Old/New Testament
12 ·What Israel does is as useless as chasing [L Ephraim feeds on] the wind;
he chases the east wind all day [Eccl. 1:14, 17; 2:11, 17, 26].
They ·tell more and more lies
and do more and more violence [multiply lies and violence].
They make ·agreements [a covenant/treaty] with Assyria,
and they send ·a gift of olive oil [L oil] to Egypt [C as tribute or to gain support].
2 The Lord also has ·some things [a case/lawsuit; or a dispute; 4:1] against Judah.
He will punish ·Israel [L Jacob] for what they have done;
he will ·give [repay] them ·what they deserve [according to their deeds].
3 ·Their ancestor Jacob [L He] ·held on to his brother’s heel [or struggled with/supplanted his brother]
·while the two of them were being born [L in the womb; Gen. 25:19–26].
·When he grew to be a man [L In his strength/manhood],
he ·wrestled [struggled] with God.
4 When Jacob ·wrestled [struggled] with the angel and ·won [prevailed],
he ·cried [wept] and ·asked for his blessing [pleaded for/sought his favor; Gen. 32:22–32].
Later, ·God met with him [he found him] at Bethel
and spoke with him there [Gen. 35:1].
5 It was the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts];
the Lord is his ·great [memorial; memorable] name.
6 You must return to your God;
·love him, do what is just [or act with love and justice],
and always ·trust in him as [wait for] your God.
7 The merchants use dishonest scales;
they like to ·cheat people [oppress].
8 ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17] said, “I am rich! I ·am someone with power [have made my fortune]!”
·All their money will do them no good
because of the sins they have done [or “With all the wealth I’ve gained, no one can accuse me of sin”; C either self-vindication (continuing the quotation), or the prophet’s pronouncement of guilt].
9 “But I am the Lord your God,
·who brought you [or ever since you came] out of Egypt.
I will make you live in tents again
as you used to do on ·worship days [the appointed festivals; C the feast of tabernacles, which commemorated the wilderness wanderings].
10 I spoke to the prophets
and gave them many visions;
through them, I ·taught my lessons [spoke in parables; or spoke oracles of doom] to you.”
11 ·The people of Gilead are evil [or Is Gilead wicked? or In Gilead there was idolatry],
they ·are worth nothing [are worthless; or will come to nothing].
·People [or Do they…?] sacrifice bulls at Gilgal [4:15].
But their altars will become like piles of stone
in a plowed field.
12 ·Your ancestor Jacob [L Jacob] fled to ·northwest Mesopotamia [L Aram; Gen. 28:5]
where he ·worked [served; C his uncle Laban] to get a wife [C Rachel (and Leah); Gen. 29:20, 28];
he tended sheep to pay for her.
13 Later the Lord used a prophet [C Moses; Deut. 18:15]
to bring ·Jacob’s descendants [L Israel] out of Egypt;
he used a prophet
to ·take care of [tend; preserve; guard] the Israelites.
14 But ·the Israelites [L Ephraim; 4:17] ·made the Lord angry [bitterly provoked the Lord];
So the Lord ·will make them pay for the blood they have shed [L leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed]
and for the ·disgraceful things they have done [or contempt they have shown].
The Final Word Against Israel
13 ·People used to fear the tribe of Ephraim [L When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling];
they were ·important people [L exalted] in Israel.
But they sinned by worshiping Baal,
·so they must die [L and died].
2 But they still keep on sinning more and more.
They make ·idols of their silver [metal images],
idols that are ·cleverly [skillfully] made,
the work of a craftsman.
·Yet the people of Israel say to each other [or It is said of them],
“·Kiss those calf idols and sacrifice to them [or Those who sacrifice to the calf idol are calf kissers!; or They offer human sacrifices and kiss calf-idols].”
3 So those people will be like the morning mist;
they will disappear like the morning dew.
They will be like chaff ·blown [that swirls away] from the threshing floor,
like smoke going out a window.
4 “I, the Lord, have been your God
since you were in the land of Egypt.
You ·should have known no [must not acknowledge any] other God except me [Ex. 20:3].
·I am the only one who saves [L There is no savior but me].
5 I ·cared for them [L knew you] in the ·desert [wilderness]
·where it was hot and dry [in the land of drought].
6 I gave them ·food [pasture], and they became full and satisfied.
But then they became too proud and forgot me.
7 That is why I will be like a lion to them,
like a leopard ·waiting [lurking] by the ·road [path].
8 I will ·attack [meet them] like a bear robbed of her cubs,
ripping their ·bodies [chest] open.
I will devour them like a lion
and tear them apart like a wild animal.
9 “Israel, I will destroy you.
·Who will be your helper then [or …because you are against me, your helper]?
10 ·What good [L Where] is your king?
Can he save you in any of your towns?
·What good are [L Where are] your leaders
about whom you said, ‘Give us a king and leaders’?
11 So I gave you a king, but only in anger,
and I took him away in my ·great anger [wrath].
