I will force them out of my temple because of their wickedness, and I won't love them anymore.

All their officials are rebellious.

16 "The people of Ephraim are like sick plants.

Their roots are dried up.

They have no fruit.

Even if they were to have children, I would kill their dear children."

17 My Elohim will reject them because they refused to listen to him.

They will wander among the nations.

Israel Is Like a Rotten Vine 10 1 The people of Israel are like vines that used to produce fruit.

The more fruit they produced, the more altars they built.

The more their land produced, the more stone markers they set up to honor other gods.

2 They are hypocrites. Now they must take their punishment.

Elohim will tear down their altars and destroy their stone markers.

3 So they'll say, "We have no king because we didn't fear Yahweh.

Even if we had a king, he couldn't do anything for us."

4 They say many things. They lie when they take oaths, and they make promises they don't intend to keep.

That's why lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

5 Those who live in Samaria fear the calf-shaped idol at Beth Aven.

The people will mourn over it.

The priests will cry loudly because its glory will be taken away into captivity.

6 The thing itself will be carried to Assyria as a present to the great king.a Ephraim will be disgraced.

Israel will be ashamed because of its plans.

7 The king of Samaria will be carried away like a piece of wood on water.

8 The illegal worship sites of Aven will be destroyed.

Israel sins there.

Thorns and weeds will grow over those altars.

People will say to the mountains, "Cover us!"

and to the hills, "Fall on us!"

9 Israel, you have sinned ever since the incident at Gibeah.

You never change.

War will overtake the wicked people in Gibeah.

10 "I will punish them when I'm ready.

Armies will gather to attack them.

They will be punished for their many sins.

Israel Is Like a Cow That Threshed Grain 11 "Ephraim is like a trained calf that loves to threshb grain.

I will put a yokec on its beautiful neck.

I will harness Ephraim.

Judah must plow.

Jacob must break up the ground.

12 "Break new ground.

Plant righteousness, and harvest the fruit that your loyalty will produce for me."

It's time to seek Yahweh !

When he comes, he will rain righteousness on you.

13 You have planted wickedness and harvested evil.

You have eaten the fruit that your lies produced.

You have trusted your own power and your many warriors.

plows or carts.

14 So your army will hear the noise of battle.

All your fortresses will be destroyed like the time Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel in battle.

Mothers and their children were smashed to death.

15 This is what will happen to you, Bethel, because you have done many wicked things.

At daybreak, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

Israel Is Like a Bad Son 11 1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.

2 The more I called them,a the farther they went away.

They sacrificed to other gods-the Baals, and they burned incense to idols.

3 I was the one who taught the people of Ephraim to walk.b I took them by the hand.

But they didn't realize that I had healed them.

4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ropes of love.

I removed the yokesc from their necks.

I bent down and fed them.

5 "They will not return to Egypt.

Instead, Assyria will rule them because they have refused to return to me.

6 War will sweep through their cities, demolish their city gates, and put an end to their plans.

7 My people are determined to turn away from me.

Even if they call to the Most High, he will not pardon them.

8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim?

How can I hand you over, Israel?

How can I make you like Admah?

How can I treat you like Zeboim?

I have changed my mind.

I am deeply moved.

9 I will not act on my burning anger.

I will not destroy Ephraim again.

I am El, not a human.

I am the Holy One among you, and I will not come to you in anger.

10 "My people will follow Yahweh when I roar like a lion.

When I roar, my children will come trembling from the west.

11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from Assyria.

I will settle them in their own homes,"

declares Yahweh .d 12 "Ephraim surrounds me with lies.

The nation of Israel surrounds me with deceit."

Judah rebels against El , against the Holy One who is faithful.

plows or carts.

The People of Israel Ignored What the LORD Had Done for Them 12 a1 The people of Ephraim try to catch the wind and try to chase the east wind all day.

They are very violent and destructive.

They make treaties with Assyria and take olive oil to Egypt.

2 Yahweh brings charges against Judah and punishes Jacob because of the way their people act.

He will pay them back for what they have done.

3 Their ancestor Jacob held on to his brother's heel while the two of them were in their mother's womb.

When Jacob became a man, he struggled with Elohim.

4 He struggled with the Messenger and won.

Jacob cried and pleaded with him.

Jacob found him at Bethel, and he talked with him there.

5 Yahweh is the God of Armies.

Yahweh is the name by which he is remembered.

6 Return to your Elohim.

Be loyal and fair, and always wait with hope for your Elohim.

7 The LORD says, "The merchants use dishonest scales.

They love to cheat people.

8 The people of Ephraim say, 'We're rich. We've made a fortune.