Chronological
Israel Will Harvest a Windstorm
8 The Lord said to me,
“Put a trumpet to your lips!
Give a warning to my people!
Assyria is like an eagle.
It is ready to attack my land.
My people have broken the covenant I made with them.
They have refused to obey my law.
2 Israel shouts to me,
‘We recognize you as our God!’
3 But they have turned away from what is good.
So an enemy will chase them.
4 My people appoint kings I do not want.
They choose princes without my permission.
They use their silver and gold
to make statues of gods.
That is how they destroy themselves.”
5 The Lord says, “People of Samaria,
throw out your god that looks like a calf!
I am very angry with them.
How long will it be until they are able
to remain faithful to me?
6 Their calf is not God.
A skilled worker from Israel made it.
But that calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.”
7 The Lord says,
“Worshiping other gods is like worshiping the wind.
It is like planting worthless seeds.
Assyria is like a windstorm.
That is all my people will harvest.
There are no heads of grain
on the stems that will come up.
So they will not produce any flour.
Even if they did produce grain,
the Assyrians would eat all of it up.
8 So the people of Israel are swallowed up.
Now they are among the nations
like something no one wants.
9 They have gone up to Assyria for help.
They are like a wild donkey
that wanders around by itself.
Ephraim’s people have sold themselves
to their Assyrian lovers.
10 They have sold themselves to the nations
to get their help.
But now I will gather them together.
They will get weaker and weaker.
The mighty kings of Assyria will crush them.
11 “Ephraim built many altars where they sacrificed
sin offerings to other gods.
So their altars have become
places where they commit sin.
12 In my law I wrote down many things for their good.
But they considered those things as something strange.
13 They offer sacrifices as gifts to me.
They eat the meat of the animals they bring.
But the Lord is not pleased with any of this.
He will remember the evil things they have done.
He will punish them for their sins.
And they will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten the God who made them.
They have built palaces for themselves.
Judah has built forts in many towns.
But I will send down fire on their cities.
It will burn up their forts.”
Israel Will Be Punished
9 Israel, don’t be joyful.
Don’t be glad as the other nations are.
You haven’t been faithful to your God.
You love to get paid for being a prostitute.
Your pay is the grain at every threshing floor.
2 But soon there won’t be any grain or wine to feed you.
There won’t even be any fresh wine.
3 You won’t remain in the Lord’s land.
Ephraim, you will return to Egypt.
You will eat “unclean” food in Assyria.
4 You won’t pour out wine offerings to the Lord.
Your sacrifices won’t please him.
They’ll be like the bread people eat when someone dies.
Everyone who eats those sacrifices will be “unclean.”
They themselves will have to eat that kind of food.
They can’t bring it into the Lord’s temple.
5 What will you do when your appointed feasts come?
What will you do on the Lord’s special days?
6 Some of you will escape without being destroyed.
But you will die in Egypt.
Your bodies will be buried at Memphis.
Weeds will cover your treasures of silver.
Thorns will grow up in your tents.
7 The time when God will punish you is coming.
The day when he will judge you is near.
I want Israel to know this.
You have committed many sins.
And you hate me very much.
That’s why you think the prophet is foolish.
You think the person the Lord speaks through is crazy.
8 People of Ephraim, the prophet, along with my God,
is warning you of danger.
But you set traps for him everywhere he goes.
You hate him so much
you even wait for him in God’s house.
9 You have sunk very deep into sin,
just as your people did at Gibeah long ago.
God will remember the evil things they have done.
He will punish them for their sins.
10 The Lord says,
“When I first found Israel,
it was like finding grapes in the desert.
When I saw your people of long ago,
it was like seeing the early fruit on a fig tree.
But then they went to Baal Peor.
There they gave themselves to that shameful god named Baal.
They became as evil as the god they loved.
11 Ephraim’s greatness and glory will be gone.
It will fly away like a bird.
Women will no longer have children.
They will not be able to get pregnant.
12 But suppose they do have children.
Then I will kill every one of them.
How terrible it will be for them
when I turn away from them!
13 Tyre is planted in a pleasant place.
And so is Ephraim.
But the Assyrians will kill
Ephraim’s children.”
14 Lord, what should you do to Ephraim’s people?
Give them women whose babies die before they are born.
Give them women whose breasts have no milk.
15 The Lord says,
“My people did many evil things in Gilgal.
That is why I hated them there.
They committed many sins.
So I will drive them out of my land.
I will not love them anymore.
All their leaders refuse to obey me.
16 Ephraim is like a worthless plant.
Its roots are dried up.
It does not produce any fruit.
Suppose Ephraim’s people have children.
Then I will kill the children they love so much.”
17 My God will turn his back on his people.
They have not obeyed him.
So they will wander among other nations.
10 Israel was like a spreading vine.
They produced fruit for themselves.
