Study Desk

^(C1)Listen to the word of the LORD, you sons of Israel, Because the LORD has a ^(C2)case against the inhabitants of the land, For there is ^(C3)no ^(F1)faithfulness, nor ^(F2)loyalty, Nor ^(C4)knowledge of God in the land.

There is ^(C1)oath-taking, ^(F1)(C2)denial, ^(C3)murder, ^(C4)stealing, and ^(C5)adultery. They employ violence, so that ^(C6)bloodshed ^(F2)follows bloodshed.

Therefore the land ^(C1)mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes Along with the animals of the field and the birds of the sky, And even the fish of the sea ^(F1)disappear.

Yet let no one ^(F1)(C1)find fault, and let no one rebuke; For your people are like those who ^(C2)contend with a priest.

So you will ^(C1)stumble by day, And the prophet also will stumble with you by night; And I will destroy your ^(C2)mother.

^(C1)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Since you have ^(C2)rejected knowledge, I also will ^(C3)reject you from being My priest. Since you have ^(C4)forgotten the ^(C5)Law of your God, I also will forget your children.

The more they ^(C1)multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will ^(C2)change their glory into shame.

They ^(C1)feed on the ^(F1)sin of My people, And ^(C2)long for their wrongdoing.

And it will be, like people, ^(C1)like priest; So I will ^(C2)punish them for their ways And repay them for their deeds.

^(C1)They will eat, but not have enough; They will ^(C2)play the prostitute, but not ^(F1)increase, Because they ^(C3)gave up devoting themselves to the LORD.

^(F1)Infidelity, ^(C1)wine, and new wine take away the ^(F2)understanding.

My people ^(C1)consult their wooden idol, and their diviner's wand informs them; For a spirit of infidelity has led them astray, And they have been unfaithful, departing ^(F1)from their God.

They offer sacrifices on the ^(C1)tops of the mountains And ^(F1)(C2)burn incense on the hills, ^(C3)Under oak, poplar, and terebinth, Because their shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, And your ^(F2)brides commit adultery.

I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, Or your ^(F1)brides when they commit adultery, Because the men themselves slip away with the prostitutes And offer sacrifices with ^(C1)temple prostitutes; So the people without understanding are ruined.

Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, Judah must not become guilty; Also you are not to go to ^(C1)Gilgal, Nor go up to Beth-aven ^(C2)And take the oath: "As the LORD lives!"

Since Israel is ^(C1)stubborn Like a stubborn cow, ^(F1)Will the LORD now ^(C2)pasture them Like a lamb in a large field?

Ephraim is allied with ^(C1)idols; ^(C2)Leave him alone.

Their liquor is gone, They prostitute themselves continually; ^(F1)(C1)Their ^(F2)rulers dearly love shame.

^(C1)The wind wraps them in its wings, And they will be ^(F1)put to shame because of their sacrifices.

Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, house of Israel! Listen, you of the house of the king! For the judgment applies to you, Because you have been a ^(C1)trap at Mizpah, And a net spread out on Tabor.

And the ^(C1)rebels have ^(C2)gone deep in ^(F1)depravity, But I will discipline all of them.

I ^(C1)know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; Because now, Ephraim, you have been unfaithful, Israel has defiled itself.

Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a ^(C1)spirit of ^(F1)infidelity is within them, And they ^(C2)do not know the LORD.

Moreover, the ^(C1)pride of Israel testifies against him, And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their wrongdoing; ^(C2)Judah also has stumbled with them.

They will ^(C1)go with their flocks and herds To seek the LORD, but they will ^(C2)not find Him; He has ^(C3)withdrawn from them.

They have ^(C1)dealt treacherously with the LORD, For they have given birth to ^(F1)(C2)illegitimate children. Now the ^(C3)new moon will devour them with their ^(F2)land.

^(C1)Blow the horn in ^(C2)Gibeah, And the trumpet in Ramah. Sound an alarm at Beth-aven: "^(C3)Behind you, Benjamin!"

Ephraim will become a ^(C1)desolation in the ^(C2)day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I ^(C3)make known what is trustworthy.

The leaders of Judah have become like those who ^(C1)displace a boundary marker; On them I will ^(C2)pour out My anger ^(C3)like water.

Ephraim is ^(C1)oppressed, broken by judgment, ^(C2)Because he was determined to follow ^(F1)man's command.

Therefore I am like a ^(C1)moth to Ephraim, And like rottenness to the house of Judah.

When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah his ^(F1)sore, Ephraim then went to ^(C1)Assyria And sent word to ^(F2)(C2)King Jareb. But he is ^(C3)unable to heal you, Or to cure you of your ^(F1)sore.

