the Lord will punish with his sword^(B)—
    his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan^(C) the gliding serpent,^(D)
    Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster^(E) of the sea.

“Sing^(G) about a fruitful vineyard:^(H)
3     I, the Lord, watch over it;
    I water^(I) it continually.
I guard^(J) it day and night
    so that no one may harm^(K) it.
⁴     I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
    I would march against them in battle;
    I would set them all on fire.^(L)
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;^(M)
    let them make peace^(N) with me,
    yes, let them make peace with me.”

⁶ In days to come Jacob will take root,^(O)
    Israel will bud and blossom^(P)
    and fill all the world with fruit.^(Q)

⁷ Has the Lord struck her
    as he struck^(R) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
    as those were killed who killed her?
⁸ By warfare^[a] and exile^(S) you contend with her—
    with his fierce blast he drives her out,
    as on a day the east wind^(T) blows.
⁹ By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned^(U) for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:^(V)
When he makes all the altar stones^(W)
    to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles^[b](X) or incense altars^(Y)
    will be left standing.
¹⁰ The fortified city stands desolate,^(Z)
    an abandoned settlement, forsaken^(AA) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,^(AB)
    there they lie down;^(AC)
    they strip its branches bare.
¹¹ When its twigs are dry, they are broken off^(AD)
    and women come and make fires^(AE) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;^(AF)
    so their Maker has no compassion on them,
    and their Creator^(AG) shows them no favor.^(AH)

⁵ In that day^(BD) the Lord Almighty
    will be a glorious^(BE) crown,^(BF)
a beautiful wreath
    for the remnant^(BG) of his people.
⁶ He will be a spirit of justice^(BH)
    to the one who sits in judgment,^(BI)
a source of strength
    to those who turn back the battle^(BJ) at the gate.

⁷ And these also stagger^(BK) from wine^(BL)
    and reel^(BM) from beer:
Priests^(BN) and prophets^(BO) stagger from beer
    and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
    they stagger when seeing visions,^(BP)
    they stumble when rendering decisions.
⁸ All the tables are covered with vomit^(BQ)
    and there is not a spot without filth.

⁹ “Who is it he is trying to teach?^(BR)
    To whom is he explaining his message?^(BS)
To children weaned^(BT) from their milk,^(BU)
    to those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰ For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that^[c];
    a little here, a little there.^(BV)”

¹¹ Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues^(BW)
    God will speak to this people,^(BX)
12 to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;^(BY)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
    but they would not listen.
¹³ So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that;
    a little here, a little there^(BZ)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
    they will be injured^(CA) and snared and captured.^(CB)

¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of the Lord,^(CC) you scoffers^(CD)
    who rule this people in Jerusalem.
¹⁵ You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,^(CE)
    with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(CF)
    it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie^(CG) our refuge
    and falsehood^[d] our hiding place.^(CH)”

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,^(CI) a tested stone,^(CJ)
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;^(CK)
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic.^(CL)
17 I will make justice^(CM) the measuring line
    and righteousness the plumb line;^(CN)
hail^(CO) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
    and water will overflow^(CP) your hiding place.
¹⁸ Your covenant with death will be annulled;
    your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.^(CQ)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(CR)
    you will be beaten down^(CS) by it.
¹⁹ As often as it comes it will carry you away;^(CT)
    morning after morning,^(CU) by day and by night,
    it will sweep through.”

The understanding of this message
    will bring sheer terror.^(CV)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
    the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.^(CW)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,^(CX)
    he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon^(CY)—
to do his work,^(CZ) his strange work,
    and perform his task, his alien task.
²² Now stop your mocking,^(DA)
    or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
    of the destruction decreed^(DB) against the whole land.^(DC)

²³ Listen^(DD) and hear my voice;
    pay attention and hear what I say.
²⁴ When a farmer plows for planting,^(DE) does he plow continually?
    Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
²⁵ When he has leveled the surface,
    does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?^(DF)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,^[e]
    barley^(DG) in its plot,^[f]
    and spelt^(DH) in its field?
²⁶ His God instructs him
    and teaches^(DI) him the right way.

²⁷ Caraway is not threshed^(DJ) with a sledge,^(DK)
    nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,^(DL)
    and cumin with a stick.
²⁸ Grain must be ground to make bread;
    so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart^(DM) may be rolled over it,
    but one does not use horses to grind grain.
²⁹ All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
    whose plan is wonderful,^(DN)
    whose wisdom is magnificent.^(DO)