Beginning

28 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunken men of Ephraim, and to the flower falling down of the glory of the full out joying thereof, that were in the top of the fattest valley, and erred of wine. (Woe to the crown of pride of the drunken men of Ephraim, and to the declining glory, or the diminishing beauty, of the revellers’ flowers, that were on the fat, or the proud, heads, of those who wandered about because of the wine.)

² Lo! the mighty and strong Lord, as the fierceness of hail, and whirlwind breaking together, as the fierceness of many waters (over)flowing, and sent out on a large land. (Lo! the Lord hath someone strong and mighty, like the fierceness of the hail, and like the fierceness of the whirlwind that altogether breaketh up, and like the fierceness of many waters overflowing, whom he shall send out upon the large, or the broad, land.)

³ The crown of pride of the drunken men of Ephraim shall be defouled with feet, (The crown of pride of the drunken men of Ephraim shall be defiled underfoot,)

⁴ and the flower of [the] glory of the full out joying of him, that is on the top of the valley of fat things, shall be falling down, as a timely thing before the ripeness of harvest; which when a man seeing beholdeth, anon as he taketh with hand, he shall devour it. (and the glory, or the beauty, of the flowers, that were on the fat, or on the proud, heads of the revellers, shall decline, or shall diminish, like a timely thing before the ripeness of the harvest, which when a person seeing beholdeth, as soon as he taketh hold of it with his hand, he shall devour it.)

⁵ In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of full out joying, to the residue of his people; (On that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a beautiful garland, for the remnant of his people;)

⁶ and a spirit of doom to him that sitteth on the throne, and strength to them that turn again from [the] battle to the gate. (and a spirit of justice, or of judgement, for him who sitteth upon the throne, and strength to them who return from the battle at the gate.)

⁷ But also they knew not for wine, and erred for drunkenness; the priest and (the) prophet knew not for drunkenness; they were sopped up of wine, they erred in drunkenness; they knew not a prophet, they knew not doom. (But they also knew not because of the wine, and wandered about in drunkenness; yea, the priest and the prophet knew not because of drunkenness; they were swallowed up by wine, and so they wandered about in drunkenness, and they knew not prophecy, and they did not have good judgement.)

⁸ For why all (the) boards were filled with spewing and filths, so that there was no more place. (For all the tables were covered with vomit and filth, so that there was no clean place left.)

⁹ Whom shall he teach knowing, and whom shall he make to understand [the] hearing? Men weaned from milk, men drawn away from teats. (And so to whom shall he teach knowledge, and who shall he make understand the teaching? Those just weaned from milk, yea, those just drawn away from the breast!/?)

¹⁰ For why command thou, command thou again; command thou, command thou again; abide thou, abide thou again; abide thou, abide thou again; a little there, a little there (a little here, a little there).

¹¹ For why in [the] speech of lip, and in other language, he shall speak to this people,

¹² to which he said, This is my rest; refresh ye a weary man, and this is my refreshing; and they would not hear. (to whom he said, This is my rest; refresh ye all the weary, and this is my refreshing; but they would not listen to him.)

¹³ And the word of the Lord shall be to them, Send thou, send thou again; send thou, send thou again; abide thou, abide thou again; abide thou, abide thou again; a little there, a little there (a little here, a little there); (so) that they go, and fall backward, and be all-broken, and be snared, and be taken.

¹⁴ For this thing, ye men scorners, that be lords over my people which is in Jerusalem, hear the word of the Lord. (And so because of this, ye mockers, who be lords over my people who be in Jerusalem, hear the word of the Lord.)

¹⁵ For ye said, We have smitten a bond of peace with death, and we have made covenant with hell; a scourge (over)flowing, when it shall pass, shall not come [up]on us, for we have set a leasing our hope, and we be covered with a leasing. (For ye said, We have struck a covenant with death, and we have made a covenant with Sheol, that is, the land of the dead/and we have made a covenant with hell; an overflowing scourge, when it shall pass by, shall not come upon us, for we have made a lie to be our hope, and we be covered with, or protected by, a lie.)

