1  Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,

and the ^dfading flower of its glorious beauty,

which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!

2  Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;

like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,

like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,

he casts down to the earth with his hand.

3  The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim

will be trodden underfoot;

4  and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

which is on the head of the rich valley,

will be like a ^efirst-ripe fig¹ before the summer:

when someone sees it, he swallows it

as soon as it is in his hand.

5  In that day the Lord of hosts will be a ^fcrown of glory,²

and a diadem of beauty, to the ^gremnant of his people,

6  and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,

and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7  These also reel with wine

and stagger with strong drink;

the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,

they are swallowed by³ 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  ^h“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  For ⁱby people of strange lips

and with a ^jforeign tongue

the Lord will speak to this people,

12  to whom he has said,

“This is rest;

give rest to the weary;

and this is repose”;

^kyet 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,

that they may go, and ^lfall backward,

and be broken, and snared, and taken.

14  Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,

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 overwhelming whip passes through

it will not come to us,

for we have made lies our refuge,

and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;