Bible in 90 Days
Daniel’s Prayer about Jerusalem Is Answered
9 Xerxes’ son Darius, who was a Mede by birth, was made ruler of the kingdom of Babylon. 2 In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from the Scriptures the number of years that Jerusalem would remain in ruins. The Lord had told the prophet Jeremiah that Jerusalem would remain in ruins for 70 years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and looked to him for help. I prayed, pleaded, and fasted in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God. I confessed and said, “Lord, you are great and deserve respect as the only God. You keep your promise [a] and show mercy to those who love you and obey your commandments. 5 We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commandments and laws. 6 We haven’t listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the common people. 7 You, Lord, are righteous. But we—the men of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, and all the Israelites whom you scattered in countries near and far—are still ashamed because we have been unfaithful to you. 8 We, our kings, leaders, and ancestors are ashamed because we have sinned against you, Lord.
9 “But you, Lord our God, are compassionate and forgiving, although we have rebelled against you. 10 We never listened to you or lived by the teachings you gave us through your servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has ignored your teachings and refused to listen to you. So you brought on us the curses you swore in an oath, the curses written in the Teachings of your servant Moses. We sinned against you. 12 So you did what you said you would do to us and our rulers by bringing a great disaster on us. Nowhere in the world has anything ever happened like what has happened to Jerusalem. 13 This entire disaster happened to us, exactly as it was written in Moses’ Teachings. Lord our God, we never tried to gain your favor by turning from our wrongs and dedicating ourselves to your truth. 14 So you were prepared to bring this disaster on us. Lord our God, you are righteous in everything you do. But we never listened to you.
15 “Lord our God, you brought your people out of Egypt with your strong hand and made yourself famous even today. We have sinned and done evil things. 16 Lord, since you are very righteous, turn your anger and fury away from your city, Jerusalem, your holy mountain. Jerusalem and your people are insulted by everyone around us because of our sins and the wicked things our ancestors did.
17 “Our God, listen to my prayer and request. For your own sake, Lord, look favorably on your holy place, which is lying in ruins. 18 Open your ears and listen, my God. Open your eyes and look at our ruins and at the city called by your name. We are not requesting this from you because we are righteous, but because you are very compassionate. 19 Listen to us, Lord. Forgive us, Lord. Pay attention, and act. Don’t delay! Do this for your sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
20 I continued to pray, confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel. I humbly placed my request about my God’s holy mountain in front of the Lord my God. 21 While I was praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the first vision, came to me about the time of the evening sacrifice. He was exhausted. 22 He informed me, “Daniel, this time I have come to give you insight. 23 As soon as you began to make your request, a reply was sent. I have come to give you the reply because you are highly respected. So study the message, and understand the vision.
24 “Seventy sets of seven time periods have been assigned for your people and your holy city. These time periods will serve to bring an end to rebellion, to stop sin, to forgive wrongs, to usher in everlasting righteousness, to put a seal on a prophet’s vision, and to anoint the Most Holy One. 25 Learn, then, and understand that from the time the command is given to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the anointed prince comes, seven sets of seven time periods and sixty-two sets of seven time periods will pass. Jerusalem will be restored and rebuilt with a city square and a moat during the troubles of those times. 26 But after the sixty-two sets of seven time periods, the Anointed One [b] will be cut off and have nothing. The city and the holy place will be destroyed with the prince who is to come.[c] His end will come with a flood until the end of the destructive war that has been determined. 27 He will confirm his promise with many for one set of seven time periods. In the middle of the seven time periods, he will stop the sacrifices and food offerings. This will happen along with disgusting things that cause destruction until ⌞those time periods⌟ come to an end. It has been determined that this will happen to those who destroy ⌞the city⌟.”
An Angel Comes to Daniel with a Message
10 In Cyrus’ third year as king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel (who had been renamed Belteshazzar). The message was true. It was about a great war. Daniel understood the message because he was given insight during the vision.
2 During those days I, Daniel, mourned for three whole weeks. 3 I didn’t eat any good-tasting food. No meat or wine entered my mouth. I didn’t wash myself until the entire three weeks were over.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was by the great Tigris River. 5 When I looked up, I saw a man dressed in linen, and he had a belt made of gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl. His face looked like lightning. His eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and legs looked like polished bronze. When he spoke, his voice sounded like the roar of a crowd. 7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision. The men with me didn’t see the vision. Yet, they started to tremble violently, and they quickly hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone to see this grand vision. I had no strength left in me. My face turned deathly pale, and I was helpless. 9 I heard the man speak, and as I listened to his words, I fainted facedown on the ground.
