Woe to Ephraim and Jerusalem

28 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim,

Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower

Which is at the head of the 1verdant valleys,

To those who are overcome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one,

aLike a tempest of hail and a destroying storm,

Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing,

Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.

3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,

Will be trampled underfoot;

4 And the glorious beauty is a fading flower

Which is at the head of the 2verdant valley,

Like the first fruit before the summer,

Which an observer sees;

He eats it up while it is still in his hand.

5 In that day the Lord of hosts will be

For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty

To the remnant of His people,

6 For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,

And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7 But they also bhave erred through wine,

And through intoxicating drink are out of the way;

cThe priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink,

They are swallowed up by wine,

They are out of the way through intoxicating drink;

They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8 For all tables are full of vomit and filth;

No place is clean.

9 “Whom dwill he teach knowledge?

And whom will he make to understand the message?

Those just weaned from milk?

Those just drawn from the breasts?

10 eFor precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,

Line upon line, line upon line,

Here a little, there a little.”

11 For with fstammering lips and another tongue

He will speak to this people,

12 To whom He said, “This is the grest with which

You may cause the weary to rest,”

And, “This is the refreshing”;

Yet they would not hear.

13 But the word of the Lord was to them,

“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,

Line upon line, line upon line,

Here a little, there a little,”

That they might go and fall backward, and be broken

And snared and caught.

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men,

Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,

15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,

And with Sheol we are in agreement.

When the overflowing scourge passes through,

It will not come to us,

hFor we have made lies our refuge,

And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”