You have forgotten the teachings of your Elohim , so I will forget your children.

7 The more priests there are, the more they sin against me.

So I will turn their glory into shame.

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8 They feed on the sins of my people, and they want them to do wicked things.

9 So the priests will be punished like the people.

I will punish them for their wicked ways and pay them back for what they have done.

10 "They will eat, but they'll never be full.

They will have sex with prostitutes, but they'll never have children.

They have abandoned Yahweh.

11 Prostitutes, old wine, and new wine have robbed them of their senses.

12 My people ask their wooden idols for help.

A piece of wood tells them what to do.

A spirit of prostitution leads them astray.

They commit adultery by giving themselves to other gods.

13 They offer sacrifices on mountaintops, and they burn incense on the hills under oaks, poplars, and other trees.

They think that these trees provide good shade.

"That is why your daughters become prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

14 Yet, I will not punish your daughters when they become prostitutes or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.

The men go to prostitutes and offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes.

These foolish people will be trampled.

15 "Israel, you act like a prostitute.

Don't let Judah become guilty too.

Don't go to Gilgal.

Don't go to Beth Aven.

Don't take the oath, 'As Yahweh lives. . .'

16 "The people of Israel are as stubborn as a bull.

How can Yahweh feed them like lambs in an open pasture?

17 The people of Ephraim have chosen to worship idols. Leave them alone!

18 When they're done drinking their wine, they continue to have sex with the prostitutes.

Their rulers dearly love to act shamefully.

19 The wind will carry them away in its wings, and their sacrifices will bring them shame.

The LORD Announces the Verdict against Israel 5 1 "Listen to this, you priests!

Pay attention, nation of Israel!

Open your ears, royal family!

This is my decision about you.

You set traps at Mizpah and spread out nets on Mount Tabor.

2 You are deeply involved in sin.

So I will punish all of you.a 3 I know Ephraim, and Israel isn't a stranger to me.

Now, Ephraim, you are acting like a prostitute, and Israel is unclean.b 4 "The wicked things that the people have done keep them from returning to their Elohim .

They have a spirit of prostitution, and they don't know Yahweh.

5 The people of Israel's arrogance testifies against them.

Israel and Ephraim stumble because of their sins, and Judah stumbles with them.

6 They go with their sheep and their cattle to search for Yahweh, but they can't find him.

He has left them.

7 They have been unfaithful to Yahweh , because their children do not belong to him.

Now their New Moon Festivals will devour them and their fields.

8 "Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah.

Blow the trumpet in Ramah.

Sound the alarm at Beth Aven, you descendants of Benjamin.

9 Ephraim will become a wasteland when the time for punishment comes.

I will make the truth known among the tribes of Israel.

10 The leaders of Judah are like those who move boundary markers.

I will pour my fury on them like water.

11 Ephraim is oppressed-crushed by punishment, because its people are determined to chase idols.c 12 I will destroy Ephraim as a moth destroys clothing.

I will destroy the nation of Judah as rot destroys wood.

13 "When Ephraim saw that he was sick and when Judah saw his own wounds, Ephraim went to Assyria to ask the great king for help.d But the king couldn't cure them or heal their wounds.

14 I will be like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the nation of Judah.

I will carry them off, and no one will rescue them.

15 I will go back to my place until they admit that they are guilty.

Then they will search for me.

In their distress they will eagerly look for me."

Israel Rejected the LORD'S Promise 6 1 Let's return to Yahweh.

Even though he has torn us to pieces, he will heal us.

Even though he has wounded us, he will bandage our wounds.

2 After two days he will revive us.

On the third day he will raise us so that we may live in his presence.

3 Let's learn about Yahweh.

Let's get to know Yahweh .

He will come to us as sure as the morning comes.

He will come to us like the autumn rains and the spring rains that water the ground.

4 "What should I do with you, Ephraim?

What should I do with you, Judah?

Your love is like fog in the morning.

It disappears as quickly as the morning dew.

5 That is why I cut you down by sending the prophets.

I killed you with the words from my mouth.

My judgments shined on you like light.

6 I want your loyalty, not your sacrifices.

I want you to know me, not to give me burnt offerings.

7 "Like Adam, you rejected the promise.a You were unfaithful to me.

8 Gilead is a city filled with troublemakers.

It is stained with bloody footprints.

9 The priests are like gangs of robbers who lie in ambush for a person.

They murder on the road to Shechem.

Certainly, they have committed a crime.

10 "I have seen horrible things in the nation of Israel.

Ephraim is acting like a prostitute, and Israel is unclean.b 11 "Yet, Judah, I have set a harvest time for you when I bring my people back from captivity.

7 1 "Whenever I want to heal Israel, all I can see is Ephraim's sin and Samaria's wickedness.

People cheat each other.

They break into houses and steal.

They rob people in the streets.

2 They don't realize that I remember all the evil things they've done.

Now their sins surround them.

Their sins are in my presence.

3 "They make kings happy with the wicked things they do.

They make officials happy with the lies they tell.

4 They all commit adultery.

They are like a heated oven, an oven so hot that a baker doesn't have to fan its flames when he makes bread.

5 On the day of the king's celebration, the officials become drunk from wine, and the king joins mockers.