They will not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, nor will their sacrifices please him. Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat them will be unclean. This food will be for themselves; it will not come into the temple of the Lord.

What will you do on the day of your appointed festivals, on the feast days of the Lord?

Give them, Lord— what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry.

Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.

Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?”

Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.

They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.

The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.

the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name!

“I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed festivals.

The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt, by a prophet he cared for him.

But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger; his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed and will repay him for his contempt.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

When Ephraim spoke, people trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.

“But I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.

even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the Lord will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treasures.

Repentance to Bring Blessing

Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!

Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.

Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.