¹⁶ Therefore the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall send in the foundaments of Zion a cornerstone precious, proved, founded in the foundament; he that believeth, shall not hasten. (And so the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall put in the foundation of Zion a precious cornerstone, proved, and laid in the foundation; he who believeth shall not be in haste, but shall be patient, or shall be steadfast.)

¹⁷ And I shall set doom in weight, and rightfulness in measure; and hail shall destroy the hope of leasing, and waters shall (over)flow on (your) protection. (And I shall put justice in weights, and righteousness in measures; and hail shall destroy the hope of lies, and water shall overflow your protection.)

¹⁸ And your bond of peace with death shall be done away, and your covenant with hell shall not stand; when the scourge (over)flowing shall pass, ye shall be to it into defouling. (And your covenant with death shall be done away, and your covenant with Sheol, or the land of the dead, shall not stand/and your covenant with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass by, ye shall be defiled by it.)

¹⁹ Whenever it shall pass, it shall take away you (And when it shall pass by you, it shall take you away); for why early in the gray morrowtide it shall pass (by), (and) in day and night; and only travail alone shall give understanding to [the] hearing.

²⁰ Forsooth the bed is strait, so that the tother fall down; and a short mantle shall not cover ever either. (For the bed is too short, so that no one can stretch out on it; and the blanket is too small, so that no one can be covered by it.)

²¹ For as in the hill of partings the Lord shall stand, as in the valley, which is in Gibeon, he shall be wroth, that he do his work; his work alien, that he work his work; his work is strange from him. (For the Lord shall stand, as he did at Mount Perazim, and he shall be angry, as he was in the Valley of Gibeon; so that he do his work, his strange work; yea, that he work his work, his strange work.)

²² And now do not ye scorn, lest peradventure your bonds be made strait together; for I heard of the Lord God of hosts, ending and abridging on all (the) earth. (And now do not ye mock, lest peradventure your bonds be made altogether strait, or tight; for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts, of the ending and the shortening, or destruction, of all the earth.)

²³ Perceive ye with ears, and hear ye my voice; perceive ye, and hear ye my speech. (Listen, and hear ye my voice; pay attention, yea, listen to me!)

²⁴ Whether he that eareth, shall ear all day, for to sow, and shall he carve (up), and purge his land? (Shall he who ploweth, plow every day, in order to sow, and to furrow, and to purge his land?)

²⁵ Whether when he hath made even the face thereof, shall he not sow gith, and sprinkle abroad cummin? and he shall not set wheat by order, and barley, and millet, and fitches in his coasts? (Or rather, when he hath smoothed, or leveled, its surface, shall he not sow gith, and sprinkle abroad cummin? and shall he not put in, by order, wheat, and barley, and millet, and fitches, in all his fields?)

²⁶ And his God shall teach him, in doom he shall teach him. (And his God shall teach him, yea, he shall teach him good judgement.)

²⁷ Forsooth (the) gith shall not be threshed in saws, and a wheel of a wain shall not compass on [the] cummin (For the gith shall not be threshed with saws, and the wheel of a wagon shall not roll over, or grind down, the cummin); but (the) gith shall be beaten out with a rod, and [the] cummin with a staff.

²⁸ Soothly bread shall be made less, but he that thresheth shall not thresh it without end, neither shall travail it with a wheel of a wain, neither shall make it less with his claws. (And the corn shall be crushed, but he who thresheth it shall not thresh it out forever, nor shall he grind it down with the wheel of a wagon, nor shall he make it fine with his horses’ hooves.)

²⁹ And this thing went out of the Lord God of hosts, that he should make wonderful counsel, and magnify rightfulness. (And this word went out from the Lord God of hosts, whose counsel is wonderful, and whose rightfulness is great.)

29 Woe! [to] Ariel, Ariel, the city which David overcame; year is added to year, solemnities be passed (the feasts have come and gone).