For I will be ^(C1)like a lion to Ephraim And like a young lion to the house of Judah. ^(C2)I, yes I, will tear to pieces and go away, I will carry away, and there will be ^(C3)no one to rescue.

I will go away and return to My place Until they ^(F1)(C1)acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their distress they will ^(C2)search for Me.

"^(C1)Come, let's return to the LORD. For ^(C2)He has torn us, but ^(C3)He will heal us; He has ^(F1)wounded us, but He will ^(C4)bandage us.

-"He will ^(C1)revive us after two days; He will ^(C2)raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him.

-"So let's ^(C1)learn, let's press on to know the LORD. His ^(C2)appearance is as sure as the dawn; And He will come to us like the ^(C3)rain, As the spring rain waters the earth."

What shall I do with you, ^(C1)Ephraim? What shall I do with you, Judah? For your loyalty is like a ^(C2)morning cloud, And like the dew which goes away early.

Therefore I have ^(C1)cut them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the ^(C2)words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that ^(F1)shines.

For ^(C1)I ^(F1)desire loyalty ^(C2)rather than sacrifice, And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

But ^(C1)like ^(F1)Adam they have ^(C2)violated the covenant; There they have ^(C3)dealt treacherously with Me.

^(C1)Gilead is a city of wrongdoers, Tracked with ^(C2)bloody footprints.

And as a ^(C1)band of robbers lie in wait for a person, So a band of priests ^(C2)murder on the way to Shechem; Certainly they have committed an act of ^(C3)infamy.

In the house of Israel I have seen a ^(C1)horrible thing; Ephraim's ^(C2)infidelity is there, Israel has defiled itself.

Also, Judah, there is a ^(C1)harvest appointed for you, When I ^(C2)restore the fortunes of My people.

When I ^(C1)would heal Israel, The wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered, And the evil deeds of Samaria, For they practice ^(C2)deception; The thief enters, A band of ^(C3)robbers attack outside,

And they do not ^(F1)consider in their hearts That I ^(C1)remember all their wickedness. Now their ^(C2)deeds surround them; They are before My face.

^(C1)With their wickedness they make the ^(C2)king happy, And the officials with their ^(C3)lies.

They are ^(C1)all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker, Who stops ^(F1)stoking the fire From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened.

On the ^(F1)day of our king, the officials ^(C1)became sick with the heat of wine; He stretched out his hand with ^(F2)(C2)scoffers,

For their hearts are like an ^(C1)oven As they approach their ^(F1)plotting; Their ^(F2)anger ^(F3)smolders all night, In the morning it burns like flaming fire.

All of them are hot like an oven, And they consume their ^(C1)rulers; All their kings have fallen. ^(C2)None of them calls on Me.

Ephraim is himself ^(C1)thrown about with the ^(F1)nations; Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over.

^(C1)Strangers devour his strength, Yet he ^(C2)does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know it.

Though the ^(C1)pride of Israel testifies against him, Yet ^(C2)they have not returned to the LORD their God, Nor have they sought Him, despite all this.

So ^(C1)Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, ^(C2)without ^(F1)sense; They call to ^(C3)Egypt, they go to ^(C4)Assyria.

When they go, I will ^(C1)spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will ^(C2)discipline them in accordance with the ^(F1)proclamation to their assembly.

^(C1)Woe to them, for they have ^(C2)strayed from Me! Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me! I ^(C3)would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.

And ^(C1)they do not cry to Me from their heart When they wail on their beds; For the sake of grain and new wine they ^(F1)(C2)assemble themselves, They ^(C3)turn against Me.

Although I trained and strengthened their arms, Yet they ^(C1)devise evil against Me.

They turn, but not ^(F1)upward, They are like a ^(C1)loose bow; Their officials will fall by the sword Because of the ^(F2)(C2)insolence of their tongue. This will be their ^(C3)derision in the land of Egypt.

^(C1)Put the trumpet to your ^(F1)lips! ^(C2)Like an eagle the enemy comes ^(C3)against the house of the LORD, Because they have ^(C4)violated My covenant And rebelled against My ^(C5)Law.

^(C1)They cry out to Me, "My God, ^(C2)we of Israel know You!"

Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.

^(C1)They have set up kings, but not by Me; They have appointed officials, but I did not know it. With their ^(C2)silver and gold they have made idols for themselves, So that ^(F1)they will be eliminated.

^(F1)He has rejected your ^(C1)calf, Samaria, saying, "My anger burns against them!" How long will they be incapable of ^(C2)innocence?

