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28 Against the pride and drunkenness of Israel. 9 The untowardness of them that should learn the word of God. 24 God doeth all things in time and place.
1 Woe to the [a]crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim: for his glorious beauty shall be a fading flower, which is upon the head of the [b]valley of them that be fat, and are overcome with wine.
2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and [c]strong host like a tempest of hail, and a whirlwind that overthroweth, like a tempest of mighty waters that overflow, which throw to the ground mightily.
3 They shall be trodden under foot, even the crown and the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim.
4 For his glorious beauty shall be a fading flower, which is upon the head of the valley of them that be fat, and as [d]the hasty fruit afore Summer, which when he hath looketh upon it, seeth it, while it is in his hand, he eateth it.
5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty unto the [e]residue of his people:
6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for [f]strength unto them that turn away the battle to the gate.
7 But [g]they have erred because of wine, and are out of the way by strong drink: the Priest and the prophet have erred by strong drink: they are swallowed up with wine: they have gone astray through strong drink: they fail in vision: they stumble in judgment.
8 For all their tables are full of filthy vomiting: no place is clean.
9 [h]Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand the things that he heareth? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For [i]precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line unto line, line unto line, there a little, and there a little.
11 For with a stammering [j]tongue, and with a strange language shall he speak unto this people.
12 Unto whom [k]he said, [l]This is the rest: [m]give rest unto him that is weary, and this is the refreshing, but they would not hear.
13 Therefore shall the word of the [n]Lord be unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line unto line, line unto line, there a little and there a little: that they may go and fall backward, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people, which is at Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a [o]covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement: though a scourge run over, and pass through, it shall not come at us: for we have made [p]falsehood our refuge, and under vanity are we hid,
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lay in Zion a stone, a [q]tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth, [r]shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the rule, and [s]righteousness to the balance, and the [t]hail shall sweep away the vain confidence, and the waters shall overflow [u]the secret place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand: when a scourge shall run over and pass through, then shall ye be trodden down by it.
19 When it passeth over, it shall take you away: for it shall pass through every morning in the day and in the night, and there shall be only [v]fear, to make you to understand the hearing.
20 For the bed is [w]strait, that it cannot suffice, and the covering narrow, that one cannot wrap himself.
21 For the Lord shall stand as in mount [x]Perazim: he shall be wroth as in the valley [y]of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
22 Now therefore be no mockers, lest your bonds increase: for I have heard of the Lord of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
23 Hearken ye, and hear my voice: hearken ye, and hear my speech.
24 Doth the plowman plow all the day, to sow? doth he open, and break the clots of his ground?
25 When he hath made it [z]plain, will he not then sow the fitches, and sow cumin, and cast in wheat by measure, and the appointed barley and rye in their place?
26 For his God doth instruct him to have discretion, and doth teach him.
27 For fitches shall not be threshed with a threshing instrument, neither shall a cartwheel be turned about upon the cumin: but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.
28 Bread corn when it is threshed, he doth not always thresh it, neither doth the wheel of his cart still make a noise, neither will he break it with the teeth thereof.
29 This also cometh from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in works.
29 1 A prophecy against Jerusalem. 13 The vengeance of God on them that follow the traditions of men.
1 Ah [aa]altar, altar of the city that David dwelt in: add year unto year: [ab]let them kill lambs.
2 But I will bring the altar into distress, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow, and it shall be unto me like [ac]an altar.
3 And I will besiege thee as a circle, and fight against thee on a mount, and will cast up ramparts against thee.
4 So shalt thou be humbled, and shalt speak out of the [ad]ground, and thy speech shall be as out of the dust: thy voice also shall be out of the ground like him that hath a spirit of divination, and thy talking shall whisper out of the dust.
5 Moreover, multitude of thy [ae]strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of strong men shall be as chaff that passeth away: and it shall be in a moment, even suddenly.
6 Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and shaking, and a great noise, a whirlwind, and a tempest, and a flame of a devouring fire.
7 And the [af]multitude of all the nations that fight against the altar, shall be as a dream or vision by night: even all they that make the war against it, and strongholds against it, and lay siege unto it.
8 And it shall be like as an hungry man dreameth, and behold, [ag]he eateth: and when he awaketh, his soul is empty: or like as a thirsty man dreameth, and lo, he is drinking, and when he awaketh, behold, he is faint, and his soul longeth: so shall the multitude of all nations be that fight against mount Zion.
9 [ah]Stay yourselves and wonder: they are blind, and make you blind: they are drunken, but not with wine: they stagger, but not by strong drink.
10 For the Lord hath covered you with a spirit of slumber, and hath shut up your eyes: the Prophet, and your chief Seers hath he covered.
11 And the vision of them all is become unto you, as the words of a book that is sealed up, which they deliver to one that can read, saying, Read this, I pray thee. Then shall he say, I [ai]cannot; for it is sealed.
12 And the book is given unto him that cannot read, saying, Read this, I pray thee. And he shall say, I cannot read.
13 Therefore the Lord said, Because this people [aj]come near unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but have removed their heart far from me, and their [ak]fear toward me was taught by the precept of men,
14 Therefore behold, I will again do a marvelous work in this people, even a marvelous work, and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall [al]perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
15 Woe unto them that [am]seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord: for their works are in darkness, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
16 Your turning of devices shall it not be esteemed [an]as the potter’s clay? for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or the thing formed, say of him that fashioned it, He had none understanding?
