北國必遭審判

28 以法蓮酒徒引以為榮的華冠有禍了!

它座落在醉酒者肥美的山谷頂上,
它的榮美如將殘之花。
看啊,主已經派來一位強壯有力的人,
他像冰雹和毀滅的暴風,
又像洶湧氾濫的洪水,
他必把那華冠猛力摔在地上。
以法蓮酒徒引以為榮的華冠必被踐踏。
那肥美山谷上將殘的榮美之花,
必像夏季到來之前早熟的無花果,
人一看見它就把它摘去吞掉。
到那日,萬軍之耶和華必做祂餘民的榮冠和華冕。
祂必使審判官公正斷案,
賜力量給守城退敵之人。
但祭司和先知也因喝酒而搖搖晃晃,
因烈酒而東倒西歪。
他們因烈酒而搖搖晃晃、
酩酊大醉、東倒西歪,
他們錯解異象,糊塗判案。
桌子上到處都是嘔吐之物,
一片狼藉。
他們抱怨我說:
「他想教導誰知識呢?
他想把信息解釋給誰呢?
是剛剛斷奶、離開母懷的嬰孩嗎?
10 因為他的教導只是命命令令、命命令令、律律例例、律律例例、這裡一點、那裡一點。」

11 因此,耶和華必用外族人的口和語言來教訓他們。
12 耶和華曾對他們說:
「這是安歇之地,
讓疲乏的人安歇吧。
這是安歇之地。」
他們卻不肯聽。
13 所以,對他們來說,
耶和華的話成了命命令令、命命令令、律律例例、律律例例、這裡一點、那裡一點,
以致他們走路時仰面跌倒,摔傷,落網,被捉。
14 你們這些好譏諷、在耶路撒冷統管百姓的人啊,
要聽耶和華的話。
15 你們說:
「我們已經和死亡立約,
與陰間結盟。
災難席捲而來的時候,
我們會安然無恙,
因為我們以謊言為庇護所,
以詭詐為藏身處。」
16 所以主耶和華說:
「看啊,我要在錫安放一塊基石,
一塊經過考驗的石頭,
一塊根基穩固的寶貴房角石,
信靠的人必不致蒙羞。
17 我必以公平為準繩,
以公義作線錘。
冰雹必砸碎你們虛謊的庇護所,
洪水必淹沒你們的藏身處。
18 你們和死亡所立的約必被廢棄,
與陰間的結盟必不能長久。
災難席捲而來的時候,
你們必遭毀滅。
19 災難必不分晝夜、日復一日地掃過,
每次掃過都必將你們擄去。」
明白這信息的人都必驚恐萬分。
20 你們的床太小,不能舒身;
你們的被子太窄,不足裹身。[a]
21 耶和華必像在毗拉心山一樣挺身而出,
像在基遍谷一樣發怒,
要完成祂奇異的作為,
成就祂不尋常的工作。
22 現在你們不要再譏諷了,
以免捆綁你們的繩索勒得更緊,
因為我已從主——萬軍之耶和華那裡聽到毀滅全國的諭旨。
23 你們要側耳聽我的聲音,
留心聽我的話語。
24 難道農夫會一直耕地而不撒種嗎?
難道他會一直犁地、耙地嗎?
25 他耙平土地之後,
難道不種小茴香、大茴香嗎?
不按行種小麥,
在合適的地方種大麥,
在田邊種粗麥嗎?
26 因為上帝指點他,教導他耕種之道。

27 打小茴香不用大槌,用棍子;
打大茴香不用石磙,用棒子。
28 做餅的糧食要磨碎,
沒有人會不停地在場上碾壓糧食。
馬拉著石磙在場上軋過,
也不會把麥子磨碎。
29 這些知識都是萬軍之耶和華所賜的,
祂有奇妙的謀略和偉大的智慧。

Footnotes

  1. 28·20 此處的床和被子象徵他們虛假的安全感。

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!
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.
The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,
shall be trodden under feet:
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.

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,
and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment,
and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

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

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.