1 Ephraim’s Idolatry When Ephraim spoke,there wastremblingandterror.He exalted himself [above the other tribes] in Israel;But through [the worship of] Baal he became guilty and died [spiritually, and then came ruin, sealing Israel’s doom as a nation].
2 And now they sin more and more,And make for themselves molten images,Idols skillfully made from their silver [as it pleased them],All of them the work of the craftsmen.They say of these [very works of their hands], “Let those who sacrifice kissandshow respect to the calves [as if they were living gods]!”
3 Therefore they will be [swiftly dissipated] like the morning cloudOr like dew which soon disappears,Like chaff which swirls with the whirlwind from the threshing floor,And like smoke from the chimneyorthrough the window [worthless and without substance —they will vanish].
4 Yet Ihave beenthe Lyour GodSince [the time you became a nation in] the land of Egypt;And you were not to know any god except Me,For there is no savior besides Me.
5 I knewandregarded youandcared for you in the wilderness,In the land of drought.
6 Whenthey hadtheir pasture, they became satisfied,And being satisfied, their heart became proud (self-centered);Therefore they forgot Me.
7 So I will be like a lion to them;Like a leopard I will watchandlie in wait [ready to attack] by the road [to Assyria].
8 I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs,And I will tear open their chests;There I will also devour them like a lioness,As a wild beast would tear them.
9 It is your destruction, O Israel,Becauseyou areagainst Me, [and have rebelled] against your help.
10 Where now is your kingThat he may save you [when you are attacked] in all your cities?And your judges of whom you asked,“Give me a king and princes”?
11 I gave you a king in My anger,And I took him away in My wrath [as punishment].
12 The wickedness of Ephraim [which is not yet completely punished] is bound up [as in a bag];His sin is stored up [for judgment and destruction].
13 The pains of childbirth come on him;But he is not a wise son,For it is not the time to delay [his chance at a new birth] as the womb opens [but he ignores the opportunity to change].
14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead)?Shall I redeem them from death?The apostle Paul brings this passage to mind—but with a change of meaning made possible by the resurrection of Christ.O death, where are your thorns?O Sheol, where is your sting?Compassion is hidden from My eyes [because of their failure to repent].
15 For though he flourishes among the reeds (his fellow tribes),An east wind (Assyria) will come,The breath of the Lrising from the desert;And Ephraim’s spring will become dryAnd his fountain will be dried up.Assyria will plunder his treasury of every precious object.
16 Samaria will be found guilty [and become desolate],Because she rebelled against her God;They will fall by the sword,Their infants will be dashed in pieces,And their pregnant women will be ripped open.