Study Desk

At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself. I will show love to those I called ‘Not loved.' And to those I called ‘Not my people,' I will say, ‘Now you are my people.' And they will reply, ‘You are our God!'"

But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David's descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness.

They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the Lord

They ask a piece of wood for advice! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God.

They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and terebinth trees. "That is why your daughters turn to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

When they come with their flocks and herds to offer sacrifices to the Lord , they will not find him, because he has withdrawn from them.

The people of Israel will be crushed and broken by my judgment because they are determined to worship idols.

"When Israel and Judah saw how sick they were, Israel turned to Assyria— to the great king there— but he could neither help nor cure them.

Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and turn to me. For as soon as trouble comes, they will earnestly search for me."

Priests form bands of robbers, waiting in ambush for their victims. They murder travelers along the road to Shechem and practice every kind of sin.

Burning like an oven, they consume their leaders. They kill their kings one after another, and no one cries to me for help.

Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don't even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don't realize they're old and weak.

But as they fly about, I will throw my net over them and bring them down like a bird from the sky. I will punish them for all the evil they do.

They do not cry out to me with sincere hearts. Instead, they sit on their couches and wail. They cut themselves, begging foreign gods for grain and new wine, and they turn away from me.

I trained them and made them strong, yet now they plot evil against me.

"Sound the alarm! The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the Lord , for they have broken my covenant and revolted against my law.

The people have appointed kings without my consent, and princes without my approval. By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold, they have brought about their own destruction.

"They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it.

The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. They will return to Egypt.

The people of Israel are struck down. Their roots are dried up, and they will bear no more fruit. And if they give birth, I will slaughter their beloved children."