The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim: This line repeats most of the first line of verse 1. Like Revised Standard Version, many versions render it in the same way as in verse 1 to highlight the repetition. However, Good News Translation does not do this for reasons of style and clarity.

Will be trodden under foot refers to the destruction of Israel’s capital city Samaria or its drunken leaders, depending on the interpretation of the first line here and in verse 1. Although scholars are virtually certain that Assyria is the agent here, translators should not specify it since the text does not do it. If a language needs an active expression here, this line may be placed at the beginning of the verse and rendered “The enemy [or, That nation] will tread under foot the proud….”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• That proud crown of the drunken people of Ephraim
will be trampled upon.

• The enemy will crush with his feet
that proud city of the people of Israel.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .