Woe to the crown of pride, to the ^adrunkards of ^bEphraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of ^cthe fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

 2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a ^atempest of hail and a destroying ^bstorm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

 3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

 4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the ^ahasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

 5 In ^athat day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of ^bglory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

 6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

 7 But ^athey also have ^berred through ^cwine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the ^dprophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

 8 For all tables are full of vomit and ^afilthiness, so that there is no place clean.

 9 Whom shall he teach ^aknowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are ^bweaned from the ^cmilk, and drawn from the breasts.

 10 For precept must be upon precept, ^aprecept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

 13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, ^aprecept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and ^bfall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

 14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

 15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing ^ascourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our ^brefuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a ^afoundation a ^bstone, a tried stone, a precious ^ccorner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

 17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

 18 And ^ayour covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

 19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.