As they grew more fruit,
they built more altars.
As their land became richer,
they made more beautiful the sacred stones they worshiped.
2 Their hearts are dishonest.
So now they must pay for their sins.
The Lord will tear down their altars.
He’ll destroy their sacred stones.
3 Then they’ll say, “We don’t have a king.
That’s because we didn’t have
any respect for the Lord.
But suppose we did have a king.
What could he do for us?”
4 They make a lot of promises.
They make agreements among themselves.
They make promises they don’t mean to keep.
So court cases spring up
like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria are filled with fear.
They are afraid for their god that looks like a calf.
They’re afraid it will be carried off from Beth Aven, that evil town.
They will mourn over it.
So will the priests who led them to worship it.
The priests were full of joy
because their statue was so glorious.
But it will be captured
and taken far away from them.
6 It will be carried off to Assyria.
The people of Ephraim will be forced
to give it to the great king.
They will be dishonored.
Israel will be ashamed
of its agreements with other nations.
7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed.
He will be like a twig swept away by a river.
8 The high places where Israel worshiped other gods
will be destroyed.
That’s where they sinned against the Lord.
Thorns and weeds will grow up there.
They will cover the altars.
Then the people will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
They’ll say to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 The Lord says,
“Israel, you have done evil things
ever since your people sinned at Gibeah long ago.
And you are still doing what is evil.
War will come again
to those who sinned at Gibeah.
10 I will punish them when I want to.
Nations will gather together to fight against them.
They will put them in chains
because they have committed so many sins.
11 Ephraim was like a well-trained young cow.
It loved to thresh grain.
So I will put a yoke
on its pretty neck.
I will make Ephraim do hard work.
Judah also must plow.
So all the people of Jacob
must break up the ground.
12 Your hearts are as hard as a field
that has not been plowed.
If you change your ways,
you will produce good crops.
So plant the seeds of doing what is right.
Then you will harvest the fruit of your faithful love.
It is time to seek the Lord.
When you do, he will come
and shower his blessings on you.
13 But you have planted the seeds of doing what is wrong.
So you have harvested the fruit of your evil conduct.
You have had to eat the fruit of your lies.
You have trusted in your own strength.
You have depended on your many soldiers.
14 But the roar of battle will come against you.
All your forts will be completely destroyed.
It will happen just as Shalman
destroyed Beth Arbel in a battle.
Mothers and their children
were smashed on the ground.
15 People of Bethel, that will happen to you.
You have committed far too many sins.
When the time comes for me to punish you,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.”
God Loves Israel
11 The Lord continues,
“When Israel was a young nation, I loved them.
I chose to bring my son out of Egypt.
2 But the more I called out to Israel,
the more they went away from me.
They brought sacrifices to the statues of the gods
that were named Baal.
And they burned incense to them.
3 I taught Ephraim to walk.
I took them up in my arms.
But they did not realize
I was the one who took care of them.
4 I led them with kindness and love.
I was to them like a person who lifts
a little child to their cheek.
I bent down and fed them.
5 “But they refuse to turn away from their sins.
So they will return to Egypt.
And Assyria will rule over them.
6 A sword will flash in their cities.
It will destroy the prophets who teach lies.
It will bring an end to their plans.
7 My people have made up their minds
to turn away from me.
Even if they call me the Most High God,
I will certainly not honor them.”
8 The Lord continues,
“People of Ephraim, how can I give you up?
Israel, how can I hand you over to your enemies?
Can I destroy you as I did the town of Admah?
Can I treat you like Zeboyim?
My heart is stirred inside me.
It is filled with pity for you.
9 I will not be so angry with you anymore.
I will not completely destroy you again.
After all, I am God.
I am not a mere man.
I am the Holy One among you.
I will not direct my anger against their cities.
10 I will roar like a lion against my enemies.
Then the Lord’s people will follow him.
When he roars, his children will come home trembling with fear.
They will return from the west.
11 They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows.
They will return from Assyria, flying in like doves.
I will settle you again in your homes,”
announces the Lord.
Israel Has Sinned
12 The people of Ephraim tell me nothing but lies.
Israel has not been honest with me.
And Judah continues to wander away from God.
They have deserted the faithful Holy One.
12 The people of Ephraim look to others for help.
It’s like chasing the wind.
The wind they keep chasing
is hot and dry.
They tell more and more lies.
They are always hurting others.
They make a peace treaty with Assyria.
They send olive oil to Egypt to get help.
2 The Lord is bringing charges against Judah.
He will punish Jacob’s people
because of how they act.
He’ll pay them back
for the evil things they’ve done.
3 Even before Jacob was born,
he was holding on to his brother’s heel.
When he became a man,
he struggled with God.
4 At Peniel he struggled with the angel and won.
Jacob wept and begged for his blessing.
