8 `Unto thy mouth -- a trumpet, As an eagle against the house of Jehovah, Because they transgressed My covenant, And against My law they have rebelled.

² To Me they cry, `My God, we -- Israel -- have known Thee.'

³ Cast off good hath Israel, an enemy pursueth him.

⁴ They have made kings, and not by Me, They have made princes, and I have not known, Their silver and their gold they have made to them idols, So that they are cut off.

⁵ Cast off hath thy calf, O Samaria, Burned hath Mine anger against them, Till when are they not capable of purity?

⁶ For even it [is] of Israel; an artificer made it, And it [is] not God, For the calf of Samaria is fragments!

⁷ For wind they sow, and a hurricane they reap, Stalk it hath none -- a shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield -- strangers do swallow it up.

⁸ Israel hath been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight.

⁹ For they -- they have gone up [to] Asshur, A wild ass alone by himself [is] Ephraim, They have hired lovers!

¹⁰ Also though they hire among nations, Now I gather them, and they are pained a little, From the burden of a king of princes.

¹¹ Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.

¹² I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.

¹³ The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They -- [to] Egypt they turn back.

¹⁴ And forget doth Israel his Maker, and buildeth temples, And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it hath consumed their palaces!

9 `Rejoice not, O Israel, be not joyful like the peoples, For thou hast gone a-whoring from thy God, Thou hast loved a gift near all floors of corn.

² Floor and wine-press do not delight them, And new wine doth fail in her,

³ They do not abide in the land of Jehovah, And turned back hath Ephraim [to] Egypt, And in Asshur an unclean thing they eat.

⁴ They pour not out wine to Jehovah, Nor are they sweet to Him, Their sacrifices [are] as bread of mourners to them, All eating it are unclean: For their bread [is] for themselves, It doth not come into the house of Jehovah.

⁵ What do ye at the day appointed? And at the day of Jehovah's festival?

⁶ For, lo, they have gone because of destruction, Egypt gathereth them, Moph burieth them, The desirable things of their silver, Nettles possess them -- a thorn [is] in their tents.

⁷ Come in have the days of inspection, Come in have the days of recompence, Israel doth know! a fool [is] the prophet, Mad [is] the man of the Spirit, Because of the abundance of thine iniquity, And great [is] the hatred.

⁸ Ephraim is looking [away] from My God, The prophet! a snare of a fowler [is] over all his ways, Hatred [is] in the house of his God.

⁹ They have gone deep -- have done corruptly, As [in] the days of Gibeah, He doth remember their iniquity, He doth inspect their sins.

¹⁰ As grapes in a wilderness I found Israel, As the first-fruit in a fig-tree, at its beginning, I have seen your fathers, They -- they have gone in [to] Baal-Peor, And are separated to a shameful thing, And are become abominable like their love.

¹¹ Ephraim [is] as a fowl, Fly away doth their honour, without birth, And without womb, and without conception.

¹² For though they nourish their sons, I have made them childless -- without man, Surely also, wo to them, when I turn aside from them.

¹³ Ephraim! when I have looked to the rock, Is planted in comeliness, And Ephraim [is] to bring out unto a slayer his sons.

¹⁴ Give to them, Jehovah -- what dost Thou give? Give to them miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.

¹⁵ All their evil [is] in Gilgal, Surely there I have hated them, Because of the evil of their doings, Out of My house I do drive them, I add not to love them, all their heads [are] apostates.

¹⁶ Ephraim hath been smitten, Their root hath dried up, fruit they yield not, Yea, though they bring forth, I have put to death the desired of their womb.

¹⁷ Reject them doth my God, Because they have not hearkened to Him, And they are wanderers among nations!

10 `An empty vine [is] Israel, Fruit he maketh like to himself, According to the abundance of his fruit, He hath multiplied for the altars, According to the goodness of his land, They have made goodly standing-pillars.

² Their heart hath been divided, now they are guilty, He doth break down their altars, He doth destroy their standing-pillars.

³ For now they say: We have no king, Because we have not feared Jehovah, And the king -- what doth he for us?