17 Is it not yet but a little while, and Lebanon shall be [ao]turned into Carmel? and Carmel shall be counted as a forest?
18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
19 The meek in the Lord shall receive joy again, and the poor men shall rejoice in the Holy one of Israel.
20 For the cruel man shall cease, and the scornful shall be consumed: and all that hasted to iniquity, shall be cut off:
21 Which made a man to sin in the [ap]word, and took him in a snare: which reproved them in the gate, and made the just to fall without cause.
22 Therefore thus saith the Lord unto the house of Jacob, even he that redeemed Abraham: Jacob shall not now be confounded, neither now shall his face be pale.
23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my Name, and sanctify the Holy one of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.
24 Then they that erred in spirit, [aq]shall have understanding, and they that murmured, shall learn doctrine.
30 1 He reproveth the Jews, which in their adversity used their own counsels, 2 and sought help of the Egyptians, 10 despising the Prophets. 16 Therefore he showeth what destruction shall come upon them, 18 but offereth mercy to the repentant.
1 Woe to the [ar]rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me, and [as]cover with a covering, but not by my spirit, that they may lay sin upon sin:
2 Which walk forth to go down into Egypt (and have not asked at my mouth) to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh, and trust in the shadow of Egypt.
3 But the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
4 For his [at]princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came unto Hanes.
5 They shall be all ashamed of the people that cannot profit them, nor help, nor do them good, but shall be a shame and also a reproach.
6 ¶ The [au]burden of the beasts of the South, in a land of trouble and anguish, from whence shall come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent against them that shall bear their riches upon the shoulders of the colts, and their treasures upon the bunches of the camels, to a people that cannot profit.
7 For the Egyptians are vanity, and they shall help in vain. Therefore have I cried unto [av]her, Their strength [aw]is to sit still.
8 Now go, and write [ax]it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the [ay]last day forever and ever:
9 That it is a rebellious people, lying children, and children that would not [az]hear the Law of the Lord.
10 Which say unto the Seers, See not: and to the Prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things: but speak flattering things unto us: prophesy [ba]errors.
11 Depart out of the way: go aside out of the path: cause the Holy one of Israel to cease from us.
12 Therefore thus saith the Holy one of Israel, Because you have cast off this word, and trust in [bb]violence, and wickedness, and stay thereupon,
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be unto you as a breach that falleth, or a swelling in an high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly in a moment.
14 And the breaking thereof is like the breaking of a potter’s pot, which is broken without pity, and in the breaking thereof is not found [bc]a shard to take fire out of the hearth, or to take water out of the pit.
15 For thus said the [bd]Lord God, the Holy one of Israel, In rest and quietness shall ye be saved: in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, but ye would not.
16 For ye have said, No, but we will flee away upon [be]horses. Therefore shall ye flee. We will ride upon the swiftest. Therefore shall your persecutors be swifter.
17 A thousand as one shall flee at the rebuke of one: at the rebuke of five shall ye flee, till ye be left as a ship mast upon the [bf]top of a mountain, and as a beacon upon an hill.
18 Yet therefore will the Lord wait, that he may have [bg]mercy upon you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have compassion upon you: for the Lord is the God of [bh]judgment. Blessed are all they that wait for him.
19 Surely a people shall dwell in Zion, and in Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will certainly have mercy upon thee at the voice of thy cry: when he heareth thee, he will answer thee.
20 And when the Lord hath given you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, thy rain shall be no more kept back, but thine eyes shall see thy [bi]rain.
21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, [bj]walk ye in it, when thou turnest to the right hand, and when thou turnest to the left.
22 And ye shall [bk]pollute the covering of the images of silver, and the rich ornament of thine images of gold, and cast them away as a menstruous cloth, and thou shalt say unto it, [bl]Get thee hence.
23 Then shall he give rain unto thy seed, when thou shalt sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and as oil: in that day shall thy cattle be fed in large pastures.
24 The oxen also and the young asses, that till the ground, shall eat clean provender, which is winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
25 And upon every high [bm]mountain, and upon every high hill shall there be rivers, and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall.
26 Moreover, the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the [bn]Sun, and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold, and like the light of seven days in the day that the Lord shall bind up the breach of his people, and heal the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, [bo]the Name of the Lord cometh from far, his face is burning, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire.
28 And his spirit is as a river that overfloweth up to the neck: it divideth asunder, to fan the nations with the fan of [bp]vanity, and there shall be a bridle to cause them to err in the jaws of the people.
29 But there shall be a song unto you as in the [bq]night, when a solemn feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as he that cometh with a pipe to go unto the mount of the Lord, to the Mighty one of Israel.
30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall declare the lighting down of his arm with the anger of his countenance, and flame of a devouring fire, with scattering and tempest, and hailstones.
31 For with the voice of the Lord shall Assyria be destroyed, which smote with the [br]rod.
32 And in every place that the staff shall pass, it shall [bs]cleave fast, which the Lord shall lay upon him with [bt]tabrets and beards and with battles, and lifting up of hands shall he fight [bu]against it.
33 For [bv]Tophet is prepared of old; it is even prepared for the [bw]King; he hath made it [bx]deep and large: the burning thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a river of brimstone, doth kindle it.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.