28 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! 2 Behold,
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. 3 The
crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: 4 And
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. 5 In
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, 6 And
for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength
to them that turn the battle to the gate. 7 But
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. 8 For
all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place
clean. 9 Whom
shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?
them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For
precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line
upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For
with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To
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. 13 But
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. 14 Wherefore
hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which
is in Jerusalem.
15
Because 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: 16 Therefore 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. 17 Judgment 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. 18 And 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. 19 From 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. 20 For 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. 21 For 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. 22 Now 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. 23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken,
and hear my speech. 24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow?
doth he open and break the clods of his ground? 25 When 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? 26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion,
and doth teach him. 27 For 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. 28 Bread 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. 29 This also cometh forth from the LORD
of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.