The fading flower of his beautiful splendor,
which is on the summit above the rich valley,
will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest.(A)
Whoever sees it will swallow it
while it is still in his hand.

Read full chapter

That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
    set on the head of a fertile valley,(A)
will be like figs(B) ripe before harvest—
    as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
    they swallow them.

Read full chapter

And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

Read full chapter

Ephraim Bereaved of Offspring

10 I discovered Israel
like grapes in the wilderness.(A)
I saw your ancestors
like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season.(B)
But they went to Baal-peor,(C)
consecrated themselves to Shame,[a](D)
and became abhorrent,(E)
like the thing they loved.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 9:10 = Baal

10 “When I found Israel,
    it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
    it was like seeing the early fruit(A) on the fig(B) tree.
But when they came to Baal Peor,(C)
    they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol(D)
    and became as vile as the thing they loved.

Read full chapter

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Read full chapter

Israel’s Moral Decline

How sad for me!
For I am like one who—
when the summer fruit has been gathered
after the gleaning of the grape harvest(A)
finds no grape cluster to eat,
no early fig, which I crave.(B)

Read full chapter

Israel’s Misery

What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
    at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
    none of the early figs(A) that I crave.

Read full chapter

Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.

Read full chapter