1  Ah, the proud crown of ^ythe 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 ^zone who is mighty and strong;

like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,

like ^aa storm of mighty, overflowing waters,

he casts down to the earth with his hand.

3  ^bThe proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim

will be trodden underfoot;

4  ^cand the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

which is on the head of the rich valley,

will be like ^da first-ripe fig¹ before the summer:

when someone sees it, he swallows it

as soon as it is in his hand.

5  ^eIn that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,²

and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,

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

and ^gstrength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7  ^hThese also reel with wine

and ⁱstagger with strong drink;

the priest and ^jthe 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  ^k“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  ^lFor by people of strange lips

and with a foreign tongue

the Lord will speak to this people,

12  to whom he has said,

^m“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,

ⁿthat they may go, and fall backward,

and be broken, and snared, and taken.

14  Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you ^oscoffers,

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 ^poverwhelming whip passes through

it will not come to us,

for we have made ^qlies our refuge,

and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;