10 Then a hand touched me and made my hands and knees shake. 11 The man said to me, “Daniel, you are highly respected. Pay attention to my words. Stand up, because I’ve been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, trembling. 12 He told me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. God has heard everything that you said ever since the first day you decided to humble yourself in front of your God so that you could learn to understand things. I have come in response to your prayer. 13 The commander of the Persian kingdom opposed me for 21 days. But then Michael, one of the chief commanders, came to help me because I was left alone with the kings of Persia. 14 I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the last days, because the vision is about times still to come.”
15 When he said this to me, I bowed down with my face touching the ground and was silent. 16 Then someone who looked like a human touched my lips. I opened my mouth and began to talk. I said to the person standing in front of me, “Sir, because of this vision, pain has overwhelmed me, and I’m helpless. 17 How can I talk to you, sir? I have no strength left, and the wind has been knocked out of me.”
18 Again, the person who looked like a human touched me, and I became stronger. 19 He said, “Don’t be afraid. You are highly respected. Everything is alright! Be strong! Be strong!”
As he talked to me, I became stronger. I said, “Sir, tell me what you came to say. You have strengthened me.”
20 He asked, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight the commander of Persia. When I go, the commander of Greece will come. 21 However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the true writings. No one will support me when I fight these commanders except your commander, Michael.
11 During Darius the Mede’s first year as king, I strengthened and defended Michael.”
Greece Will Conquer Persia
2 ⌞The person who looked like a human continued,⌟ “What I am about to tell you is the truth. Three more kings will rule Persia. Then there will be a fourth, who will become much richer than all the others. As he becomes strong through his wealth, he will turn everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
3 “Then a warrior-king will come. He will rule a vast empire and do as he pleases. 4 But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken into pieces and divided in the directions of the four winds of heaven. The empire will not be given to his descendants. It will no longer be like his empire, since it will be uprooted and given to others.
The Northern and Southern Kings
5 “The southern king will be strong, but one of his officers will become stronger than he is and rule a vast empire. 6 After a few years the southern and northern kings will make an alliance. The southern king’s daughter will go to the northern king to make peace. She won’t hold on to her power, and the alliance won’t last. She, those who came with her, and the one who fathered [d] and protected her will be given away.
7 “At that time a shoot will grow from her roots to replace her father. He will attack the northern army, enter the stronghold of the northern king, fight against them, and be victorious. 8 He will take the metal statues of their gods and their precious utensils of silver and gold back to Egypt. He will rule for more years than the northern king. 9 He will invade the southern kingdom and return to his own country.
10 “Then his sons will prepare for war. They will assemble a large number of forces so that they can overwhelm ⌞the enemy⌟ and pass through its land. They will return and wage war all the way to the stronghold. 11 The southern king will be outraged. He will go to fight the northern king, who will raise a large army that will fall into the southern king’s hands. 12 When that army is captured, the southern king will become conceited. Although he will dominate tens of thousands of people, he will not always be strong.
13 “The northern king will return and raise an army larger than the first one. After a few years he will invade with a large army and a lot of equipment. 14 In those times many people will rebel against the southern king, and violent men from your own people will rebel in keeping with this vision, but they will be defeated. 15 Then the northern king will come, build dirt attack ramps, and capture a fortified city. The southern forces will not be able to withstand him. Even their best troops will not be strong enough. 16 The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand his attack. He will rise to power in the beautiful land and it will be completely under his control.
17 “Then the northern king will decide to invade with the power of his entire kingdom, and some decent men will invade with him. He will give the southern king his daughter as a wife in order to destroy the southern kingdom. But this will not succeed or help him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and capture many of them. But a commander will silence the insults that the northern king makes and even insult him. 19 He will turn back toward the fortresses in his own country, but he will stumble, fall, and disappear.
20 “Another king will take his place. He will have a cruel official go out in royal splendor. But in a few days the king will be destroyed, although not in anger or war.
21 “A contemptible person will take his place. He will not be given royal splendor. He will invade when people are feeling secure, and he will seize the kingdom using false promises. 22 He will overwhelm large forces and defeat them, including the prince of the promise.[e] 23 After an alliance has been made with him, he will act deceitfully and rise to power with only a few people. 24 When people feel secure, he will invade the richest parts of the provinces and do something that none of his predecessors ever did. He will distribute loot and wealth to his followers. He will invent new ways of attacking fortifications. But this will last only for a little while.
