1. Oy , the proud crown of Ephraim’s drunks! Its glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is at the head of the fertile valleys of those overcome with wine!
2. Behold, Adonai is strong and mighty, like a hailstorm, a destructive tempest, like a downpour of overflowing water, He hurls it down to earth with His hand.
3. The proud crown of Ephraim’s drunks will be trampled underfoot.
4. The glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the fertile valley, like a first-ripe fig before summer— whoever sees it, swallows it up while it is still in his palm.
5. In that day Adonai-Tzva’ot will be a crown of glory, a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people,
6. a spirit of judgment for him who sits on the judgment seat, and strength for those turning back the battle at the gate.
7. But these also reel from wine and stagger from strong drink —the kohen and the prophet reel from strong drink— are confused because of wine, they stagger because of strong drink, they are muddled in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8. Since all the tables are full of the filth of vomit, no place is left.
9. To whom will He teach knowledge? To whom will He explain the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?
10. For it must be ‘precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.’
11. For through stammering lips and a foreign tongue He will speak to this people,
12. To whom He said, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary, here is repose”— but they would not listen.
13. So the word of Adonai is to them ‘precept on precept, precept on precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.’ So they walk, and fall backward, and are broken, trapped, and captured.
14. Therefore hear the word of Adonai, you scoffers, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem:
15. “Because you have said, ‘We cut a covenant with death, we made a pact with Sheol, so when the overflowing scourge passes through, it won’t come for us, for we have made lies our refuge, and hid ourselves in falsehood’—