⁴ They have spoken words, To swear falsehood in making a covenant, And flourished as a poisonous herb hath judgment, on the furrows of a field.

⁵ For the calves of Beth-Aven fear do inhabitants of Samaria, Surely mourned on account of it hath its people, And its priests on account of it leap about, Because of its honour, for it hath removed from it,

⁶ Also it to Asshur is carried, a present to a warlike king, Shame doth Ephraim receive, And ashamed is Israel of its own counsel.

⁷ Cut off is Samaria! Its king [is] as a chip on the face of the waters.

⁸ And destroyed have been high places of Aven, the sin of Israel. Thorn and bramble go up on their altars, And they have said to hills, Cover us, And to heights, Fall upon us.

⁹ From the days of Gibeah thou hast sinned, O Israel, There they have stood, Not overtake them in Gibeah doth battle, Because of sons of perverseness.

¹⁰ When I desire, then I do bind them, And gathered against them have peoples, When they bind themselves to their two iniquities.

¹¹ And Ephraim [is] a trained heifer -- loving to thresh, And I -- I have passed over on the goodness of its neck, I cause [one] to ride Ephraim, Plough doth Judah, harrow for him doth Jacob.

¹² Sow for yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to loving-kindness, Till for yourselves tillage of knowledge, To seek Jehovah, Till he come and shew righteousness to you.

¹³ Ye have ploughed wickedness, Perversity ye have reaped, Ye have eaten the fruit of lying, For thou hast trusted in thy way, In the abundance of thy might.

¹⁴ And rise doth a tumult among thy people, And all thy fortresses are spoiled, As the spoiling of Shalman of Beth-Arbel, In a day of battle, Mother against sons dashed in pieces.

¹⁵ Thus hath Beth-El done to you, Because of the evil of your wickedness, In the dawn cut off utterly is a king of Israel!

11 Because Israel [is] a youth, and I love him, Out of Egypt I have called for My Son.

² They have called to them rightly, They have gone from before them, To lords they do sacrifice, And to graven images they make perfume.

³ And I have caused Ephraim to go on foot, Taking them by their arms, And they have not known that I strengthened them.

⁴ With cords of man I do draw them, With thick cords of love, And I am to them as a raiser up of a yoke on their jaws, And I incline unto him -- I feed [him].

⁵ He turneth not back unto the land of Egypt, And Asshur -- he [is] his king, For they have refused to return.

⁶ Grievous hath been the sword in his cities, And it hath ended his bars, and consumed -- from their own counsels.

⁷ And My people are hanging in suspense, about My returning, And unto the Most High they do call, Together they exalt not.

⁸ How do I give thee up, O Ephraim? Do I deliver thee up, O Israel? How do I make thee as Admah? Do I set thee as Zeboim? Turned in Me is My heart, kindled together have been My repentings.

⁹ I do not the fierceness of My anger, I turn not back to destroy Ephraim, For God I [am], and not a man. In thy midst the Holy One, and I enter not in enmity,

¹⁰ After Jehovah they go -- as a lion He roareth, When He doth roar, then tremble do the sons from the west.

¹¹ They tremble as a sparrow out of Egypt, And as a dove out of the land of Asshur, And I have caused them to dwell in their own houses, An affirmation of Jehovah.

¹² Compassed Me with feigning hath Ephraim, And with deceit the house of Israel. And Judah again is ruling with God, And with the Holy Ones [is] faithful!

12 Ephraim is enjoying wind, And is pursuing an east wind, All the day lying and spoiling he multiplieth, And a covenant with Asshur they make, And oil to Egypt is carried.

² And a controversy hath Jehovah with Judah, To lay a charge on Jacob according to his ways, According to his doings He returneth to him.

³ In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he was a prince with God,

⁴ Yea, he is a prince unto the Messenger, And he overcometh [by] weeping, And he maketh supplication to Him, At Bethel He doth find him, And there He doth speak with us,

⁵ Even Jehovah, God of the Hosts, Jehovah [is] His memorial.

⁶ And thou, through thy God, dost turn, Kindness and judgment keep thou, And wait on thy God continually.

