Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
1Woe 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!
2See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.
Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind,
like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
will be trampled underfoot.
4That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,
will be like figs ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5In that day the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.
6He will be a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7And these also stagger from wine
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.
8All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
9“Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13;
a little here, a little there.”
11Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
12to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured and snared and captured.
14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge
and falsehood28:15 Or false gods our hiding place.”
16So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
17I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
18Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
19As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.
20The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
21The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—
to do his work, his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22Now stop your mocking,
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
23Listen and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place,28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
barley in its plot,28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
and spelt in its field?
26His God instructs him
and teaches him the right way.
27Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cumin with a stick.
28Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent.
北國必遭審判
1以法蓮酒徒引以為榮的華冠有禍了！
它座落在醉酒者肥美的山谷頂上，
它的榮美如將殘之花。
2看啊，主有一位強壯有力的人，
他像冰雹和帶來毀滅的暴風，
又像洶湧氾濫的洪水，
他必把華冠摔在地上。
3以法蓮酒徒引以為榮的華冠必被踐踏在腳下。
4那榮美的將殘之花在肥沃的山谷之巔，
它必像夏季到來之前早熟的無花果，
人一看見它就把它摘下吞掉。
5到那日，萬軍之耶和華必作祂餘民的榮冠和華冕，
6祂必使審判官公正斷案，
賜力量給守城退敵之人。
7但祭司和先知也因醉酒而搖搖晃晃，
因烈酒而東倒西歪。
他們因烈酒而搖搖晃晃、
酩酊大醉，東倒西歪，
他們錯解異象，糊塗判案。
8桌子上到處都是嘔吐之物，
一片狼藉。
9他們抱怨說：
「祂想教導誰知識呢？
祂想把信息解釋給誰呢？
是剛剛斷奶、離開母懷的嬰孩嗎？
10因為祂的教導只是命命令令、命命令令、律律例例、律律例例、這裡一點、那裡一點。」
11因此，耶和華必用外族人的口和陌生的語言來教訓他們。
12耶和華曾對他們說：
「這是安歇之地，
讓疲乏的人安歇吧。
這是安歇之地。」
他們卻不肯聽。
13所以，對他們來說，
耶和華的話成了命命令令、命命令令、律律例例、律律例例、這裡一點、那裡一點，
以致他們走路時仰面跌倒，摔傷，落網，被捉。
14因此，你們這些好譏諷、在耶路撒冷統管百姓的人啊，
要聽耶和華的話。
15你們說：
「我們已經和死亡立約，
與陰間結盟。
勢不可擋的災難席捲而來時，
我們會安然無恙，
因為我們以謊言為庇護所，
以詭詐為藏身處。」
16所以主耶和華說：
「看啊，我要在錫安放一塊基石，
一塊經過考驗的石頭，
一塊根基穩固的寶貴房角石，
信靠的人必不會恐慌。
17我必以公平為準繩，
以公義作線錘。
冰雹必砸碎你們虛謊的庇護所，
洪水必淹沒你們的藏身處。
18你們和死亡所立的約必被廢棄，
與陰間的結盟必不能長久。
勢不可擋的災難席捲而來時，
你們必遭踐踏。
19災難必不分晝夜、日復一日地襲來，
每次襲來都必擄掠你們。」
明白這信息的人都必驚恐萬分。
20你們的床太小，不能舒身；
你們的被子太窄，不足裹身。28·20 此處的床和被子象徵他們虛假的安全感。
21耶和華必像在毗拉心山一樣挺身而出，
像在基遍谷一樣發怒，
要完成祂奇異的作為，
成就祂不尋常的工作。
22現在你們不要再譏諷了，
以免你們的捆索更沉重，
因為我已從主——萬軍之耶和華那裡聽到毀滅全國的諭旨。
23你們要側耳聽我的聲音，
留心聽我的話語。
24難道農夫會一直耕地而不撒種嗎？
難道他會一直犁地、耙地嗎？
25他整平土地之後，
難道不種小茴香、大茴香，
按行種小麥，
在合適的地方種大麥，
在田邊種粗麥嗎？
26因為他的上帝指點他，教導他耕種之道。
27打小茴香不用大槌，用木棍；
打大茴香不用石磙，用木棒。
28做餅的糧食要磨碎，
沒有人會不停地在場上碾壓糧食。
馬拉著石磙在場上軋過，
也不會把糧食磨碎。
29這些知識都是萬軍之耶和華所賜的，
祂有奇妙的謀略和偉大的智慧。