25 “With a large army he will summon his power and courage against the southern king, who will prepare for war with a large, strong army. But the southern king won’t be able to withstand him because of the schemes devised against him. 26 People who eat the king’s rich food will ruin him. His army will be overwhelmed, and many will die in battle. 27 The two kings will both plan to do evil. They will sit at the same table and tell lies. But they will not succeed, because the end must wait until the appointed time. 28 The northern king will return to his country with a lot of wealth. He will be determined to fight against the holy promise. He will take action and return to his own country.
29 “At the appointed time he will again invade the south, but this time will be different from the first. 30 Ships will come from the west to attack him, and he will be discouraged and turn back. Angry at the holy promise, he will return, take action, and favor those who abandon the holy promise. 31 His forces will dishonor the holy place (the fortress), take away the daily burnt offering, and set up the disgusting thing that causes destruction. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who abandon the promise. But the people who know their God will be strong and take action.
33 “People who are wise will help many to understand. But for some time they will be defeated by swords and flames. They will be captured and looted. 34 As they are being defeated, they will get a little help, but many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise people will be defeated in order to refine, purify, and make them white until the end times. But the appointed time is still to come.
36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will highly honor himself above every god. He will say amazing things against the God of gods. He will succeed until God’s anger is over, because what has been decided must be done. 37 He will have no interest in the gods of his ancestors or desire for women. He will have no interest in any god, because he will make himself greater than anyone else. 38 Instead, he will honor the god of fortresses. With gold, silver, precious stones, and other expensive things he will honor a god his ancestors never heard of. 39 With the help of a foreign god, he will deal with strong fortresses. He will give high honors to those who acknowledge him, make them rulers over many people, and distribute land for a price.
40 “In the end times the southern king will attack him. The northern king will rush at him like a storm with chariots, horses, and many ships. He will invade countries, overwhelm them, and pass through their land. 41 He will invade the beautiful land, and tens of thousands will be defeated. But Edom, Moab, and the leaders of the Ammonites will escape from his power. 42 He will use his power against many countries. Even Egypt will not escape. 43 He will control gold and silver treasures and all Egypt’s treasuries. Libya and Sudan will surrender to him. 44 But news from the east and the north will frighten him. He will leave very angry to destroy and exterminate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at a beautiful holy mountain. When he comes to his end, there will be no one to help him.”
12 ⌞The person who looked like a human continued,⌟ “At that time Michael, the great commander, will stand up on behalf of the descendants of your people. It will be a time of trouble unlike any that has existed from the time there have been nations until that time. But at that time your people, everyone written in the book, will be rescued. 2 Many sleeping in the ground will wake up. Some will wake up to live forever, but others will wake up to be ashamed and disgraced forever. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness on the horizon. Those who lead many people to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.
4 “But you, Daniel, keep these words secret, and seal the book until the end times. Many will travel everywhere, and knowledge will grow.”
The Words Are Sealed Up
5 When I, Daniel, looked up, I saw two men standing there. One man stood on one side of the river, and the other one stood on the other side. 6 One of them asked the man dressed in linen clothes who was above the river, “How long will it be until these miracles are over?” 7 I heard the man dressed in linen clothes who was above the river. He raised his right hand and left hand to heaven and swore an oath by the one who lives forever. He said, “It will be for a time, times, and half of a time. When the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, then all these things will be finished.”
8 I heard him, but I did not understand. So I asked him, “Sir, how will these things end?”
9 He replied, “Go, Daniel. These words are to be kept secret and sealed until the end times. 10 Many will be purified, made white, and refined. But wicked people will do wicked things, and none of them will understand. Only wise people will understand. 11 From the time the daily burnt offering is taken away and the disgusting thing that causes destruction is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed are those who wait until they reach 1,335 days. 13 But go on until the end. You will rest, and you will rise for your inheritance at the end of time.”
The Prophet Hosea
1 The Lord spoke his word to Hosea, son of Beeri, when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah and when Jeroboam, son of Joash, was king of Israel.
Hosea Marries a Prostitute
2 When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, the Lord told him, “Marry a prostitute and have children with that prostitute. The people in this land have acted like prostitutes and abandoned the Lord.” 3 So Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and had a son.