12 The ·sins [guilt; iniquity] of Israel are ·on record [bound up in a scroll],
stored away, waiting for punishment.
13 The pain of birth will come for him,
but he is like a ·foolish [senseless; unwise] baby
who won’t come out of its mother’s womb.
14 Will I save them from ·the place of the dead [the power of the grave; L the hand of Sheol]?
Will I ·rescue [redeem] them from death?
·Where are [or Bring on…!] your plagues, death?
·Where is [or Bring on…!] your ·pain [destruction], ·place of death [O grave]?
·I will show them no mercy [L Pity/compassion is hidden from my eyes].
15 ·Israel is doing well among the nations [L He is fruitful among his brothers],
but the Lord will send a wind from the east,
coming from the ·desert [wilderness],
that will dry up his springs and wells of water.
He will ·destroy [plunder] from their treasure houses ·everything of value [every precious/desirable thing].
16 ·The nation of Israel [L Samaria; 10:5] will ·be ruined [or bear its guilt],
because it ·fought [rebelled] against God.
·The people of Israel will die in war [L They will fall by the sword];
their ·children [infants; little ones] will be ·torn to [dashed in] pieces,
and their pregnant women will be ripped open.”
Israel Returns to God
14 Israel, return to the Lord your God,
because your sins have made you ·fall [stumble].
2 ·Come back [Return] to the Lord
and ·say these words to him [L take words with you]:
“Take away all our sin
and ·kindly receive us [accept our prayers],
·and we will keep the promises we made to you [L so that we may offer the sacrifices of our lips; or so that we may offer our lips as sacrificial bulls].
3 Assyria cannot save us,
nor will we ·trust in our [mount and ride] horses.
We will not say again, ‘Our gods,’
to the things our hands have made.
You show ·mercy [compassion] to ·orphans [the fatherless].”
4 The Lord says,
“I will forgive ·them for leaving me [their apostasy/waywardness]
and will love them freely,
because ·I am not angry with them anymore [L my anger has turned away from them].
5 I will be like the dew to Israel,
and they will blossom like a lily.
Like the cedar trees in Lebanon,
·their roots will be firm [they will take root].
6 ·They will be like spreading branches [L His shoots will spread out],
like the beautiful olive trees
and the sweet-smelling cedars in Lebanon.
7 ·The people of Israel will again live under my protection [or People will again live under Israel’s protection/shade].
They will ·grow [flourish] like the grain,
they will bloom like a vine,
and they will be as famous as the wine of Lebanon.
8 ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17], have nothing to do with idols.
I, the Lord, am the one who answers your prayers and ·watches over [cares for] you.
I am like a ·green [flourishing; evergreen] ·pine tree [or juniper; or cypress];
your ·blessings [L fruit] come from me.”
9 ·A wise person will know these things [L Who is wise? Let him understand these things],
·and an understanding person will take them to heart [L Who is discerning? Let him understand them].
The Lord’s ways are right.
·Good people [The righteous] ·live by following [L walk in] them,
but ·those who turn against God [the rebellious/transgressors] ·die because of them [L stumble in them].
John Sees Heaven
4 After the vision of these things I looked, and [L look; T behold] there before me was an open door in heaven. And the ·same [L first] voice that spoke to me before, that sounded like a trumpet [1:8], said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 Immediately I was in the ·Spirit [or spirit; C a state of deep spiritual communion with God; 1:10], and [L look; T behold] before me was a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. 3 The One who sat on the throne looked like precious stones, like jasper and carnelian [C a symbol of great beauty, purity and value]. All around the throne was a ·rainbow [or halo] ·the color of [or that looked like] an emerald. 4 Around the throne there were twenty-four other thrones with twenty-four elders sitting on them [C probably angelic leaders]. They were dressed in white and had golden crowns [C wreaths symbolizing honor or victory; see 2:10] on their heads. 5 Lightning flashes and ·noises and thunder [or the rumbling of thunder; C phenomena associated with God’s appearance at Mount Sinai; Ex. 19:16–18] came from the throne. Before the throne seven lamps were burning, which are the seven spirits [C either angels or the “sevenfold Spirit”—the Holy Spirit portrayed in his perfection; 3:1] of God. 6 Also before the throne there was something that looked like a sea of glass, clear like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living creatures ·with eyes all over them [full of eyes], in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion. The second was like an ·ox [or calf]. The third had a face like a man. The fourth was like a flying eagle [Ezek. 1:10; C angelic beings identified with the most powerful example of various species]. 8 Each of these four living creatures had six wings and was ·covered all over with eyes [full of eyes], inside and out. Day and night they never ·stop [rest from] saying:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God ·Almighty [All-powerful].
He was, he is, and he is coming [1:4, 8].”
9 [L Whenever] These living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. 10 Then the twenty-four elders bow down before the One who sits on the throne, and they worship him who lives forever and ever. They ·put their crowns down [cast/lay their crowns; 4:4] before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and ·power [strength],
because you made all things.
Everything existed and was made,
·because you wanted it [by your will].”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.