Judgment against the Leaders of Ephraim

• and the withering flower of the glory of his beauty,

which is at the head of the rich valley,[fn] ones overcome[fn] with wine!

• 2 a mighty and strong one, like a rainstorm of hail, a wind storm of destruction,
• like a rainstorm of mighty overflowing waters,

he will put them to the earth with his hand.

• 3 [fn] by feet,

4 the withering flower of the glory of its beauty which is at the head of[fn] will be like its early fig before summer, which the one who sees it swallows[fn] while it is still in his hand.

• 5 and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people,
• 6  and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
• 7  and stagger because of strong drink;
• priest and prophet stagger because of strong drink;
  • they are confused[fn] because of wine.
• They stagger because of strong drink;
  • they err in vision.
• They stagger in the rendering of a decision,
  • 8 the tables are full of disgusting vomit,[fn]
  • 9 To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message?
• Those who are weaned from milk,
  • those taken from the breast?
  • 10 it is blah-blah upon blah-blah, blah-blah upon blah-blah,
• gah-gah upon gah-gah,
  • gah-gah upon gah-gah,[fn]
• a little here, a little there.

11 For he will speak with stammering[fn] and another tongue to this people,

• 12 to whom he has said,“This is rest; give rest to the weary;
  • and this is repose”; yet[fn] they were not willing to hear.
• 13 And to them the word of Yahweh will beblah-blah upon blah-blah
  • blah-blah upon blah-blah
• gah-gah upon gah-gah
  • gah-gah upon gah-gah,[fn]
• a little here, a little there,
• so that they may go and stumble backward
  • and be broken and ensnared and captured.