For from Israel comes even this! A ^(C1)craftsman made it, so it is not God; Assuredly, the calf of Samaria will be broken to ^(F1)pieces.

For ^(C1)they sow wind And they harvest a ^(C2)storm. The standing grain has no ^(F1)kernels; It yields ^(C3)no ^(F2)grain. If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it.

Israel has been ^(C1)swallowed up; They are now among the nations Like a ^(C2)vessel in which no one delights.

For they have gone up to ^(C1)Assyria, Like ^(C2)a wild donkey all alone; Ephraim has ^(C3)paid fees for ^(F1)lovers.

Even though they ^(F1)pay for allies among the nations, I will ^(C1)gather them up now; And they will begin ^(C2)to diminish Because of the burden of the ^(C3)king of officials.

Since Ephraim has ^(C1)multiplied altars for sin, They have become altars of sinning for him.

Though ^(C1)I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My ^(C2)Law, They are regarded as a strange thing.

As for My ^(C1)sacrificial gifts, They ^(C2)sacrifice the flesh and eat it, But the LORD has taken no delight in them. Now He will ^(C3)remember their guilt, And ^(C4)punish them for their sins; They will return to ^(C5)Egypt.

For Israel has ^(C1)forgotten his Maker and ^(C2)built palaces; And Judah has multiplied fortified cities, But I will send a ^(C3)fire on its cities, and it will consume its palatial buildings.

^(C1)Do not rejoice, Israel, ^(F1)with jubilation like the ^(F2)nations! For you have ^(C2)been unfaithful, ^(F3)abandoning your God. You have loved the earnings of unfaithfulness on ^(F4)every threshing floor.

Threshing floor and wine press will ^(C1)not feed them, And the new wine will fail ^(F1)them.

They will not remain in ^(C1)the LORD'S land, But Ephraim will return to ^(C2)Egypt, And in ^(C3)Assyria they will eat ^(C4)unclean food.

They will not pour out drink offerings of ^(C1)wine to the LORD, ^(C2)Nor will ^(F1)their sacrifices please Him. Their bread will be to them like ^(F2)mourners' bread; All who eat it will be ^(C3)defiled, Because their bread will be for ^(F3)themselves alone; It will not enter the house of the LORD.

^(C1)What will you do on the day of the appointed festival And on the day of the ^(C2)feast of the LORD?

For behold, they will be gone because of destruction; Egypt will gather them together, ^(C1)Memphis will bury them. Weeds will take possession of their treasures of silver; ^(C2)Thorns will be in their tents.

The days of ^(C1)punishment have come, The days of ^(C2)retribution have come; ^(F1)Let Israel know this! The prophet is a ^(C3)fool, The ^(F2)inspired person is ^(C4)insane, Because of the grossness of your ^(C5)wrongdoing, And because your ^(F3)hostility is so great.

Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet; Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways, And there is only ^(F1)hostility in the house of his God.

They are ^(C1)deeply depraved As in the days of ^(C2)Gibeah; He will ^(C3)remember their guilt, He will punish their sins.

I found Israel like ^(C1)grapes in the wilderness; I saw your forefathers as the ^(C2)earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. But they came to ^(C3)Baal-peor and devoted themselves to ^(F1)(C4)shame, And they became as ^(C5)detestable as that which they loved.

As for Ephraim, their ^(C1)glory will fly away like a bird— No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!

Though they bring up their children, Yet I will bereave them of their children ^(F1)until not a person is left. Yes, ^(C1)woe to them indeed when I depart from them!

Ephraim, as I have seen, Is planted in a pasture like ^(C1)Tyre; But Ephraim is going to bring out his children for slaughter.

Give to them, LORD—what will You give? Give them a ^(C1)miscarrying womb and dried-up breasts.

All their evil is at ^(C1)Gilgal; Indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the ^(C2)wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will no longer love them; All their leaders are ^(C3)rebels.

^(C1)Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up, They will produce ^(C2)no fruit. Even though they give birth to children, I will put to death the ^(C3)precious ones of their womb.

My God will reject them Because they have ^(C1)not listened to Him; And they will be ^(C2)wanderers among the nations.

Israel is a luxuriant ^(C1)vine; He produces fruit for himself. The more his fruit, The more altars he ^(C2)made; The ^(F1)richer his land, The better ^(F2)he made the ^(C3)memorial stones.

Their heart is ^(F1)(C1)deceitful; Now they must suffer for their ^(C2)guilt. ^(F2)The LORD will ^(C3)break down their altars And destroy their memorial stones.

Certainly now they will say, "We have ^(C1)no king, For we do not revere the LORD. As for the king, what can he do for us?"

