Judgment against the Leaders of Ephraim

• 28 Ah! The garland of the pride of the drunkards 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 Look! The Lord has 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 The garland of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim
  • will be trampled[fn] by feet,
• 4 and the withering flower of the glory of its beauty
  • which is at the head of the rich valley[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 In that day, Yahweh of hosts will become a garland of glory
  • and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people,
• 6 and a spirit of justice to the one who sits over judgment,
  • and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
• 7 And these also stagger because of wine
  • 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 for all the tables are full of disgusting vomit, with no place left .[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 For 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 be

• 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,
• so that they may go and stumble backward
  • and be broken and ensnared and captured.