4 The Lord told Hosea, “Name him Jezreel. In a little while I will punish Jehu’s family for the people they slaughtered at Jezreel. Then I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 On that day I will break Israel’s bows and arrows in the valley of Jezreel.”
6 Gomer became pregnant again and had a daughter. The Lord told Hosea, “Name her Lo Ruhamah [Unloved]. I will no longer love the nation of Israel. I will no longer forgive them. 7 Yet, I will love the descendants of Judah. I will rescue them because I am the Lord their God. I won’t use bows, swords, wars, horses, or horsemen to rescue them.”
8 After Gomer had weaned Lo Ruhamah, she became pregnant again and had a son. 9 The Lord said, “Name him Lo Ammi [Not My People]. You are no longer my people, and I am no longer your God.[f][g]
10 “Yet, the Israelites will become as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. No one will be able to measure them or count them. Wherever they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be told, ‘You are the children of the living God.’ 11 The people of Judah and Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint one leader for themselves, and they will grow in the land. The day of Jezreel will be a great day.
Israel Is the Lord’s Unfaithful Wife
2 [h]“So call your brothers Ammi [My People],
and call your sisters Ruhamah [Loved].
2 “Plead with your mother; plead with her.
She no longer acts like my wife.
She no longer treats me like her husband.
Tell her to stop acting like a prostitute.
Tell her to remove the lovers from between her breasts.
3 If she refuses, I will strip her.
I will leave her as naked as the day she was born.
I will turn her into a dry and barren land,
and she will die of thirst.
4 I won’t love her children,
because they are children of a prostitute.
5 Their mother acted like a prostitute.
The woman who became pregnant with them did shameful things.
She said, ‘I’ll chase after my lovers.
They will give me food and water,
wool and linen, olive oil and wine.’
6 “That is why I will block her way with thornbushes
and build a wall so that she can’t get through.
7 She will run after her lovers, but she won’t catch them.
She will search for them, but she won’t find them.
Then she will say, ‘I’ll go back to my first husband.
Things were better for me than they are now.’
8 “She doesn’t believe that I gave her grain, new wine, and olive oil.
I gave her plenty of silver and gold,
but she used it to make statues of Baal.
9 That is why I will take back my grain when it has ripened
and my new wine when it’s in season.
I will take away the wool and the linen
that I gave her to cover her naked body.
10 I will show her naked body to her lovers,
and no one will rescue her from my power.
11 I will put an end to all her celebrations:
her annual festivals, her New Moon Festivals,
her weekly worship days—all her appointed festivals.
12 I will destroy her grapevines and fig trees.
She said that they were gifts from her lovers.
I will turn her vineyards into a forest, and wild animals will devour them.
13 I will punish her for all the times she burned incense
as an offering to other gods—the Baals.
She put on her rings and jewelry,
and she chased after her lovers.
She forgot me,” declares the Lord.
The Lord Continues to Love Israel
14 “That is why I’m going to win her back.
I will lead her into the desert.
I will speak tenderly to her.
15 I will give her vineyards there.
I will make the valley of Achor [Disaster] a door of hope.
Then she will respond as she did when she was young,
as she did when she came out of Egypt.
16 “On that day she will call me her husband,” declares the Lord.
“She will no longer call me her master.[i]
17 I won’t allow her to say the names of other gods called Baal.
She will never again call out their names.
18 “On that day I will make an arrangement with the wild animals,
the birds, and the animals that crawl on the ground.
I will destroy all the bows, swords, and weapons of war,
so people can live safely.
19 “Israel, I will make you my wife forever.
I will be honest and faithful to you.
I will show you my love and compassion.
20 I will be true to you, my wife.
Then you will know the Lord.
21 “On that day I will answer your ⌞prayers⌟,” declares the Lord.
“I will speak to the sky,
it will speak to the earth,
22 and the earth will produce grain, new wine, and olive oil.
You will produce many crops, Jezreel.
23 I will plant my people in the land.
Those who are not loved I will call my loved ones.
Those who are not my people I will call my people.
Then they will say, ‘You are our God!’ ”
Hosea’s Adulterous Wife
3 Then the Lord told me, “Love your wife again, even though she is loved by others and has committed adultery. Love her as I, the Lord, love the Israelites, even though they have turned to other gods and love to eat raisin cakes.”