⁷ Canaan! in his hand [are] balances of deceit! To oppress he hath loved.

⁸ And Ephraim saith: `Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself, All my labours -- they find not against me iniquity that [is] sin.'

⁹ And I -- Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt, Again do I turn thee back into tents, As in the days of the appointed time.

¹⁰ And I have spoken unto the prophets, And I have multiplied vision, And by the hand of the prophets I use similes.

¹¹ Surely Gilead [is] iniquity, Only, vanity they have been, In Gilead bullocks they have sacrificed, Also their altars [are] as heaps, on the furrows of a field.

¹² And Jacob doth flee to the country of Aram, And Israel doth serve for a wife, Yea, for a wife he hath kept watch.

¹³ And by a prophet hath Jehovah brought up Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet it hath been watched.

¹⁴ Ephraim hath provoked most bitterly, And his blood on himself he leaveth, And his reproach turn back to him doth his Lord!

13 When Ephraim speaketh tremblingly, He hath been lifted up in Israel, When he becometh guilty in Baal he dieth.

² And now do they add to sin, And make to them a molten image of their silver, By their own understanding -- idols, A work of artizans -- all of it, Of them they say, who [are] sacrificers among men, `The calves let them kiss.'

³ Therefore they are as a cloud of the morning, And as dew, rising early, going away, As chaff tossed about out of a floor, And as smoke out of a window.

⁴ And I [am] Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt, And a God besides Me thou dost not know, And a Saviour -- there is none save Me.

⁵ I -- I have known thee in a wilderness, In a land of droughts.

⁶ According to their feedings they are satiated, They have been satiated, And their heart is lifted up, Therefore they have forgotten Me,

⁷ And I am to them as a lion, As a leopard by the way I look out.

⁸ I do meet them as a bereaved bear, And I rend the enclosure of their heart.

⁹ And I consume them there as a lioness, A beast of the field doth rend them.

¹⁰ Thou hast destroyed thyself, O Israel, But in Me [is] thy help, Where [is] thy king now -- And he doth save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges of whom thou didst say, `Give to me a king and heads?'

¹¹ I give to thee a king in Mine anger, And I take away in My wrath.

¹² Bound up [is] the iniquity of Ephraim, Hidden [is] his sin,

¹³ Pangs of a travailing woman come to him, He [is] a son not wise, For he remaineth not the time for the breaking forth of sons.

¹⁴ From the hand of Sheol I do ransom them, From death I redeem them, Where [is] thy plague, O death? Where thy destruction, O Sheol? Repentance is hid from Mine eyes.

¹⁵ Though he among brethren produceth fruit, Come in doth an east wind, a wind of Jehovah, From a wilderness it is coming up, And it drieth up his fountain, And become dry doth his spring, It -- it spoileth a treasure -- every desirable vessel.

¹⁶ Become desolate doth Samaria, Because she hath rebelled against her God, By sword they do fall, Their sucklings are dashed in pieces, And its pregnant ones are ripped up!

14 Turn back, O Israel, unto Jehovah thy God, For thou hast stumbled by thine iniquity.

² Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah, Say ye unto Him: `Take away all iniquity, and give good, And we do render the fruit of our lips.

³ Asshur doth not save us, on a horse we ride not, Nor do we say any more, Our God, to the work of our hands, For in Thee find mercy doth the fatherless.'

⁴ I heal their backsliding, I love them freely, For turned back hath Mine anger from him.

⁵ I am as dew to Israel, he flourisheth as a lily, And he striketh forth his roots as Lebanon.

⁶ Go on do his sucklings, And his beauty is as an olive, And he hath fragrance as Lebanon.

⁷ Return do the dwellers under his shadow, They revive [as] corn, and flourish as a vine, His memorial [is] as wine of Lebanon.

⁸ O Ephraim, what to Me any more with idols? I -- I afflicted, and I cause him to sing: `I [am] as a green fir-tree,' From Me is thy fruit found.

⁹ Who [is] wise, and doth understand these? Prudent, and knoweth them? For upright are the ways of Jehovah, And the righteous go on in them, And the transgressors stumble therein!