¹² Even if they rear children,
    I will bereave^(A) them of every one.
Woe^(B) to them
    when I turn away from them!^(C)

¹³ Woe^(A) to them,
    because they have strayed^(B) from me!
Destruction to them,
    because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
    but they speak about me^(C) falsely.^(D)

¹⁶ Ephraim^(A) is blighted,
    their root is withered,
    they yield no fruit.^(B)
Even if they bear children,
    I will slay^(C) their cherished offspring.”

²⁵ In the street the sword will make them childless;
    in their homes terror^(A) will reign.^(B)
The young men and young women will perish,
    the infants and those with gray hair.^(C)