2 So I bought her for 23 ounces of silver and 10 bushels of barley. 3 Then I told her, “You must wait for me a long time. Don’t be a prostitute or offer yourself to any man. I will wait for you.”
4 In the same way, the Israelites will wait a long time without kings or officials, without sacrifices or sacred stones, and without ephods [j] or family idols. 5 After that, the Israelites will turn and look to the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord for his blessings in the last days.
The Lord’s Legal Case against Israel
4 Listen to the Lord’s word, you Israelites. The Lord has brought these charges against those who live in the land:
“There is no faith, no love, and no knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is cursing, lying, murdering, stealing, and adultery.
People break ⌞my laws⌟, and there is one murder after another.
3 That is why the land is drying up,
and everyone who lives in it is passing away.
Wild animals, birds, and fish are dying.
4 “No one should accuse other people or bring charges against them.
My case is against you priests.
5 During the day you stumble,
and during the night the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother, ⌞the nation of Israel⌟.
6 I will destroy my people because they are ignorant.
You have refused to learn,
so I will refuse to let you be my priests.
You have forgotten the teachings of your God,
so I will forget your children.
7 The more priests there are,
the more they sin against me.
So I will turn their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sins of my people,
and they want them to do wicked things.
9 So the priests will be punished like the people.
I will punish them for their wicked ways
and pay them back for what they have done.
10 “They will eat, but they’ll never be full.
They will have sex with prostitutes, but they’ll never have children.
They have abandoned the Lord.
11 Prostitutes, old wine, and new wine have robbed them of their senses.
12 My people ask their wooden idols for help.
A piece of wood tells them what to do.
A spirit of prostitution leads them astray.
They commit adultery
by giving themselves to other gods.
13 They offer sacrifices on mountaintops,
and they burn incense on the hills
under oaks, poplars, and other trees.
They think that these trees provide good shade.
“That is why your daughters become prostitutes,
and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
14 Yet, I will not punish your daughters when they become prostitutes
or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.
The men go to prostitutes
and offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes.
These foolish people will be trampled.
15 “Israel, you act like a prostitute.
Don’t let Judah become guilty too.
Don’t go to Gilgal.
Don’t go to Beth Aven.
Don’t take the oath, ‘As the Lord lives. …’
16 “The people of Israel are as stubborn as a bull.
How can the Lord feed them like lambs in an open pasture?
17 The people of Ephraim have chosen to worship idols. Leave them alone!
18 When they’re done drinking their wine,
they continue to have sex with the prostitutes.
Their rulers dearly love to act shamefully.
19 The wind will carry them away in its wings,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.
The Lord Announces the Verdict against Israel
5 “Listen to this, you priests!
Pay attention, nation of Israel!
Open your ears, royal family!
This is my decision about you.
You set traps at Mizpah
and spread out nets on Mount Tabor.
2 You are deeply involved in sin.
So I will punish all of you.
3 I know Ephraim,
and Israel isn’t a stranger to me.
Now, Ephraim, you are acting like a prostitute,
and Israel is unclean.[k]
4 “The wicked things that the people have done
keep them from returning to their God.
They have a spirit of prostitution,
and they don’t know the Lord.
5 The people of Israel’s arrogance testifies against them.
Israel and Ephraim stumble because of their sins,
and Judah stumbles with them.
6 They go with their sheep and their cattle to search for the Lord,
but they can’t find him.
He has left them.
7 They have been unfaithful to the Lord,
because their children do not belong to him.
Now their New Moon ⌞Festivals⌟ will devour them and their fields.
8 “Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah.
Blow the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound the alarm at Beth Aven, you descendants of Benjamin.
9 Ephraim will become a wasteland
when the time for punishment comes.
I will make the truth known among the tribes of Israel.
10 The leaders of Judah are like those who move boundary markers.
I will pour my fury on them like water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed—crushed by punishment,
because its people are determined to chase idols.[l]
12 I will destroy Ephraim as a moth destroys clothing.
I will destroy the nation of Judah as rot destroys wood.
13 “When Ephraim saw that he was sick
and when Judah saw his own wounds,
Ephraim went to Assyria to ask the great king for help.[m]
But the king couldn’t cure them or heal their wounds.
14 I will be like a lion to Ephraim
and like a young lion to the nation of Judah.
I will carry ⌞them⌟ off, and no one will rescue ⌞them⌟.
15 I will go back to my place until they admit that they are guilty.
Then they will search for me.
