Chronological
Woe to Ephraim
28 Woe to the proud crown of the (A)drunkards of (B)Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [a]fertile valley
Of those who are [b]overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and (C)courageous agent;
As a storm of (D)hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of (E)mighty overflowing waters,
He has set it down to the earth with His hand.
3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is (F)trodden under foot.
4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [c]fertile valley,
Will be like the (G)first-ripe fig prior to summer,
Which [d]one sees,
And [e]as soon as it is in his [f]hand,
He swallows it.
5 In that day (H)Yahweh of hosts will become a beautiful (I)crown
And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people;
6 A (J)spirit of just judgment for him who sits in judgment,
A (K)might to those who turn back the [g]onslaught at the gate.
7 And these also (L)reel with wine and stagger from strong drink:
(M)The priest and (N)the prophet reel with strong drink;
They are swallowed up by wine, they stagger from (O)strong drink;
They reel while [h]having (P)visions;
They totter when rendering a verdict.
8 For all the tables are full of filthy (Q)vomit, without a single clean place.
9 “(R)Whom would He instruct in knowledge,
And whom would He provide understanding about the report?
Those just (S)weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 For He says,
‘[i](T)Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.’”
11 Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through (U)stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 He who said to them, “Here is (V)rest, give rest to the weary,”
And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen.
13 So the word of Yahweh to them will be,
“[j]Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and (W)stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
A Cornerstone in Zion
14 Therefore, (X)hear the word of Yahweh, O (Y)scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, “We have cut a (Z)covenant with death,
And with Sheol we have made a [k]pact.
(AA)The overflowing [l]scourge will not reach us when it passes by,
For we have made (AB)falsehood our refuge and we have (AC)hidden ourselves with lying.”
16 Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh,
“(AD)Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested (AE)stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, [m]firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be [n]disturbed.
17 I will make (AF)justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then (AG)hail will sweep away the refuge of falsehood,
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
18 Your (AH)covenant with death will be [o](AI)canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the (AJ)overflowing scourge passes through,
Then you will become its (AK)trampling place.
19 As (AL)often as it passes through, it will take you;
For (AM)morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be [p]sheer (AN)terror to understand the report.”
20 The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the (AO)blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21 For Yahweh will rise up as at Mount (AP)Perazim;
He will be stirred up as in the valley of (AQ)Gibeon,
To work His (AR)work, His [q](AS)unusual work,
And to labor in His labor, His [r]exceptional labor.
22 So now do not carry on as (AT)scoffers,
Lest your fetters be made stronger;
For I have heard from Lord Yahweh of hosts
Of complete (AU)destruction, one that is decreed, on all the earth.
23 Give ear and hear my voice,
Pay attention and hear my words.
24 Does the [s]farmer plow [t]continually to plant seed?
Does he continually [u]turn and harrow his ground?
25 Does he not level its surface
And sow dill and scatter (AV)cumin
And [v]plant (AW)wheat in rows,
Barley in its place and rye within its [w]area?
26 For his God disciplines and teaches him proper judgment.
27 For dill is not threshed with a (AX)threshing sledge,
Nor is the wheel of a cart [x]driven over cumin;
But dill is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.
28 Grain for bread is crushed,
But he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually [y]disturb it,
He does not crush it longer.
29 This also comes from Yahweh of hosts,
Who has made His counsel (AY)wonderful and His wisdom (AZ)great.
Woe to Ariel
29 Woe, O [z]Ariel, [aa]Ariel the city where David once (BA)camped!
Add year to year, [ab](BB)observe your feasts on schedule.
2 I will bring distress to [ac]Ariel,
And she will be a city of mourning and (BC)moaning;
And she will be like an Ariel to me.
3 And I will (BD)camp against you [ad]encircling you,
And I will fortify siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up fortifications against you.
4 Then you will (BE)be brought low;
From the earth you will speak,
And from the dust where you are prostrate
Your words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a [ae]spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 But it will be that the multitude of your [af]enemies will become like fine (BF)dust,
And the multitude of the (BG)ruthless ones like the chaff which [ag]blows away;
And it will happen (BH)instantly, suddenly.
6 From Yahweh of hosts you will be (BI)punished with (BJ)thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 And it will be that the (BK)multitude of all the nations who wage war against [ah]Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a (BL)vision of the night.
8 And it will be as when a hungry man dreams—
And behold, he is eating;
But he awakens, and his soul is empty,
Or as when a thirsty man dreams—
And behold, he is drinking,
But he awakens, and behold, he is faint,
And his soul is not quenched.
(BM)Thus the multitude of all the nations will be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
9 (BN)Astonish yourselves and be astonished,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They (BO)become drunk, but not with wine;
They stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For Yahweh has poured over you a spirit of deep (BP)sleep;
He has (BQ)shut your eyes, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, the seers.
11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [ai](BR)book, which when they give it to the one who [aj]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 Then the [ak]book will be given to the one who [al]does not know how to read a book, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [am]do not know how to read a book.”
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because (BS)this people draw near with their mouth
And honor Me with their lips,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their fear of Me is in the command of men learned by rote,
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal (BT)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And (BU)the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the discernment of their discerning men will be hidden.”
15 Woe to those who deeply (BV)hide their counsel from Yahweh,
And whose (BW)deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “(BX)Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered [an]as equal with the clay,
That (BY)what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
The Afflicted Will Rejoice
17 Is it not yet just a little while
[ao]Before Lebanon will be turned into a (BZ)fruitful orchard,
And the fruitful orchard will be counted as a forest?
18 On that day the (CA)deaf will hear (CB)words of a book,
And out of [ap]darkness and thick darkness the (CC)eyes of the blind will see.
