⁴ What shall I do with you, ^(J)Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, Judah?
For your loyalty is like a ^(K)morning cloud,
And like the dew which goes away early.
⁵ Therefore I have ^(L)cut them in pieces by the prophets;
I have slain them by the ^(M)words of My mouth;
And the judgments on you are like the light that ^[b]shines.
⁶ For ^(N)I ^[c]desire loyalty ^(O)rather than sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
⁷ But ^(P)like ^[d]Adam they have ^(Q)violated the covenant;
There they have ^(R)dealt treacherously with Me.
^8 (S)Gilead is a city of wrongdoers,
Tracked with ^(T)bloody footprints.
⁹ And as a ^(U)band of robbers lie in wait for a person,
So a band of priests ^(V)murder on the way to Shechem;
Certainly they have committed an act of ^(W)infamy.
¹⁰ In the house of Israel I have seen a ^(X)horrible thing;
Ephraim’s ^(Y)infidelity is there, Israel has defiled itself.
¹¹ Also, Judah, there is a ^(Z)harvest appointed for you,
When I ^(AA)restore the fortunes of My people.

⁸ Ephraim is himself ^(AP)thrown about with the ^[l]nations;
Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over.
^9 (AQ)Strangers devour his strength,
Yet he ^(AR)does not know it;
Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him,
Yet he does not know it.
¹⁰ Though the ^(AS)pride of Israel testifies against him,
Yet ^(AT)they have not returned to the Lord their God,
Nor have they sought Him, despite all this.
¹¹ So ^(AU)Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, ^(AV)without ^[m]sense;
They call to ^(AW)Egypt, they go to ^(AX)Assyria.
¹² When they go, I will ^(AY)spread My net over them;
I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
I will ^(AZ)discipline them in accordance with the ^[n]proclamation to their assembly.
^13 (BA)Woe to them, for they have ^(BB)strayed from Me!
Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me!
I ^(BC)would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.
¹⁴ And ^(BD)they do not cry to Me from their heart
When they wail on their beds;
For the sake of grain and new wine they ^[o](BE)assemble themselves,
They ^(BF)turn against Me.
¹⁵ Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
Yet they ^(BG)devise evil against Me.
¹⁶ They turn, but not ^[p]upward,
They are like a ^(BH)loose bow;
Their officials will fall by the sword
Because of the ^[q](BI)insolence of their tongue.
This will be their ^(BJ)derision in the land of Egypt.

⁸ Israel has been ^(BZ)swallowed up;
They are now among the nations
Like a ^(CA)vessel in which no one delights.
⁹ For they have gone up to ^(CB)Assyria,
Like ^(CC)a wild donkey all alone;
Ephraim has ^(CD)paid fees for ^[x]lovers.
¹⁰ Even though they ^[y]pay for allies among the nations,
I will ^(CE)gather them up now;
And they will begin ^(CF)to diminish
Because of the burden of the ^(CG)king of officials.

¹¹ Since Ephraim has ^(CH)multiplied altars for sin,
They have become altars of sinning for him.
¹² Though ^(CI)I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My ^(CJ)Law,
They are regarded as a strange thing.
¹³ As for My ^(CK)sacrificial gifts,
They ^(CL)sacrifice the flesh and eat it,
But the Lord has taken no delight in them.
Now He will ^(CM)remember their guilt,
And ^(CN)punish them for their sins;
They will return to ^(CO)Egypt.
¹⁴ For Israel has ^(CP)forgotten his Maker and ^(CQ)built palaces;
And Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
But I will send a ^(CR)fire on its cities, and it will consume its palatial buildings.

⁷ The days of ^(DG)punishment have come,
The days of ^(DH)retribution have come;
^[ah]Let Israel know this!
The prophet is a ^(DI)fool,
The ^[ai]inspired person is ^(DJ)insane,
Because of the grossness of your ^(DK)wrongdoing,
And because your ^[aj]hostility is so great.
⁸ Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet;
Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways,
And there is only ^[ak]hostility in the house of his God.
⁹ They are ^(DL)deeply depraved
As in the days of ^(DM)Gibeah;
He will ^(DN)remember their guilt,
He will punish their sins.

¹⁰ I found Israel like ^(DO)grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your forefathers as the ^(DP)earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season.
But they came to ^(DQ)Baal-peor and devoted themselves to ^[al](DR)shame,
And they became as ^(DS)detestable as that which they loved.
¹¹ As for Ephraim, their ^(DT)glory will fly away like a bird—
No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!
¹² Though they bring up their children,
Yet I will bereave them of their children ^[am]until not a person is left.
Yes, ^(DU)woe to them indeed when I depart from them!
¹³ Ephraim, as I have seen,
Is planted in a pasture like ^(DV)Tyre;
But Ephraim is going to bring out his children for slaughter.
¹⁴ Give to them, Lord—what will You give?
Give them a ^(DW)miscarrying womb and dried-up breasts.

¹⁵ All their evil is at ^(DX)Gilgal;
Indeed, I came to hate them there!
Because of the ^(DY)wickedness of their deeds
I will drive them out of My house!
I will no longer love them;
All their leaders are ^(DZ)rebels.
^16 (EA)Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up,
They will produce ^(EB)no fruit.
Even though they give birth to children,
I will put to death the ^(EC)precious ones of their womb.
¹⁷ My God will reject them
Because they have ^(ED)not listened to Him;
And they will be ^(EE)wanderers among the nations.

⁴ Restore our fortunes, Lord,
As the ^[b](G)streams in the ^[c]South.
⁵ Those who sow in ^(H)tears shall harvest with ^(I)joyful shouting.
⁶ One who goes here and there weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.