In their distress they will eagerly look for me.”
Israel Rejected the Lord’s Promise
6 Let’s return to the Lord.
Even though he has torn us to pieces,
he will heal us.
Even though he has wounded us,
he will bandage our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us.
On the third day he will raise us
so that we may live in his presence.
3 Let’s learn about the Lord.
Let’s get to know the Lord.
He will come to us as sure as the morning comes.
He will come to us like the autumn rains and the spring rains
that water the ground.
4 “What should I do with you, Ephraim?
What should I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like fog in the morning.
It disappears as quickly as the morning dew.
5 That is why I cut ⌞you⌟ down by sending the prophets.
I killed you with the words from my mouth.
My judgments shined on you like light.
6 I want your loyalty, not your sacrifices.
I want you to know me, not to give me burnt offerings.
7 “Like Adam, you rejected the promise.[n]
You were unfaithful to me.
8 Gilead is a city filled with troublemakers.
It is stained with bloody footprints.
9 The priests are like gangs of robbers who lie in ambush for a person.
They murder on the road to Shechem.
Certainly, they have committed a crime.
10 “I have seen horrible things in the nation of Israel.
Ephraim is acting like a prostitute,
and Israel is unclean.[o]
11 “Yet, Judah, I have set a harvest time for you
when I bring my people back from captivity.
7 “Whenever I want to heal Israel,
all I can see is Ephraim’s sin and Samaria’s wickedness.
People cheat each other.
They break into houses and steal.
They rob people in the streets.
2 They don’t realize that I remember
all the evil things they’ve done.
Now their sins surround them.
Their sins are in my presence.
3 “They make kings happy with the wicked things they do.
They make officials happy with the lies they tell.
4 They all commit adultery.
They are like a heated oven,
an oven so hot that a baker doesn’t have to fan its flames
when he makes bread.
5 On the day of the king’s celebration,
the officials become drunk from wine,
and the king joins mockers.
6 They become hot like an oven while they lie in ambush.
All night long their anger smolders,
but in the morning it burns like a raging fire.
7 They are all as hot as an oven.
They consume their judges ⌞like a fire⌟.
All their kings die in battle, and none of them calls to me.
Israel Turns to Other Nations for Help
8 “Ephraim mixes with other nations.
Ephraim, you are like a half-baked loaf of bread.
9 Foreigners are using up your strength, but you don’t realize it.
You have become a gray-haired, old man, but you don’t realize it.
10 Israel, your arrogance testifies against you,
but even after all this, you don’t turn to the Lord your God
or look to him for help.
11 Ephraim, you are like a silly, senseless dove.
You call for Egypt and run to Assyria for help.
12 When you go, I will spread my net over you.
I will snatch you out of the air like a bird.
I will punish you for all the evil things you have done.
13 “How horrible it will be for these people.
They have run away from me.
They must be destroyed because they’ve rebelled against me.
I want to reclaim them, but they tell lies about me.
14 They don’t pray to me sincerely,
even though they cry in their beds
and make cuts on their bodies
while praying for grain and new wine.
They have turned against me.
15 I trained them and made them strong.
Yet, they plan evil against me.
16 They don’t return to the Most High.
They are like a defective bow.
Their officials will die in battle
because they curse.
The people in Egypt will ridicule them for this.
The Lord Will Punish Israel for Its Rebellion
8 “Sound the alarm on the ram’s horn.
The enemy swoops down on the Lord’s temple like an eagle.
The people of Israel have rejected my promise
and rebelled against my teachings.
2 They cry out to me, ‘We acknowledge you as our God.’
3 However, they have rejected what is good.
The enemy will persecute them.
4 “They chose their own kings, kings I didn’t approve.
They chose their own princes, princes I didn’t know.
They chose to make idols with their own silver and gold.
Because of this, they will be destroyed.
5 Get rid of your calf-shaped idol, Samaria.
My anger burns against these people.
How long will they remain unclean? [p]
6 Samaria’s calf-shaped idol was made in Israel.
Skilled workers made it.
It is not a god.
It will be smashed to pieces.
7 “The people of Israel plant the wind, but they harvest a storm.
A field of grain that doesn’t ripen will never produce any grain.
Even if it did produce grain, foreigners would eat it all.
8 Israel will be swallowed up.
It has already mixed in with the other nations.
It has become worthless.
9 “The people of Israel went to Assyria.