They speak mere words, ^(F1)With ^(C1)worthless oaths they make covenants; And ^(C2)judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

The inhabitants of Samaria will fear For the ^(F1)(C1)calf of ^(C2)Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn for it, And its ^(C3)idolatrous priests ^(F2)will cry out over it, Over its ^(C4)glory, since it has left it.

The thing itself will be brought to ^(C1)Assyria As a gift of tribute to ^(F1)(C2)King Jareb; Ephraim will ^(F2)be ^(C3)seized with shame, And Israel will be ashamed of its ^(C4)own plan.

Samaria will be ^(C1)destroyed with her king, Like a twig on the surface of the water.

Also the ^(C1)high places of Aven, the ^(C2)sin of Israel, will be destroyed; ^(C3)Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars; Then they will ^(C4)say to the mountains, "Cover us!" And to the hills, "Fall on us!"

Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel; There they stand! Will the battle against the sons of injustice not overtake them in Gibeah?

When it is My ^(C1)desire, I will ^(F1)(C2)discipline them; And ^(C3)the peoples will be gathered against them When they are bound for their double guilt.

Ephraim is a trained ^(C1)heifer that loves to thresh, ^(F1)And I ^(C2)passed over her lovely neck; I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, Jacob will ^(F2)harrow for himself.

^(C1)Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness; Harvest in accordance with ^(F1)kindness. ^(C2)Break up your uncultivated ground, For it is time to ^(C3)seek the LORD Until He ^(C4)comes and ^(C5)rains righteousness on you.

You have ^(C1)plowed wickedness, you have harvested injustice, You have eaten the fruit of ^(C2)lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your ^(C3)many warriors,

An uproar will arise among your people, And all your ^(C1)fortresses will be destroyed, As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle, When ^(C2)mothers were ^(F1)slaughtered with their children.

So it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness. At dawn the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

When Israel was a youth I loved him, And ^(C1)out of Egypt I ^(C2)called My son.

The more ^(F1)(C1)they called them, The more they went away from ^(F1)them; They kept ^(C2)sacrificing to the Baals And ^(C3)burning incense to idols.

Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, ^(F1)I ^(C1)took them in My arms; But they did not know that I ^(C2)healed them.

I ^(C1)pulled them along with cords of a man, with ropes of love, And ^(C2)I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and ^(C3)fed them.

^(F1)They will not return to the land of Egypt; But Assyria—he will be ^(F2)their king Because they ^(C1)refused to return to Me.

And the ^(C1)sword will whirl against ^(F1)their cities, And will destroy ^(F1)their oracle priests And ^(C2)consume them, because of their ^(C3)counsels.

So My people are determined to ^(C1)turn from Me. Though ^(F1)they call ^(F2)them to the One on high, None at all exalts Him.

^(C1)How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I ^(F1)make you like ^(C2)Admah? How can I treat you like ^(C2)Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, ^(F2)All My compassions are kindled.

I will ^(C1)not carry out My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim ^(C2)again. For ^(C3)I am God and not a man, the ^(C4)Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in ^(F1)wrath.

They will ^(C1)walk after the LORD, He will ^(C2)roar like a lion; Indeed He will roar, And His sons will come ^(C3)trembling from the west.

They will come trembling like birds from ^(C1)Egypt, And like ^(C2)doves from the land of ^(C1)Assyria; And I will ^(C3)settle them in their houses, declares the LORD.

^(F1)Ephraim surrounds Me with ^(C1)lies And the house of Israel with deceit; ^(F2)Judah is still unruly against God, Even against the Holy One who is faithful.

^(F1)Ephraim feeds on ^(C1)wind, And pursues the ^(C2)east wind continually; He multiplies lies and violence. Moreover, ^(F2)he makes a covenant with Assyria, And oil is brought to Egypt.

The LORD also has a ^(C1)case against Judah, And will punish Jacob ^(C2)according to his ways; He will repay him according to his deeds.

In the womb he ^(C1)took his brother by the heel, And in his mature strength he ^(C2)contended with God.

Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and ^(C1)implored His favor. He found Him at ^(C2)Bethel, And there He spoke with us,

And the LORD, the God of armies, The LORD is His ^(F1)(C1)name.

So as for you, ^(C1)return to your God, ^(C2)Maintain ^(F1)kindness and justice, And ^(C3)wait for your God continually.

A ^(F1)merchant, in whose hands are fraudulent ^(C1)balances, Loves to exploit.

And Ephraim said, "I have certainly become ^(C1)rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors they will find in me ^(C2)No wrongdoing, which would be sin."

But I have been the LORD your God since the land of Egypt; I will make you ^(C1)live in tents again, As in the days of the appointed festival.

