Dual PanelSamaria will be punished
1The city of Samaria above a fertile valley is in for trouble! Its leaders are drunkards, who stuff themselves with food and wine. But they will be like flowers that dry up and wilt.
2Only the Lord is strong and powerful! His mighty hand will strike them down with the force of a hailstorm or a mighty whirlwind or an overwhelming flood.
3Every drunkard in Ephraim takes pride in Samaria, but it will be crushed.
4Samaria above a fertile valley will quickly lose its glory. It will be gobbled up like the first ripe fig at harvest season.
5When this time comes, the Lord All-Powerful will be a glorious crown for his people who survive.
6He will see that justice rules and that his people are able to defend their cities.
Corrupt leaders will be punished
7 Priests and prophets stumble because they are drunk. Their minds are too confused to receive God's messages or give honest decisions.
8Their tables are covered, completely covered, with their stinking vomit.
9You drunken leaders are like babies! How can you possibly understand or teach the Lord's message?
10You don't even listen— all you hear is senseless sound after senseless sound.
11So, the Lord will speak to his people in strange sounds and foreign languages.
12He promised you perfect peace and rest, but you refused to listen.
13Now his message to you will be senseless sound after senseless sound. Then you will fall backwards, injured and trapped.
False security is fatal
14 You rulers of Jerusalem do nothing but sneer; now you must listen to what the Lord says.
15Do you think you have an agreement with death and the world of the dead? Why do you trust in your lies to keep you safe from danger and the mighty flood?
16And so the Lord says, “I'm laying a firm foundation for the city of Zion. It's a valuable cornerstone proved to be trustworthy; no one who trusts it will ever be disappointed.
17Justice and fairness will be the measuring lines that help me build.” Hailstones and floods will destroy and wash away your shelter of lies.
18Your agreement with death and the world of the dead will be broken. Then angry, roaring waves will sweep over you.
19Morning, noon, and night an overwhelming flood will wash you away. The terrible things that happen will teach you this lesson:
20your bed is too short, your blanket too skimpy.
21The Lord will fiercely attack as he did at Mount Perazim and in Gibeon Valley. But this time the Lord will do something surprising, not what you expect.
22So you had better stop sneering or you will be in worse shape than ever before. I heard the Lord All-Powerful threaten the whole country with destruction.
All wisdom comes from the Lord
23 Pay close attention to what I am saying.
24Farmers don't just plough and break up the ground.
25When a field is ready, they scatter the seeds of dill and cumin; they plant the seeds of wheat and barley in the proper places.
26They learn this from their God.
27After dill and cumin have been harvested, the stalks are beaten, not run over with a wagon.
28Wheat and barley are pounded, but not beaten to pulp; they are run over with a wagon, but not ground to dust.
29This wonderful knowledge comes from the Lord All-Powerful, who has such great wisdom.