They were like wild donkeys wandering off alone.
The people of Ephraim sold themselves to their lovers.
10 Even though they sold themselves among the nations,
I will gather them now.
They will suffer for a while under the burdens of kings and princes.
11 “The more altars that the people of Ephraim build
to make offerings to pay for their sins,
the more places they have for sinning.
12 I have written many things for them in my teachings,
but they consider these things strange and foreign.
13 They offer sacrifices to me and eat the meat of sacrifices,
but I, the Lord, do not accept these sacrifices.
Now I will remember their wickedness
and punish them because of their sins.
They will go back to Egypt.
14 The people of Israel have built palaces,
and they have forgotten their maker.
The people of Judah have built many fortified cities.
I will send a fire on their cities and burn down their palaces.”
9 Israel, don’t rejoice.
Don’t celebrate as other nations do.
You have been unfaithful to your God.
You have sold sex on every threshing floor.[q]
2 There won’t be enough grain to feed people.
There won’t be enough wine to go around.
3 The people of Ephraim won’t stay in the Lord’s land.
They will return to Egypt,
and they will eat unclean [r] food in Assyria.
4 They won’t pour wine offerings to the Lord,
and their sacrifices won’t please him.
Their sacrifices will be like the food that mourners eat.
All who eat this food will be unclean.
Their food will only satisfy their hunger.
It will not be brought ⌞as an offering⌟ to the Lord’s temple.
5 What will they do on the day of an appointed festival
or on the Lord’s festival days?
6 Even if they escape without being destroyed,
Egypt will capture them
and Memphis will bury them.
Weeds will grow over their silver treasures.
Thorns will grow over their tents.
7 The time for them to be punished will come.
The time for them to pay for their sins will come.
⌞When this happens,⌟ Israel will know it.
⌞They think that⌟ prophets are fools
and that spiritual people are crazy.
They have sinned a lot, and they are very hostile.
8 Prophets are God’s watchmen over Ephraim.
Yet, traps are set on every prophet’s path,
and people are hostile in the temple of their God.
9 People have deeply corrupted themselves as they once did at Gibeah.
God will remember their wickedness
and punish them because of their sins.
Israel Is Like Rotten Grapes or Rotten Figs
10 ⌞The Lord said,⌟ “When I found Israel,
it was like finding grapes in the desert.
When I saw your ancestors,
it was like seeing the first figs of the harvest.
But they went to Baal Peor and worshiped shameful idols.
They became as disgusting as the things they worshiped.
11 “Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird.
There will be no more pregnancies, births, or babies.
12 Even if they bring up children,
I will take those children away before they grow up.
Yes, how horrible it will be for them when I leave them.
13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place.
But the people of Ephraim will bring out their children
to be killed.”
14 Lord, give them what they deserve.
Make the women miscarry,
or else make them unable to nurse their babies.
15 “All Ephraim’s wickedness began in Gilgal; I hated the people there.
I will force them out of my temple because of their wickedness,
and I won’t love them anymore.
All their officials are rebellious.
16 “The people of Ephraim are like sick plants.
Their roots are dried up.
They have no fruit.
Even if they were to have children,
I would kill their dear children.”
17 My God will reject them
because they refused to listen to him.
They will wander among the nations.
Israel Is Like a Rotten Vine
10 The people of Israel are like vines that used to produce fruit.
The more fruit they produced,
the more altars they built.
The more their land produced,
the more stone markers they set up ⌞to honor other gods⌟.
2 They are hypocrites. Now they must take their punishment.
God will tear down their altars and destroy their stone markers.
3 So they’ll say,
“We have no king because we didn’t fear the Lord.
Even if we had a king, he couldn’t do anything for us.”
4 They say many things. They lie when they take oaths,
and they make promises they don’t intend to keep.
That’s why lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
5 Those who live in Samaria fear the calf-shaped idol at Beth Aven.
The people will mourn over it.
The priests will cry loudly
because its glory will be taken away into captivity.
6 The thing itself will be carried to Assyria
as a present to the great king.[s]
Ephraim will be disgraced.
Israel will be ashamed because of its plans.
7 The king of Samaria will be carried away
like a piece of wood on water.
8 The illegal worship sites of Aven will be destroyed.
Israel sins there.
Thorns and weeds will grow over those altars.
People will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 Israel, you have sinned ever since the incident at Gibeah.
You never change.