² And I shall compass Ariel, and it shall be sorrowful and mourning; and Jerusalem shall be to me as Ariel. (And I shall surround Ariel, and it shall be sorrowful and mourning; and Jerusalem shall be like Ariel to me.)

³ And I shall compass as a round spear, either trundle, in thy compass, and I shall cast [an heap] (of) earth against thee, and I shall set strongholds, either engines, into thy besieging. (And I shall surround thee with my army, and I shall throw a heap of earth against thee, and I shall set up strongholds, or engines, to besiege thee.)

⁴ Thou shalt be made low, thou shalt speak (out) of [the] earth, and thy speech shall be heard from the earth; and thy voice shall be as the voice of a dead man raised (up) by conjuring, and thy speech shall oft grutch of the earth (and thy words shall grumble, or groan, out of the earth).

⁵ And the multitude of them that winnowed thee, shall be (made) as thin dust; and the multitude of them that had the mastery against thee, shall be (made) as [a] dead spark passing (away). And it shall be (that) suddenly,

⁶ anon it shall be visited of the Lord of hosts, in thunder, and in moving of the earth, and in great voice of whirlwind, and of tempest, and of flame of fire devouring. (at once thou shalt be punished by the Lord of hosts, with thunder, and with earth-shaking, and with the great noise of a whirlwind, and of a tempest, and with a flame of devouring fire.)

⁷ And the multitude of all folks that fought against Ariel shall be as the dream of a night’s vision; and all men that fought, and besieged (it), and had the mastery against it. (And the multitude of all the nations that fought against Ariel, that is, of all those who fought against it, and besieged it, and had the mastery over it, shall vanish like the dream of a night’s vision.)

⁸ And as an hungry man dreameth, and eateth, but when he is awaked, his soul is void; and as a thirsty man dreameth, and drinketh, and after that he is awaked, he is weary, and thirsteth yet, and his soul is void; so shall be the multitude of all folks, that fought against the hill of Zion. (And like when a hungry man dreameth, and eateth in it, but when he awakeneth, his body is still empty; or like when a thirsty man dreameth, and drinketh in it, but after that he awakeneth, he is still weary, and still thirsteth, and his body is empty; so shall be the multitude of all the nations, that fought against Mount Zion.)

⁹ Be ye astonied, and wonder; wake ye, and doubt ye; be ye drunk, and not of wine; be ye moved, and not with drunkenness. (Be ye astonished, and wonder; wake ye, and doubt ye; be ye drunk, but not with wine; be ye moved, but not with drunkenness.)

¹⁰ For the Lord hath meddled to you the spirit of sleep; he shall close your eyes, and [he] shall cover your prophets, and princes that see visions. (For the Lord hath mixed for you the spirit of sleep; he shall close your eyes, that is, your prophets, and he shall cover your heads, that is, your leaders, who see visions.)

¹¹ And the vision of all prophets shall be to you as the words of a book asealed; which when they shall give to him that knoweth letters, they shall say, Read thou this book; and he shall answer, I may not, for it is asealed. (And the vision of all the prophets shall be to you like the words of a sealed book; which when they shall give to him who knoweth how to read, they shall say, Read thou this book; and he shall answer, I cannot, for it is sealed.)

¹² And the book shall be given to him that knoweth not letters, and it shall be said to him, Read thou; and he shall answer, I know no letters. (And the book shall be given to him who cannot read, and it shall be said to him, Read thou; and he shall answer, I do not know how to read.)

¹³ And (then) the Lord said, For that (that) this people nigheth with their mouth, and glorifieth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; and they dreaded me for the commandment and (the) teachings of men,

¹⁴ therefore lo! I shall add, that I make [great] wondering to this people, in a great miracle and wonderful (and so lo! I shall add, that I make a great wonder before this people, yea, a great and wonderful miracle); for why wisdom shall perish from (the) wise men thereof, and the understanding of prudent men thereof shall be hid.