I have also spoken to the ^(C1)prophets, And I ^(F1)provided many visions, And through the prophets I spoke in ^(C2)parables.

Is there injustice in Gilead? Certainly they are worthless. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, Yes, ^(C1)their altars are like stone heaps Beside the furrows of a field.

Now ^(C1)Jacob fled to the ^(F1)land of Aram, And ^(C2)Israel worked for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep.

But by a ^(C1)prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt, And by a prophet he was protected.

^(C1)Ephraim has provoked God to bitter anger; So his Lord will leave his ^(C2)guilt for bloodshed on him And bring his ^(C3)disgrace back to him.

^(C1)When Ephraim ^(F1)spoke, there was trembling. He ^(C2)exalted himself in Israel, But through ^(C3)Baal he incurred guilt and died.

And now they sin more and more, And make for themselves ^(C1)cast metal images, Idols ^(F1)(C2)skillfully made from their silver, All of them the ^(C3)work of craftsmen. They say of them, "Let the ^(F2)people who sacrifice kiss the ^(C4)calves!"

Therefore they will be like the ^(C1)morning cloud And like dew which ^(F1)soon disappears, Like ^(C2)chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor, And like ^(C3)smoke from a chimney.

Yet I have been the ^(C1)LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know ^(C2)any god except Me, For there is no savior ^(C3)besides Me.

I ^(F1)(C1)cared for you in the wilderness, ^(C2)In the land of drought.

As they had their pasture, they became ^(C1)satisfied, And as they became satisfied, their ^(C2)heart became proud; Therefore they ^(C3)forgot Me.

So I will be ^(C1)like a lion to them; Like a ^(C2)leopard I will ^(F1)lie in wait by the wayside.

I will confront them ^(C1)like a bear deprived of her cubs, And I will tear open ^(F1)their chests; I will also ^(C2)devour them there like a lioness, As a wild animal would tear them to pieces.

^(F1)It is to your own destruction, Israel, That you are ^(C1)against Me, against your ^(C2)help.

Where then is your ^(C1)king, That he might save you in all your cities; And your ^(C2)judges, to whom you said, "Give me a king and princes"?

I ^(C1)gave you a king in My anger, And ^(C2)took him away in My wrath.

The guilt of Ephraim is wrapped up; His sin is ^(C1)stored up.

The pains of ^(C1)childbirth come on him; He is ^(C2)not a wise son, For ^(F1)it is not the time that he should ^(C3)delay at the opening of the womb.

Shall I ^(C1)ransom them from the ^(F1)power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? ^(C2)Death, where are your ^(F2)thorns? Sheol, where is your sting? ^(C3)Compassion will be hidden from My sight.

Though he ^(C1)flourishes among the ^(F1)reeds, An ^(C2)east wind will come, The wind of the LORD coming up from the wilderness; And his fountain will ^(C3)become dry And his spring will dry up; It will ^(C4)plunder his treasury of every precious article.

^(F1)Samaria will pay the penalty for her ^(C1)guilt, Because she has ^(C2)rebelled against her God. ^(C3)They will fall by the ^(C4)sword, Their children will be ^(F2)(C5)slaughtered, And their pregnant ^(C6)women will be ripped open.

^(F1)(C1)Return, Israel, to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled ^(F2)because of your ^(C2)wrongdoing.

Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, "^(C1)Take away all guilt And ^(F1)receive us graciously, So that we may ^(C2)present ^(F2)the fruit of our lips.

-"Assyria will not save us, We will ^(C1)not ride on horses; Nor will we say again, '^(C2)Our god' To the ^(C3)work of our hands; For in ^(C4)You the ^(F1)orphan finds mercy."

I will ^(C1)heal their apostasy, I will ^(C2)love them freely, Because My anger has ^(C3)turned away from them.

I will be like the ^(C1)dew to Israel; He will blossom like the ^(C2)lily, And he will ^(F1)take root like the cedars of ^(C3)Lebanon.

His shoots will ^(F1)sprout, His ^(F2)majesty will be like the ^(C1)olive tree, And his fragrance like the cedars of ^(C2)Lebanon.

Those who ^(C1)live in his shadow Will ^(F1)again raise ^(C2)grain, And they will blossom like the vine. His fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim, what more have I to do with ^(C1)idols? It is I who answer and look after ^(F1)you. I am like a luxuriant ^(C2)juniper; From ^(C3)Me ^(F2)comes your fruit.

^(C1)Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ^(C2)ways of the LORD are right, And the ^(C3)righteous will walk in them, But ^(C4)wrongdoers will stumble in them.