³ Then they will say, “We have no king,
    because we didn’t ·honor [revere; fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7].
As for the king,
    ·he couldn’t do anything [^Lwhat could he do…?] for us.”
⁴ With words that mean nothing they make ·false [empty] ·promises [oaths]
    and ·agreements [covenants; treaties] which they don’t keep.
So ·people sue each other in court [^Llawsuits/judgments spring up];
    they are like poisonous weeds growing in [^Lthe rows/furrows of] a plowed field.
⁵ The people from ·Israel [^LSamaria; ^Cthe capital of the northern kingdom of Israel] are worried about
    the ·calf-shaped idol [calf; heifer; 1 Kin. 12:28] at Beth Aven [4:15].
The people will ·cry about [mourn over] it,
    and the ·priests [idol-priests] will ·cry about [lament/wail over] it.
They used to ·shout for joy [rejoice] about its glory,
    but ·it has been taken from them into exile [or its glory has departed].
⁶ It will be carried off to Assyria
    as a gift to ·the great king [or King Jareb; ^Cthis may be a title or a personal name].
·Israel [^LEphraim; 4:17] will be disgraced,
    and ·the people [^LIsrael] will be ashamed for ·not obeying [or its counsel; or its wooden idol].
⁷ ·Israel [^LSamaria; v. 5] will be destroyed;
    its king will be like a ·chip of wood [twig] floating on the water.
⁸ The ·places of false worship [^Lhigh places of wickedness; or high places of Aven; v. 5; 4:15] will be destroyed,
    the places where Israel sins.
Thorns and ·weeds [thistles] will grow up
    and cover their altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
    and to the hills, “Fall on us! [Luke 23:30; Rev. 6:16]”

⁹ “Israel, you have sinned since the ·time [^Ldays] of Gibeah [9:9; Judg. 19–21],
    and ·the people there have continued sinning [^Lthere they have remained; or there they took their stand].
·But war will surely overwhelm [^LDid not war overtake…?] them in Gibeah,
    because of the evil they have done there.
¹⁰ When I ·am ready [desire; please],
    I will come to ·punish [discipline] them.
Nations will come together against them,
    and they will be ·punished [bound in chains] for their ·double [^Ltwo] sins [^Ccould mean “twice the punishment” (Is. 40:2) or the two sins of rejecting God and his anointed Davidic king].
¹¹ ·Israel [^LEphraim; 4:17] is like a well-trained ·young cow [heifer]
    that likes to thresh grain.
I will put a ·yoke [or a fine yoke] on her ·neck [or fair neck]
    and ·make her work hard in the field [drive Ephraim hard].
Israel will plow,
    and Judah will break up the ground.
¹² I said, ‘·Plant goodness [Sow righteousness],
    ·harvest the fruit of loyalty [reap mercy/lovingkindness],
    ·plow the new ground of knowledge [^Lbreak up the unplowed/fallow ground].
·Look for [or For it is time to seek] the Lord until he comes
    and ·pours goodness on you like water [^Lrains/showers righteousness/justice on you].’
¹³ But you have plowed ·evil [wickedness; iniquity]
    and ·harvested [reaped] ·trouble [evil; injustice];
    you have eaten the fruit of ·your lies [deception; treachery].
Because you have trusted in your own ·power [or chariots]
    and your many ·soldiers [warriors],
¹⁴ ·your people will hear [^Lagainst your people will rise] the ·noise [roar; tumult] of battle,
    and all your ·strong, walled cities [fortresses] will be destroyed.
It will be like the time King Shalman
    destroyed Beth Arbel in battle [2 Kin. 17:3],
    when mothers and their children were ·bashed to death [dashed to pieces].
¹⁵ The same will happen to you, ·people of Bethel [^LBethel],
    because ·you did so much evil [your wickedness is great].
·When the sun comes up [or When judgment day dawns; or As swiftly as the dawn; ^LAt dawn],
    the king of Israel will ·die [^Lbe completely cut off].