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“Listen to this, you priests!

    Listen, house of Israel,
    and give ear, house of the king!
For the judgment is against you;
    for you have been a snare at Mizpah,
    and a net spread on Tabor.
The rebels are deep in slaughter;
    but I discipline all of them.
I know Ephraim,
    and Israel is not hidden from me;
for now, Ephraim, you have played the prostitute.
    Israel is defiled.
Their deeds won’t allow them to turn to their God;
    for the spirit of prostitution is within them,
    and they don’t know Yahweh.
The pride of Israel testifies to his face.
    Therefore Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their iniquity.
    Judah also will stumble with them.
They will go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Yahweh;
    but they won’t find him.
    He has withdrawn himself from them.
They are unfaithful to Yahweh;
    for they have borne illegitimate children.
    Now the new moon will devour them with their fields.

“Blow the cornet in Gibeah,
    and the trumpet in Ramah!
    Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven, behind you, Benjamin!
Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke.
    Among the tribes of Israel, I have made known that which will surely be.
10 The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark.
    I will pour out my wrath on them like water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
    he is crushed in judgment;
    Because he is intent in his pursuit of idols.
12 Therefore I am to Ephraim like a moth,
    and to the house of Judah like rottenness.

13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness,
    and Judah his wound,
    Then Ephraim went to Assyria,
    and sent to king Jareb:
but he is not able to heal you,
    neither will he cure you of your wound.
14 For I will be to Ephraim like a lion,
    and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will tear in pieces and go away.
    I will carry off, and there will be no one to deliver.
15 I will go and return to my place,
    until they acknowledge their offense,
    and seek my face.
    In their affliction they will seek me earnestly.”

Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah

Hear this, O priests!
    Give heed, O house of Israel!
Listen, O house of the king!
    For the judgment pertains to you,
for you have been a snare at Mizpah
    and a net spread upon Tabor(A)
and a pit dug deep in Shittim,[a]
    but I will punish all of them.

I know Ephraim,
    and Israel is not hidden from me,
for now, O Ephraim, you have prostituted yourself;
    Israel is defiled.(B)
Their deeds do not permit them
    to return to their God.
For the spirit of prostitution is within them,
    and they do not know the Lord.(C)

Israel’s pride testifies against him;
    Ephraim[b] stumbles in his guilt;
    Judah also stumbles with them.(D)
With their flocks and herds they shall go
    to seek the Lord,
but they will not find him;
    he has withdrawn from them.(E)
They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord,
    for they have borne illegitimate children.
    Now the new moon shall devour them along with their fields.(F)

Blow the horn in Gibeah,
    the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound the alarm at Beth-aven;
    look behind you, Benjamin!(G)
Ephraim shall become a desolation
    in the day of punishment;
among the tribes of Israel
    I declare what is sure.(H)
10 The princes of Judah have become
    like those who remove the landmark;
on them I will pour out
    my wrath like water.(I)
11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
    because he was determined to go after vanity.[c]
12 Therefore I am like maggots to Ephraim
    and like rottenness to the house of Judah.(J)
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness
    and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria
    and sent to the great king.[d]
But he is not able to cure you
    or heal your wound.(K)
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim
    and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will tear and go away;
    I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.(L)
15 I will return again to my place
    until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face.
    In their distress they will beg my favor:(M)

Footnotes

  1. 5.2 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 5.5 Heb Israel and Ephraim
  3. 5.11 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  4. 5.13 Cn: Heb to a king who will contend