19 The (CD)afflicted also will increase their gladness in Yahweh,
And the (CE)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the (CF)ruthless will come to an end and the (CG)scoffer will be finished,
Indeed (CH)all who are watching out to do evil will be cut off;
21 Who [aq]cause a person to sin by a word,
And (CI)ensnare him who reproves at the gate,
And [ar](CJ)defraud the one in the right with [as]meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore thus says Yahweh, who redeemed (CK)Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob (CL)shall not now be ashamed, and now his face shall not turn pale;
23 But when [at]he sees his (CM)children, the (CN)work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will (CO)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
And will stand trembling before the God of Israel.
24 Those who (CP)err in spirit will (CQ)know discernment,
And those who [au]criticize will [av](CR)gain learning.
Alliance with Egypt Condemned
30 “Woe to the (CS)rebellious children,” declares Yahweh,
“Who (CT)execute counsel, but not Mine,
And [aw](CU)make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin,
2 Who (CV)go down to Egypt—
But did not (CW)ask [ax]Me—
(CX)To find strength in the strong defense of Pharaoh
And to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore the strong defense of Pharaoh will be (CY)your shame
And the refuge in the shadow of Egypt, your dishonor.
4 For (CZ)their princes are at Zoan
And their messengers reach Hanes.
5 Everyone will be (DA)ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are (DB)not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.”
6 The [ay]oracle concerning the (DC)beasts of the (DD)Negev.
Through a land of (DE)distress and anguish,
From [az]where come lioness and lion, viper and (DF)flying fiery serpent,
They (DG)carry their wealth on the [ba]backs of young donkeys
And their treasures on (DH)camels’ humps,
To a people who cannot profit them;
7 Even Egypt, whose (DI)help is vain and empty.
Therefore, I have called [bb]her
“[bc](DJ)Rahab who has ceased.”
8 Now go, (DK)write it on a tablet before them
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may be in the time to come
[bd]As a witness forever.
9 For this is a (DL)rebellious people, (DM)false sons,
Sons who are not willing to (DN)listen
To the law of Yahweh,
10 Who say to the (DO)seers, “You must not see,”
And to those who have visions, “You must not (DP)behold visions for us of what is right,
(DQ)Speak to us [be]pleasant words,
Behold visions of illusions.
11 Get out of the way, (DR)turn aside from the path,
[bf](DS)Cease speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel.”
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,
“(DT)Since you have rejected this word
And have put your trust in (DU)oppression and deviousness and have relied on them,
13 Therefore this (DV)iniquity will be to you
Like a (DW)breach about to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose breaking comes (DX)suddenly in an instant,
14 Whose breaking is like the breaking of a (DY)potter’s jar,
[bg]So ruthlessly shattered
That a potsherd will not be found among its pieces
To [bh]take fire from a hearth
Or to scoop water from a cistern.”
15 For thus Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
“In [bi]repentance and (DZ)rest you will be saved,
In (EA)quietness and trust is your might.”
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on (EB)horses,”
Therefore you shall flee!
“And we will ride on swift horses,”
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 (EC)One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a [bj]flag on a mountain top
And as a [bk]standard on a hill.
Yahweh Is Gracious and Just
18 Therefore Yahweh (ED)waits with longing to be gracious to you,
And therefore He is on (EE)high to have compassion on you.
For Yahweh is a (EF)God of justice;
How blessed are all those who (EG)wait for Him.
19 [bl]O people in Zion, (EH)inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will (EI)weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will (EJ)answer you. 20 The Lord has given you (EK)bread of distress and water of oppression; He, your Teacher will no longer (EL)hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher. 21 And your ears will hear a word behind you, “[bm]This is the (EM)way, walk in it,” whenever you (EN)turn to the right or to the left. 22 And you will defile your graven (EO)images overlaid with your silver, and your molten (EP)images plated with your gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing and say to [bn]them, “(EQ)Be gone!”
23 Then He will (ER)give you rain for [bo]the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the produce of the ground, and it will be [bp]rich and fat; on that day (ES)your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture. 24 Also the oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted fodder, which [bq]has been (ET)winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And it will be that on every lofty mountain and on (EU)every lifted up hill there will be [br]streams running with water on the day of the great (EV)slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 (EW)And the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day (EX)Yahweh binds up the (EY)fracture of His people and (EZ)heals the bruise [bs]He has inflicted.
27 Behold, (FA)the name of Yahweh comes from afar;
(FB)Burning is His anger and heavy is His [bt]smoke;
His lips are filled with (FC)indignation
And His tongue is like a (FD)consuming fire;
28 His (FE)breath is like an overflowing torrent,
Which (FF)reaches to the neck,
To (FG)shake the nations back and forth in a [bu]sieve of worthlessness,
And to put in the jaws of the peoples (FH)the bridle which staggers one to ruin.
29 You will have [bv]songs as in the night when you set yourself apart as holy for the festival,
And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute,
To go to the mountain of Yahweh, to the Rock of Israel.
30 And Yahweh will cause [bw]His splendid voice to be heard,
And the [bx]descending of His arm to be seen in raging anger,
And in the flame of a consuming fire
In cloudburst, downpour, and hailstones.
31 For (FI)at the voice of Yahweh (FJ)Assyria will be dismayed,
When He strikes with the (FK)rod.
32 And every [by]blow of the [bz](FL)appointed staff,
Which Yahweh will cause to rest upon him,
Will be with the music of (FM)tambourines and lyres;
And in battles, (FN)waving weapons He will fight them.
33 For [ca](FO)Topheth has long been ready,
Indeed, it has been prepared for the king.
He has made it deep and large,
[cb]A pyre of fire with plenty of wood;
The (FP)breath of Yahweh, like a torrent of (FQ)brimstone, sets it afire.
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