God also met with him at Bethel.
He talked with him there.
5 He is the Lord God who rules over all.
His name is the Lord.
6 People of Jacob, you must return to your God.
You must hold on to love and do what is fair.
You must trust in your God always.
7 You are like a trader who uses dishonest scales.
You love to cheat others.
8 People of Ephraim, you brag,
“We are very rich.
We’ve become wealthy.
And no one can prove we sinned
to gain all this wealth.”
9 The Lord says,
“I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.
But I will make you live in tents again.
That is what you did when you celebrated
the Feast of Booths in the desert.
10 I spoke to the prophets.
They saw many visions.
I gave you warnings through them.”
11 The people of Gilead are evil!
They aren’t worth anything!
Gilgal’s people sacrifice bulls to other gods.
Their altars will become like piles of stones
on a plowed field.
12 Jacob ran away to the country of Aram.
There Israel served Laban to get a wife.
He took care of sheep to pay for her.
13 The prophet Moses brought Israel up from Egypt.
The Lord used him to take care of them.
14 But Ephraim’s people have made the Lord very angry.
Their Lord will hold them accountable for the blood they’ve spilled.
He’ll pay them back for the shameful things they’ve done.
The Lord Is Angry With Israel
13 When the tribe of Ephraim spoke,
the other tribes trembled with fear.
Ephraim was honored in Israel.
But its people sinned by worshiping Baal.
So they were as good as dead.
2 Now they sin more and more.
They use their silver
to make statues of gods for themselves.
The statues come from their own clever ideas.
Skilled workers make all of them.
The people pray to these gods.
They offer human sacrifices to them.
They kiss the gods that look like calves.
3 So these people will vanish like the morning mist.
They will soon disappear like the early dew.
They will be like straw
that the wind blows around on a threshing floor.
They will be like smoke
that escapes through a window.
4 The Lord says,
“People of Israel, I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.
You must not worship any god but me.
You must not have any savior except me.
5 I took care of you in the desert.
It was a land of burning heat.
6 I fed them until they were satisfied.
Then they became proud.
They forgot all about me.
7 So I will leap on them like a lion.
I will hide and wait
beside the road like a leopard.
8 I will attack them like a bear
that is robbed of her cubs.
I will rip them wide open.
Like a lion I will eat them up.
Like a wild animal I will tear them apart.
9 “Israel, you will be destroyed.
I helped you. But you turned against me.
10 Where is your king?
Wasn’t he supposed to save you?
Where are the rulers in all your towns?
You said, ‘Give us a king and princes.’
11 So I became angry and gave you a king.
Then I took him away from you.
12 Ephraim’s guilt is piling up.
I am keeping a record of all their sins.
13 They will suffer pain like a woman having a baby.
They are like foolish children.
It is time for them to be born.
But they don’t have the sense to come out of their mother’s body.
14 “I will set these people free from the power of the grave.
I will save them from death.
Death, where are your plagues?
Grave, where is your power to destroy?
“I will no longer pity Ephraim.
15 Even though they are doing well among the other tribes,
trouble will come to them.
I will send a hot and dry wind from the east.
It will blow in from the desert.
Their springs will not have any water.
Their wells will dry up.
All their treasures
will be taken out of their storerooms.
16 The people of Samaria must pay for their sins.
They have refused to obey me.
They will be killed by swords.
Their little children will be smashed on the ground.
Their pregnant women will be ripped wide open.”
The Lord Blesses Those Who Turn Away From Sin
14 Israel, return to the Lord your God.
Your sins have destroyed you!
2 Tell the Lord you are turning away from your sins.
Return to him.
Say to him,
“Forgive us for all our sins.
Please be kind to us.
Welcome us back to you.
Then our lips will offer you our praise.
3 Assyria can’t save us.
We won’t trust in our war horses.
Our own hands have made statues of gods.
But we will never call them our gods again.
We are like children whose fathers have died.
But you show us your tender love.”
4 Then the Lord will answer,
“My people always wander away from me.
But I will put an end to that.
My anger has turned away from them.
Now I will love them freely.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel.
They will bloom like a lily.
They will send their roots down deep
like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
6 They will spread out like new branches.
They will be as beautiful as an olive tree.
They will smell as sweet as the cedar trees in Lebanon.
7 Once again my people will live
in the safety of my shade.
They will grow like grain.
They will bloom like vines.
And Israel will be as famous
as wine from Lebanon.
8 Ephraim will have nothing more to do with other gods.
I will answer the prayers of my people.
I will take good care of them.
I will be like a healthy juniper tree to them.
All the fruit they bear will come from me.”
9 If someone is wise, they will realize
that what I’ve said is true.
If they have understanding,
they will know what it means.
The ways of the Lord are right.
People who are right with God live the way he wants them to.
But those who refuse to obey him trip and fall.
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