¹⁵ Woe to you that be deep of heart, that ye hide (your) counsel from the Lord (Woe to you who go deep into your hearts, in order to hide your plans from the Lord); the works of which be in darknesses, and they say, Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?

¹⁶ This thought of you is wayward, as if clay think against a potter, and the work say to his maker, Thou madest not me; and a thing made, say to his maker, Thou understandest not. (This thought of yours is wayward, like if a piece of clay think against a potter, and the work say to its maker, Thou madest me not, and a made thing say to its maker, Thou understandest not how to do this.)

¹⁷ Whether not yet in a little time and short, the Lebanon shall be turned into Carmel, and Carmel shall be areckoned into the forest? (Whether not yet in a brief, or a short, time, Lebanon shall be turned into a plentiful land, and the plentiful land shall be reckoned as a forest?)

¹⁸ And in that day deaf men shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of blind men shall see from darknesses and misty (And on that day, the deaf shall hear the words read from a book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of their darkness and mist;)

¹⁹ and mild men shall increase gladness in the Lord, and poor men shall make full out joy in the Holy of Israel. (and the meek, or the humble, shall increase their happiness in the Lord, and the poor shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.)

²⁰ For he that had the mastery, failed, and the scorner is ended, and all they be cut down that waked on wickedness; (For he who had the mastery, hath failed, and the mocker is ended, and all those who watch for wickedness shall be cut down;)

²¹ which made men to do sin in word, and deceived a reprover in the gate, and bowed away in vain from a just man. (who made people to do sin in word, and deceived a rebuker at the gate, and bowed away justice from the upright, for an empty and a futile thing.)

²² For this thing the Lord, that again-bought Abraham, saith these things to the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not be confounded now, neither now his cheer shall be ashamed; (For this thing the Lord who bought back, or ransomed, Abraham, saith these things to the house of Jacob, Jacob shall no longer be ashamed, nor shall his face now become pale;)

²³ but when he shall see his sons, the works of mine hands, hallowing my name in the midst of him. And they shall hallow the Holy of Jacob, and they shall preach [the] God of Israel; (but when he seeth his sons and daughters, the work of my hands, in his midst, they shall hallow my name, yea, they shall hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and they shall have reverence for the God of Israel;)

²⁴ and they that err in spirit, shall know understanding, and idle men, either grutchers, shall learn the law. (and they who err in spirit, shall gain understanding, and those who be idle, or the grumblers, shall learn the Law.)

30 Woe! sons forsakers, saith the Lord, that ye shall make a counsel, and not of me; and weave a web, and not by my spirit, that ye should increase sin on sin. (Woe! ye rebels, saith the Lord, ye who take counsel, or advice, but not from me; and weave a web, but not by my spirit, so that ye increase sin upon sin.)

² Which go, to go down into Egypt, and ye asked not my mouth; ye hoping help in the strength of Pharaoh, and ye having trust in the shadow of Egypt. (Who go, to go down to Egypt, but ye did not ask my advice; ye hoping for help from the strength of Pharaoh, and ye having trust in the shadow of Egypt.)

³ And the strength of Pharaoh shall be to you into confusion, and the trust of the shadow of Egypt into shame. (But the strength of Pharaoh shall only bring you confusion, and thy trust in the shadow of Egypt shall only bring you shame.)

⁴ For why thy princes were in Tanis, and thy messengers came till to Hanes. (For though his leaders, or his officers, be in Zoan, and his messengers have come to Hanes,)

⁵ All they were shamed on the people, that might not profit to them; they were not into help, and into any profit, but into shame and shame. (all shall be ashamed of these people who cannot profit them; yea, they shall not be of any help, or profit, but shall only bring shame and more shame.)

⁶ The burden of [the] work beasts of the south. In the land of tribulation and of anguish, a lioness, and a lion, of them a serpent, and a [flying] cockatrice; they were bearing their riches on the shoulders of work beasts, and their treasures on the botch of camels, to a people that might not profit to them. (The burden of the work beasts of the south. Into the land of tribulation and of anguish, of a lioness, and a lion, a serpent, and a flying cockatrice, they went carrying their riches on the shoulders of work beasts, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people who could not help them.)

