But an empty man will become wise, when a wild donkey’s colt is born a human being.

Who let the wild donkey go free? Who released the bonds of the donkey,

They provide water for all the animals in the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

“Does the wild donkey bray when it is near grass? Or does the ox low near its fodder?

Like wild donkeys in the desert they go out to their labor, seeking diligently for food; the wasteland provides food for them and for their children.

Wild donkeys stand on the hilltops and pant for breath like jackals. Their eyes are strained looking for food, because there is none to be found.”

They have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey that wanders off. Ephraim has hired prostitutes as lovers.

He will be a wild donkey of a man. He will be hostile to everyone, and everyone will be hostile to him. He will live away from his brothers.”

For the fortress is neglected; the once-crowded city is abandoned. Hill and watchtower are permanently uninhabited. Wild donkeys love to go there, and flocks graze there.

You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness. In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. No one can hold her back when she is in heat. None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her. At mating time she is easy to find.