Study Desk

Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh, And I passed over her lovely neck; I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.

Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness; Harvest in accordance with kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes and rains righteousness on you.

When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.

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

I will not carry out My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath.

They will walk after the LORD, He will roar like a lion; Indeed He will roar, And His sons will come trembling from the west.

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

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

A merchant, in whose hands are fraudulent balances, Loves to exploit.

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

Now Jacob fled to the land of Aram, And Israel worked for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep.

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

Therefore they will be like the morning cloud And like dew which soon disappears, Like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor, And like smoke from a chimney.

So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside.

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

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

I gave you a king in My anger, And took him away in My wrath.

The pains of childbirth come on him; He is not a wise son, For it is not the time that he should delay at the opening of the womb.

Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant juniper; From Me comes your fruit.

For a nation has invaded my land, Mighty and without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it has the jaws of a lioness.