Study Desk

Woe to the proud crown of the ^(C1)habitually drunk of ^(C2)Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the ^(F1)fertile valley Of those who are ^(F2)overcome with wine!

Behold, the Lord has a strong and ^(C1)mighty agent; As a storm of ^(C2)hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of ^(C3)mighty overflowing waters, He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.

The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is ^(C1)trampled underfoot.

And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the ^(F1)fertile valley, Will be like the ^(C1)first-ripe fig prior to the summer, Which ^(F2)one sees, And ^(F3)as soon as it is in his ^(F4)hand, He swallows it.

On that day the ^(C1)LORD of armies will become a beautiful ^(C2)crown And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;

A ^(C1)spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A ^(C2)strength to those who repel the ^(F1)onslaught at the gate.

And these also ^(C1)reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink: ^(C2)The priest and ^(C3)the prophet reel with intoxicating drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from ^(C4)intoxicating drink; They reel while ^(F1)having ^(C5)visions, They stagger when rendering a verdict.

For all the tables are full of filthy ^(C1)vomit, without a single clean place.

"To ^(C1)whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just ^(C2)weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?

-"For He says, '^(F1)(C1)Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.'"

Indeed, He will speak to this people Through ^(C1)stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

He who said to them, "This is the ^(C1)place of quiet, give rest to the weary," And, "This is the resting place," but they would not listen.

So the word of the LORD to them will be, "^(F1)Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there," That they may go and ^(C1)stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.

Therefore, ^(C1)hear the word of the LORD, you ^(C2)scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,

Because you have said, "We have made a ^(C1)covenant with death, And with ^(F1)Sheol we have made a ^(F2)pact. ^(C2)The ^(F3)gushing flood will not reach us when it passes by, Because we have made ^(C3)falsehood our refuge and we have ^(C4)concealed ourselves with deception."

Therefore this is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD says: "^(C1)Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested ^(C2)stone, A precious cornerstone for the foundation, ^(F2)firmly placed. The one who believes in it will not be ^(F3)disturbed.

-"I will make ^(C1)justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then ^(C2)hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the secret place.

-"Your ^(C1)covenant with death will be ^(F1)(C2)canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the ^(F2)(C1)gushing flood passes through, Then you will become its ^(C3)trampling ground.

-"As ^(C1)often as it passes through, it will ^(F1)seize you; For ^(C2)morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be ^(F2)sheer ^(C3)terror to understand ^(F3)what it means."

The bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the ^(C1)blanket is too ^(F1)small to wrap oneself in.

For the LORD will rise up as at Mount ^(C1)Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the Valley of ^(C2)Gibeon, To do His ^(C3)task, His ^(F1)(C4)unusual task, And to work His work, His ^(F2)extraordinary work.

And now do not carry on as ^(C1)scoffers, Or your shackles will be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord ^(F1)GOD of armies Of decisive ^(C2)destruction on all the earth.

Listen and hear my voice, Pay attention and hear my words.

Does the ^(F1)farmer plow ^(F2)continually to plant seed? Does he continually ^(F3)turn and break up his ground?

Does he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter ^(C1)cumin And ^(F1)plant ^(C2)wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its ^(F2)area?

For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

For dill is not threshed with a ^(C1)threshing sledge, Nor is the cartwheel ^(F1)driven over cumin; But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.

Grain for bread is crushed, Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually ^(F1)damage it, He does not thresh it longer.

This also comes from the LORD of armies, Who has made His counsel ^(C1)wonderful and His wisdom ^(C2)great.

Woe, ^(F1)Ariel, ^(F1)Ariel the city where David once ^(C1)camped! Add year to year, ^(F2)(C2)keep your feasts on schedule.

I will bring distress to Ariel, And she will be a city of grieving and ^(C1)mourning; And she will be like an ^(F1)Ariel to me.

I will ^(C1)camp against you ^(F1)encircling you, And I will set up siegeworks against you, And I will raise up battle towers against you.

Then you will ^(C1)be brought low; From the earth you will speak, And from the dust where you are prostrate Your words will come. Your voice will also be like that of a ^(F1)spirit from the ground, And your speech will whisper from the dust.

But the multitude of your ^(F1)enemies will become like fine ^(C1)dust, And the multitude of the ^(C2)ruthless ones like the chaff which ^(F2)blows away; And it will happen ^(C3)instantly, suddenly.

From the LORD of armies you will be ^(C1)punished with ^(C2)thunder and earthquake and loud noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

And the ^(C1)multitude of all the nations who wage war against ^(F1)Ariel, Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, Will be like a dream, a ^(C2)vision of the night.

It will be as when a hungry person dreams— And behold, he is eating; But when he awakens, his ^(F1)hunger is not satisfied, Or as when a thirsty person dreams— And behold, he is drinking, But when he awakens, behold, he is faint And his ^(F1)thirst is not quenched. ^(C1)So will the multitude of all the nations be Who wage war against Mount Zion.

^(C1)Be delayed and horrified, Blind yourselves and be blind; They ^(C2)become drunk, but not with wine, They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.

For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep ^(C1)sleep, He has ^(C2)shut your eyes—the prophets; And He has covered your heads—the seers.

The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed ^(F1)(C1)book, which, when they give it to the one who ^(F2)is literate, saying, "Please read this," he will say, "I cannot, because it is sealed."

Then the ^(F1)book will be given to the one who ^(F2)is illiterate, saying, "Please read this." And he will say, "I ^(F3)cannot read."

Then the Lord said, "Because ^(C1)this people approaches Me with their ^(F1)words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their ^(F2)reverence for Me ^(F3)consists of the commandment of men that is taught;

Therefore behold, I will once again deal ^(C1)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And ^(C2)the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed."

Woe to those who deeply ^(C1)hide their ^(F1)plans from the LORD, And whose ^(C2)deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, "^(C3)Who sees us?" or "Who knows us?"

You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered ^(F1)as equal with the clay, That ^(C1)what is made would say to its maker, "He did not make me"; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

Is it not yet just a little while ^(F1)Before Lebanon will be turned into a ^(C1)fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?

On that day those who are ^(C1)deaf will hear ^(C2)words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the ^(C3)eyes of those who are blind will see.

The ^(C1)afflicted also will increase their joy in the LORD, And the ^(C2)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

For the ^(C1)ruthless will come to an end and the ^(C2)scorner will be finished, Indeed ^(C3)all who ^(F1)are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,

Who ^(F1)cause a person to be indicted by a word, And ^(C1)set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate, And ^(F2)(C2)defraud the one in the right with ^(F3)meaningless arguments.

Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed ^(C1)Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob ^(C2)will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;

But when ^(F1)he sees his ^(C1)children, the ^(C2)work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will ^(C3)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

-"Those who ^(C1)err in ^(F1)mind will ^(C2)know ^(F2)the truth, And those who ^(F3)criticize will ^(F4)(C3)accept instruction.