Isaiah

¹ Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!

² Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.

³ will be trampled underfoot.

⁴ set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like a fig ripe before harvest— as soon as someone sees it and takes it in his hand, he swallows it.

⁵ will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.

⁶ to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

⁷ and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.

⁸ and there is not a spot without filth.

⁹ To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?

¹⁰ Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there.”

¹¹ God will speak to this people,

¹² “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen.

¹³ Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there— so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured.

¹⁴ who rule this people in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”

¹⁶ “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

¹⁷ and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.

¹⁸ your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.

¹⁹ morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.

²⁰ the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.

²¹ he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.

²² or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.

²³ pay attention and hear what I say.

²⁴ Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?

²⁵ does he not sow caraway and scatter cummin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?

²⁶ and teaches him the right way.

²⁷ nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a stick.

²⁸ so one does not go on threshing it forever. Though he drives the wheels of his threshing cart over it, his horses do not grind it.

²⁹ wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.