Samaria 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.
2 Only 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.
3 Every drunkard in Ephraim
takes pride in Samaria,
but it will be
crushed.
4 Samaria above a fertile valley
will quickly lose
its glory.
It will be gobbled down
like the first ripe fig
at harvest season.
5 When this time comes,
the Lord All-Powerful
will be a glorious crown
for his people
who survive.
6 He will see that justice rules
and that his people are able
to defend their
cities.
7 Priests and prophets stumble
because they are
drunk.
Their minds are too confused
to receive God’s messages
or give honest
decisions.
8 Their tables are covered,
completely covered,
with their stinking
vomit.
9 You drunken leaders
are like babies!
How can you possibly understand
or teach the Lord’s
message?
10 You don’t even listen—
all you hear is senseless sound
after senseless
sound.
11 So, the Lord will speak
to his people
in strange sounds
and foreign languages.
12 He promised you
perfect peace and rest,
but you refused
to listen.
13 Now his message to you
will be senseless sound
after senseless
sound.
Then you will fall backwards,
injured and trapped.
14 You rulers of Jerusalem
do nothing but
sneer;
now you must listen
to what the Lord
says.
15 Do 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?
16 And so the Lord says,
“I’m laying a firm foundation
for the city of
Zion.
It’s a valuable cornerstone
proven to be trustworthy;
no one who trusts it
will ever be disappointed.
17 Justice and fairness
will be the measuring lines
that help me build.”
Hailstones and floods
will destroy and wash away
your shelter of
lies.
18 Your agreement with death
and the world of the dead
will be broken.
Then angry, roaring waves
will sweep over
you.
19 Morning, noon, and night
an overwhelming flood
will wash you
away.
The terrible things that happen
will teach you
this lesson:
20 Your bed is too short,
your blanket too
skimpy.
21 The 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.
22 So 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.
23 Pay close attention
to what I am saying.
24 Farmers don’t just plow
and break up the
ground.
25 When a field is ready,
they scatter the seeds
of dill and cumin;
they plant the seeds
of wheat and barley
in the proper
places.
26 They learn this from their God.
27 After dill and cumin
have been harvested,
the stalks are pounded,
not run over with
a wagon.
28 Wheat and barley are pounded,
but not beaten
to pulp;
they are run over with a wagon,
but not ground
to dust.
29 This wonderful knowledge comes
from the Lord All-Powerful,
who has such great
wisdom.
The Contemporary English Version, c1995 by the American Bible
Society.
Selected texts provided for use with the Hypertext Bible Commentary