⁷ For why Egypt shall help in vain, and idly. Therefore I cried on this thing (And so I cried out about this thing), It is pride only; cease thou.

⁸ Now therefore enter thou, and write to it on [a] box [table], and write thou it diligently in a book; and it shall be in the last day into witnessing, till into without end. (And so now enter thou, and write it on a tablet, and diligently write it in a book; and it shall be in the last day a testimony, yea, unto forever.)

⁹ For it is a people stirring (me) to wrathfulness, and sons liars, sons that will not hear the law of God. (For they be a people stirring me to anger, and people who lie, and people who will not listen to the Law of God.)

¹⁰ Which say to prophets, Do not ye prophesy; and to beholders, Do not ye behold to us those things that be rightful; speak ye things pleasing to us, see ye errors to us. (Who say to prophets, Do not ye prophesy; and to beholders, Do not ye behold for us those things that be right, or truthful; rather, speak ye pleasant, or pleasing, things to us, yea, see ye errors for us.)

¹¹ Do ye away from me the way, bow ye away from me the path; the Holy of Israel cease from our face. (Who say, Get ye out of my way, turn ye away from me on the path; make the Holy One of Israel to go away from us.)

¹² Therefore the Holy of Israel saith these things, For that that ye reproved this word, and hoped on false challenge, and on noise, and trusted on it, (And so the Holy One of Israel saith these things, Because ye have rebuked this word, and hoped in oppression, and noise, and trusted in it,)

¹³ therefore this wickedness shall be to you as a breaking falling down, and sought in an high wall; for suddenly while it is not hoped, the breaking thereof shall come. (and so this wickedness shall be to you like a high wall that hath a crack running down it; and then suddenly, when it is not expected, its breaking shall come.)

¹⁴ And it shall be made less, as a vessel of a potter is broken with full strong breaking; and a sherd shall not be found of the gobbets, either remnants, thereof, in which sherd a little fire shall be borne of (the) burning, either a little of water shall be drawn of the ditch. (And it shall be made less, like the vessel of a potter is broken with great breaking; and a shard shall not be found of its pieces, or of its remnants, by which shard a little of the fire can be carried out of the burning, or a little of the water can be drawn out of the ditch.)

¹⁵ For why the Lord God, the Holy of Israel, saith these things, If ye turn again, and rest, ye shall be safe; in stillness and in hope shall be your strength. And ye would not. (For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, saith these things, If ye return, and rest, ye shall be safe; in stillness and in hope shall be your strength. But ye would not listen to me/But ye would not do it.)

¹⁶ And ye said, Nay, but we shall flee to horses; therefore ye shall flee. And we shall ascend on swift horses; therefore they shall be swifter, that shall pursue you. (And ye said, Nay, but we shall flee on horses; and so ye shall flee. And we shall go upon swift horses; and so they, who shall pursue you, shall be swifter.)

¹⁷ A thousand men shall flee from the face of the dread of one; and ye shall flee from the face of [the] dread of five, till ye be left as the mast of a ship in the top of a mountain (until ye be left like the mast of a ship on the top of a mountain), and as a sign on a little hill.

¹⁸ Therefore the Lord abideth, that he have mercy on you, and therefore he shall be enhanced sparing you; for why God is Lord of doom, blessed be all they that abide him. (And so the Lord waiteth, because he hath mercy on you, and so he shall be exalted for sparing you; for God is the Lord of justice, or of judgement, blessed be all they who wait for him.)

¹⁹ Forsooth the people of Zion shall dwell in Jerusalem; (but) thou weeping shalt not weep (any more), (for) he doing mercy shall have mercy on thee; at the voice of thy cry, anon as he heareth, he shall answer to thee (at the sound of thy cry, as soon as he heareth it, he shall answer thee).