War will overtake the wicked people in Gibeah.
10 “I will punish them when I’m ready.
Armies will gather to attack them.
They will be punished for their many sins.
Israel Is Like a Cow That Threshed Grain
11 “Ephraim is like a trained calf that loves to thresh [t] grain.
I will put a yoke [u] on its beautiful neck.
I will harness Ephraim.
Judah must plow.
Jacob must break up the ground.
12 “Break new ground.
Plant righteousness,
and harvest the fruit that your loyalty will produce for me.”
It’s time to seek the Lord!
When he comes, he will rain righteousness on you.
13 You have planted wickedness and harvested evil.
You have eaten the fruit that your lies produced.
You have trusted your own power and your many warriors.
14 So your army will hear the noise of battle.
All your fortresses will be destroyed
like the time Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel in battle.
Mothers and their children were smashed to death.
15 This is what will happen to you, Bethel,
because you have done many wicked things.
At daybreak, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
Israel Is Like a Bad Son
11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
2 The more I called them,[v] the farther they went away.
They sacrificed to other gods—the Baals,
and they burned incense to idols.
3 I was the one who taught the people of Ephraim to walk.[w]
I took them by the hand.
But they didn’t realize that I had healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ropes of love.
I removed the yokes [x] from their necks.
I bent down and fed them.
5 “They will not return to Egypt.
Instead, Assyria will rule them
because they have refused to return to me.
6 War will sweep through their cities,
demolish their city gates,
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn away from me.
Even if they call to the Most High,
he will not pardon them.
8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboim?
I have changed my mind.
I am deeply moved.
9 I will not act on my burning anger.
I will not destroy Ephraim again.
I am God, not a human.
I am the Holy One among you,
and I will not come to you in anger.
10 “My people will follow me when I roar like a lion.
When I roar, my children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt
and like doves from Assyria.
I will settle them in their own homes,”
declares the Lord.[y]
12 “Ephraim surrounds me with lies.
The nation of Israel surrounds me with deceit.”
Judah rebels against God, against the Holy One who is faithful.
The People of Israel Ignored What the Lord Had Done for Them
12 [z]The people of Ephraim try to catch the wind
and try to chase the east wind all day.
They are very violent and destructive.
They make treaties with Assyria and take olive oil to Egypt.
2 The Lord brings charges against Judah and punishes Jacob
because of the way their people act.
He will pay them back for what they have done.
3 Their ancestor Jacob held on to his brother’s heel
while the two of them were in their mother’s womb.
When Jacob became a man, he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the Messenger and won.
Jacob cried and pleaded with him.
Jacob found him at Bethel,
and he talked with him there.
5 The Lord is the God of Armies.
The Lord is the name by which he is remembered.
6 Return to your God.
Be loyal and fair, and always wait with hope for your God.
7 ⌞The Lord says,⌟ “The merchants use dishonest scales.
They love to cheat people.
8 The people of Ephraim say, ‘We’re rich. We’ve made a fortune.
With all this wealth, no one will find us guilty of any sin.’
9 I am the Lord your God.
I brought you out of Egypt.
I will make you live in tents again
as you did during your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets and gave them many visions.
I taught lessons through the prophets.” [aa]
11 The people of Gilead are evil.
They are worthless.
They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal.
But their altars will become like piles of rubble
beside a plowed field.
12 Jacob fled to the country of Syria.
Israel worked to get a wife; he took care of sheep to pay for her.
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt.
He used a prophet to take care of them.
14 The people of Ephraim made the Lord bitter.
He will hold them guilty of murder.
The Lord will pay them back for their insults.
The People of Israel Will Be Punished for Their Idolatry
13 When the tribe of Ephraim spoke, people trembled.
The people of Ephraim were important in Israel.
Then they became guilty of worshiping Baal,
so they must die.
2 They keep on sinning more and more.
They make idols from silver for themselves.
These idols are skillfully made.
All of them are the work of craftsmen.
People say this about the Israelites: “They offer human sacrifices
and kiss calf-shaped idols.”
3 That is why they will be like fog in the morning
and like morning dew that disappears quickly.
They will be like straw blown away from threshing floors.[ab]
They will be like smoke rising from chimneys.
4 “I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt.
You have known no god besides me.
There is no savior except me.
5 I took care of you [ac] in the desert, in a dry land.
6 When I fed you, you were full.
When you were full, you became arrogant.
That is why you forgot me.
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