Study Desk

"Israel, you have sinned since the time of Gibeah, and the people there have continued sinning. But war will surely overwhelm them in Gibeah, because of the evil they have done there.

When I am ready, I will come to punish them. Nations will come together against them, and they will be punished for their double sins.

But when I called the people of Israel, they went away from me. They offered sacrifices to the Baals and burned incense to the idols.

It was I who taught Israel to walk, and I took them by the arms, but they did not understand that I had healed them.

"The Israelites will become captives again, as they were in Egypt, and Assyria will become their king, because they refuse to turn back to God.

They will go after the Lord , and he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will hurry to him from the west.

They will come swiftly like birds from Egypt and like doves from Assyria. I will settle them again in their homes," says the Lord .

What Israel does is as useless as chasing the wind; he chases the east wind all day. They tell more and more lies and do more and more violence. They make agreements with Assyria, and they send a gift of olive oil to Egypt.

But the Israelites made the Lord angry when they killed other people, and they deserve to die for their crimes. The Lord will make them pay for the disgraceful things they have done.

But they still keep on sinning more and more. They make idols of their silver, idols that are cleverly made, the work of a craftsman. Yet the people of Israel say to each other, "Kiss those calf idols and sacrifice to them."

I gave them food, and they became full and satisfied. But then they became too proud and forgot me.

I will be like the dew to Israel, and they will blossom like a lily. Like the cedar trees in Lebanon, their roots will be firm.

They will be like spreading branches, like the beautiful olive trees and the sweet-smelling cedars in Lebanon.

The people of Israel will again live under my protection. They will grow like the grain, they will bloom like a vine, and they will be as famous as the wine of Lebanon.

Though we planted fig seeds, they lie dry and dead in the dirt. The barns are empty and falling down. The storerooms for grain have been broken down, because the grain has dried up.

They look like horses, and they run like war horses.

When they see them, nations shake with fear, and everyone's face becomes pale.

They charge like soldiers; they climb over the wall like warriors. They all march straight ahead and do not move off their path.

They do not run into each other, because each walks in line. They break through all efforts to stop them and keep coming.

They run into the city. They run at the wall and climb into the houses, entering through windows like thieves.