²⁰ And the Lord shall give to thee strait bread, and short water, and shall no more make thy teacher to flee away from thee; and thine eyes shall be seeing thy commander (but thine eyes shall see thy teacher),

²¹ and thine ears shall hear a word behind the back of him that admonisheth; This is the way, go ye therein, neither to the right half, neither to the left half. (and thy ears shall hear a voice behind thy back that admonisheth thee, saying, This is the way, go ye in it, and neither to the right, nor to the left.)

²² And thou shalt defoul the plates of the graven images of thy silver, and the cloak of the molten image of thy gold; and thou shalt scatter them, as the uncleanness of a woman in unclean blood; Go thou out, and thou shalt say to it. (And thou shalt defile thy carved idols plated with silver, and thy cast idols cloaked in gold; and thou shalt throw them away, like the unclean cloth of a woman in unclean blood; and thou shalt say to them, Go thou away.)

²³ And rain shall be given to thy seed, wherever thou shalt sow in [the] earth, and the bread of [the] fruits of [the] earth shall be most plenteous and fat; in that day a lamb shall be fed largely in thy possession (on that day thy cattle shall be fed in large, or broad, pastures).

²⁴ And thy bulls and colts of asses, that work the land, shall eat barley with chaff meddled together, as it is winnowed in the cornfloor. (And thy bulls and the colts of donkeys, that work the land, shall eat barley mixed, or mingled, together with chaff, after that it is winnowed on the threshing floor.)

²⁵ And strands of running waters shall be on each high mountain, and on each little hill raised (and on each raised up little hill), in the day of (the) slaying of many men, when towers fall down.

²⁶ And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day in which the Lord shall bind together the wound of his people, and shall make whole the smiting of the wound(s) thereof. (And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, on the day when the Lord shall bind up the wounds of his people, yea, when he shall make whole, or shall heal, all their wounds.)

²⁷ Lo! the name of the Lord cometh down from [a]far; his strong vengeance is burning, and grievous to bear; his lips be filled of indignation, and his tongue is as fire devouring (his lips be full of anger, and his tongue is like a devouring fire).

²⁸ His spirit is as a stiff stream, (over)flowing till to the midst of the neck, to lose folks into nought, and the bridle of error, that was in the cheeks of peoples. (His breath is like a swift stream, overflowing unto the midst of their necks, to destroy the nations down into nothing, and like a bridle that was put on the cheeks of the people, to cause them to err.)

²⁹ Song shall be to you, as the voice of an hallowed solemnity; and gladness of heart, as he that goeth with a pipe, for to enter into the hill of the Lord, to the Strong (One) of Israel. (A song shall be for you, like on the night of a solemn, or of a sacred, feast; and happiness of heart, like he who goeth with a pipe, or with a flute, to the hill of the Lord, yea, to the Strong One of Israel.)

³⁰ And the Lord shall make heard the glory of his voice, and he shall show the fearedfulness of his arm in menacing of (his) strong vengeance, and in flame of fire burning; he shall hurtle down in whirlwind, and in [the] stone of hail. (And the Lord shall make heard the glory of his voice, and he shall show the fearfulness of his arm with the threatening of his strong vengeance, and with the flame of a burning fire; he shall hurtle down with the whirlwind, and with the hailstone.)

³¹ For why Assur smitten with a rod shall dread of the voice of the Lord; (For the Assyrians shall fear the voice of the Lord, and shall be struck with his rod;)

³² and the passing of the rod shall be founded, which rod the Lord shall make for to rest on him. In tympans, and harps, and in sovereign battles he shall overcome them. (and the striking of his rod shall be marked with drums, or with tambourines, and with harps, which rod the Lord shall make to rest upon them. And he himself shall overcome them in battle.)

³³ For why Tophet, that is, hell, deep and alarged, is made ready of the king from yesterday; the nourishings thereof be fire and many trees; the blast of the Lord, as a stream of brimstone, kindleth it. (For Tophet, that is, hell, is made ready from yesterday, yea, it is prepared for the king, made deep and enlarged; its nourishings be fire and a great deal of wood; and the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, kindleth it.)