¶ Woe to the crown¹ of pride, to the drunkards² of Ephraim, whose³ glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome⁴ with wine!

Behold, the Lord⁵ hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest⁶ of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

The crown⁷ of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall⁸ be trodden under feet⁹:

And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be¹⁰ a fading flower, and as the hasty¹¹ fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth¹² it up.

In that day shall the¹³ LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem¹⁴ of beauty, unto the residue¹⁵ of his people,

And for a spirit¹⁶ of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength¹⁷ to them that turn the battle to the gate.

But they also have erred¹⁸ through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed¹⁹ up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in²⁰ vision, they stumble in judgment.

²¹For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

¶ Whom shall he teach²² knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine²³? them that are weaned²⁴ from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

¶ For precept²⁵ must be²⁶ upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

For with²⁷ stammering lips²⁸ and another tongue will he speak to this people.

To whom he said, This²⁹ is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet³⁰ they would not hear.

But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept³¹, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that³² they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

¶ Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye³³ scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

Because ye have said, We have³⁴ made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when³⁵ the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made³⁶ lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold,³⁷ I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that³⁸ believeth shall not make haste.

Judgment³⁹ also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail⁴⁰ shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters⁴¹ shall overflow the hiding place.

And your covenant⁴² with death shall be disannulled⁴³, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when⁴⁴ the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it⁴⁵.

From the time⁴⁶ that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it⁴⁷ shall be a vexation only to understand the report⁴⁸.

¶ For the bed⁴⁹ is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim⁵⁰, he shall be wroth as in the valley⁵¹ of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange⁵³ work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

Now therefore be ye⁵⁴ not mockers, lest⁵⁵ your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption⁵⁶, even determined upon the whole earth.

¶⁵⁷Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break⁵⁸ the clods of his ground?

When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal⁵⁹ wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place⁶⁰?

For his God⁶¹ doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

For the fitches are not threshed⁶² with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches⁶³ are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

Bread⁶⁴ corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel⁶⁵ of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

This also cometh⁶⁶ forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.