong drink. Wine swallows them up, so their visions are muddled and their decisions go wrong.

8For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

8Every table is covered with vomit and filth. There is no clean spot left anywhere.

9Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

9They sneer, "Who does he think he is teaching? Who is he explaining his message to? Babies just off their mother's milk?

10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

10All he says is: rule on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there."

11For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

11So God will speak to these people in a strange, stumbling way, through foreigners talking a language they do not know.

12To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

12He had told them, "This is the place to rest. Let the tired people rest here. This is where you can catch your breath." But they refused to listen.

13But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

13So the LORD's word came to them like this: rule on rule, rule on rule, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there. They would walk on, trip backward, get hurt, get caught, and be carried off.

14Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

14So listen to what the LORD says, you men who laugh at him and rule this people in Jerusalem.

15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell 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:

15You have said, "We made a deal with death. We have an agreement with the grave. When the flood of trouble sweeps through, it will miss us. We have made lies our shelter and hidden ourselves behind what is false."

16Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

16So the Lord GOD says this: "Look, I am setting a stone in Zion. It is a tested stone, a valuable corner stone, a firm base. Whoever trusts it will not be shaken.

Note"He that believeth shall not make haste" does not mean hurrying. The picture is of someone who does not panic or run, because the foundation under him holds.

17Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

17I will use fairness as my measuring line and right living as my level. Hail will sweep away your shelter of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.

18And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

18Your deal with death will be cancelled. Your agreement with the grave will not hold. When the flood of trouble sweeps through, you will be trampled by it.

19From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

19Every time it sweeps by, it will carry you off. It will come morning after morning, by day and by night." Just understanding this message will fill you with terror.

20For 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.

20It will be like a bed too short to stretch out on, and a blanket too narrow to wrap around you.

21For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall 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.

21The LORD will stand up as he did at Mount Perazim. He will stir himself as he did in the valley of Gibeon, to do his work, his strange work, his odd and unfamiliar task.

22Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

22So stop your mocking, or the chains on you will only grow heavier. I have heard it from the Lord GOD of Heaven's Armies: destruction has been decided for the whole land.

23Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

23Listen closely and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I am saying.

24Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

24Does a farmer plow all day long and never plant? Does he keep breaking up the same clumps of dirt forever?

25When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

25Once the ground is level, he scatters dill seed and cumin. He plants wheat in rows, barley in its plot, and rye along the edge.

NoteThe KJV "fitches" and "cummin" are small seed spices, dill and cumin, harvested gently by hand rather than crushed like grain.

26For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

26His God shows him the right way to do it, and teaches him well.

27For the fitches are not threshed with a 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.

27You do not crush dill with a heavy threshing sledge, or roll a cart wheel over cumin. Dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a light rod.

28Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

28Grain for bread must be crushed, but the farmer does not pound it forever. He drives his cart wheels over it without letting the horses grind it to powder.

29This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

29This too comes from the LORD of Heaven's Armies. His plans are wonderful, and what he does works wonderfully well.