Study Desk

All who live in Samaria tremble with concern for the idols at sinful Bethel. The idol there was the pride of the priests, but it has been put to shame; now everyone will cry.

Once you were obedient like a calf that loved to thresh grain. But I will put a harness on your powerful neck; you and Judah must plow and cultivate the ground.

But as the saying goes, "The more they were called, the more they rebelled." They never stopped offering incense and sacrifices to the idols of Baal.

I took Israel by the arm and taught them to walk. But they would not admit that I was the one who had healed them.

But they trusted Egypt instead of returning to me; now Assyria will rule them.

My people are determined to reject me for a god they think is stronger, but he can't help.

Gilead is terribly sinful and will end up ruined. Bulls are sacrificed in Gilgal on altars made of stones, but those stones will be scattered in every field.

The Lord said: When your leaders spoke, everyone in Israel trembled and showed great respect. But you sinned by worshiping Baal, and you were destroyed.

Israel, you have rejected me, but my anger is gone; I will heal you and love you without limit.

If you are wise, you will know and understand what I mean. I am the Lord , and I lead you along the right path. If you obey me, we will walk together, but if you are wicked, you will stumble.

An army attacked from the north, but I will chase it into a scorching desert. There it will rot and stink from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean." The Lord works wonders

But I'll make the people of Judah determined to come home, and what happened to them will happen to you.

From the heart of Jerusalem the Lord roars like a lion, shaking the earth and sky. But the Lord is a fortress, a place of safety for his people Israel.

but Judah and Jerusalem will always have people.

Israel, the Amorites were there when you entered Canaan. They were tall as cedars and strong as oaks. But I wiped them out— I destroyed their branches and their roots.

But you commanded the prophets not to speak their message, and you pressured the Nazirites into drinking wine.

You may be brave and strong, but you will run away, stripped naked. I, the Lord , have spoken!

I, the Lord , took away the food from every town and village, but still you rejected me.

Three months before harvest, I kept back the rain. Sometimes I would let it fall on one town or field but not on another, and pastures dried up.

People from two or three towns would go to a town that still had water, but it wasn't enough. Even then you rejected me. I, the Lord , have spoken!