They grope about in darkness ¹  without light; he makes them stagger ²  like drunkards.

You will be shocked and amazed! ¹  You are totally blind! ²  They are drunk, ³  but not because of wine; they stagger, ⁴  but not because of beer.

The young men perform menial labor; ¹  boys stagger from their labor. ² 

Even these men ¹  stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer – priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused ²  because of wine, they stumble around because of beer; they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, ³  they totter while making legal decisions. ⁴ 

When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro ¹  and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.” ² 

You have made your people experience hard times; ¹  you have made us drink intoxicating wine. ² 

They swayed ¹  and staggered like a drunk, and all their skill proved ineffective. ² 

The Lord has made them undiscerning; ¹  they lead Egypt astray in all she does, so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. ² 

People ¹  will stagger from sea to sea, ²  and from the north around to the east. They will wander about looking for a revelation from ³  the Lord, but they will not find any. ⁴ 

The earth will stagger around ¹  like a drunk; it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. ²  Its sin will weigh it down, and it will fall and never get up again.

People from ¹  two or three cities staggered into one city to get ²  water, but remained thirsty. ³  Still you did not come back to me.” The Lord is speaking!

The Lord reigns! The nations tremble. ²  He sits enthroned above the winged angels; ³  the earth shakes. ⁴ 

And you will be like one who lies down in the midst ¹  of the sea, and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging. ² 

You too will act like drunkards; ¹  you will go into hiding; ²  you too will seek refuge from the enemy.

Do not strike them dead suddenly, because then my people might forget the lesson. ¹  Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down, O Lord who shields us! ² 

The officials of Zoan are fools, the officials of Memphis ¹  are misled; the rulers ²  of her tribes lead Egypt astray.

I trampled nations in my anger, I made them drunk ¹  in my rage, I splashed their blood on the ground.” ² 

But even the swiftest cannot get away. Even the strongest cannot escape. ¹  There in the north by the Euphrates River they stumble and fall in defeat. ² 

“Moab has vaunted itself against me. So make him drunk with the wine of my wrath ¹  until he splashes ²  around in his own vomit, until others treat him as a laughingstock.

But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. ¹  Cry out in mourning over it! Get medicine for her wounds! Perhaps she can be healed!