16. Because of these things, the Lord GOD says, “I will put a rock—a cornerstone—in the ground in Zion. This will be a very precious stone. Everything will be built on this very important rock. Anyone who trusts in that rock will not be disappointed.
17. “Workers use a string and weight to show their work is straight and true. I will use justice as the string and goodness as the weight when I lay that foundation. But your safe places were built on lies. So they will be destroyed and washed away when the troubles come against you like hail storms and floods.
18. Your agreement with death will be erased. Your contract with Sheol will not help you. “Someone will come and punish you. He will make you like the dirt he walks on.
19. He will come and take you away. Your punishment will be terrible. Your punishment will come early in the morning, and it will continue late into the night. “Then you will understand this story:
20. A man tried to sleep on a bed that was too short for him. He had a blanket that was not wide enough to cover him. The bed and blanket were useless, and so were your agreements.”
21. The Lord will fight as he did at Mount Perazim. He will be angry as he was in Gibeon Valley. He will do what he must do. It will be what some stranger should do, but he will finish his work. Yes, this is a stranger’s job.
22. Now don’t complain about these things. If you fight against them, you will only tighten the ropes around you. The words I heard will not change. They came from the Lord GOD All-Powerful, the ruler of all the earth, and these things will be done.
23. Listen closely to the message I am telling you.
24. Does a farmer plow his field all the time? No, he doesn’t work the soil all the time.
25. A farmer prepares the ground, and then he plants the seed. He plants different kinds of seeds different ways. He scatters dill seeds, he throws cumin seeds on the ground, and he plants wheat in rows. A farmer plants barley in its special place, and he plants spelt seeds at the edge of his field.