Woe to Samaria
1Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, Is 28:7; Hs 7:5
and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor,
which is on the summit above the rich valley.
Woe to those overcome with wine.
2Look, the Lord has a strong and mighty one Is 8:7; 40:10 —
like a devastating hail storm,
like a storm with strong flooding waters.
He will bring it across the land with His hand.
3The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards
will be trampled underfoot.
4The fading flower of his beautiful splendor,
which is on the summit above the rich valley,
will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest. Hs 9:10; Mc 7:1; Nah 3:12
Whoever sees it will swallow it
while it is still in his hand.
5On that day
the Lord of Hosts will become a crown of beauty
and a diadem of splendor Is 62:3
to the remnant of His people,
6a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment, 1Kg 3:28; Is 11:2; 32:1,15-16; Jn 5:30
and strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7These also stagger because of wine
and stumble under the influence of beer:
priest and prophet stagger because of beer,
they are confused by wine. Is 5:11,22; 9:15; 22:13; 56:12; Hs 4:11
They stumble because of beer,
they are muddled in their visions,
they stumble in their judgments.
8Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit;
there is no place without a stench.
9Who is he Or He trying to teach?
Who is he Or He trying to instruct?
Infants Lit Those just weaned from milk?
Babies Lit Those removed from the breast?
10For he says: “Law after law, law after law,
line after line, line after line,
a little here, a little there.” Hb obscure Perhaps the mockers of v. 9 are mimicking the prophet’s words as baby talk.
11So He will speak to this people
with stammering speech
and in a foreign language. Is 5:26-29; 33:19; 1Co 14:21
12He had said to them:
“This is the place of rest,
let the weary rest; Is 11:10; 30:15; 32:17-18; Jr 6:16; Mt 11:28-29
this is the place of repose.”
But they would not listen.
13Then the word of the Lord came to them:
“Law after law, law after law,
line after line, line after line,
a little here, a little there,” Hb obscure The Lord quotes the mockers' words in v. 10 to represent the unintelligible language of the Assyrian invaders.
so they go stumbling backward,
to be broken, trapped, and captured. Is 8:15; Mt 21:44
A Deal with Death
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15For you said, “We have cut a deal with Death,
and we have made an agreement with Sheol;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through, Is 8:7-8
it will not touch us,
because we have made falsehood our refuge
and have hidden behind treachery.”
16Therefore the Lord God said:
“Look, I have laid a stone Is 8:14; 26:4 in Zion,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Mt 21:42; Mk 12:10; Lk 20:17; Ac 4:11; 1Co 3:11; Eph 2:20
the one who believes will be unshakable. Lit will not hurry Rm 9:33; 1Pt 2:6
17And I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the mason’s level.” 2Kg 21:13; Is 5:16; 30:18; 61:8; Am 7:7-9
Hail will sweep away the false refuge,
and water will flood your hiding place.
18Your deal with Death will be dissolved,
and your agreement with Sheol will not last.
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
you will be trampled.
19Every time it passes through,
it will carry you away;
it will pass through every morning —
every day and every night.
Only terror 2Ch 29:8; Jr 15:4; 24:9; 29:18 will cause you
to understand the message. Or The understanding of the message will cause sheer terror
20Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and its cover too small to wrap up in.
He will rise in wrath, as at the Valley of Gibeon, Jos 10:10,12; 2Sm 5:25; 1Ch 14:16
to do His work, His strange work,
and to perform His task, His disturbing task.
22So now, do not mock,
or your shackles will become stronger.
Indeed, I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts
a decree of destruction for the whole land. Is 10:22-23; Rm 9:27-28
God’s Wonderful Advice
23Listen and hear my voice.
Pay attention and hear what I say.
24Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed?
Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil?
25When he has leveled its surface,
does he not then scatter black cumin and sow cumin?
He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots,
with spelt as their border.
26His God teaches him order;
He instructs him.
27Certainly black cumin is not threshed
with a threshing board,
and a cart wheel is not rolled over the cumin.
But black cumin is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
28Bread grain is crushed,
but is not threshed endlessly.
Though the wheel of the farmer’s cart rumbles,
his horses do not crush it.
29This also comes from the Lord of Hosts.
He gives wonderful advice;
He gives great wisdom. Is 9:6; Jr 32:19
Holman Christian Standard Bible®
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by Holman Bible Publishers
