<p class="poetry">Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but he does not recognize it!p> <p class="poetry">His head is filled with gray hair,p> <p class="poetry">but he does not realize it!p>

<p class="poetry">That idol was made by a workman &#8211; it is not God!p> <p class="poetry">The calf idol of Samaria will be broken to bits.p>

At that time,<n id="1" /> I will destroy the military power<n id="2" /> of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;Come on! Let&#8217;s return to the <sc>Lordsc>!p> <p class="poetry">He himself has torn us to pieces,p> <p class="poetry">but he will heal us!p> <p class="poetry">He has injured<n id="1" /> us,p> <p class="poetry">but he will bandage our wounds!p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Ephraim has mixed itself like flour<n id="1" /> among the nations;p> <p class="poetry">Ephraim is like a ruined cake of bread that is scorched on one side.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Their heart is slipping;p> <p class="poetry">soon they will be punished for their guilt.p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> will break their altars;p> <p class="poetry">he will completely destroy their fertility pillars.p>

<p class="poetry">They will return to Egypt!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Assyria will rule over them<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because they refuse to repent!<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">He will roar like a lion,p> <p class="poetry">and they will follow the <sc>Lordsc>;p> <p class="poetry">when he roars,p> <p class="poetry">his children will come trembling<n id="1" /> from the west.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">When Ephraim<n id="1" /> spoke,<n id="2" /> there was terror;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">he was exalted<n id="4" /> in Israel,p> <p class="poetry">but he became guilty by worshiping Baal and died.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Even though he flourishes like a reed plant,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">a scorching east wind will come,p> <p class="poetry">a wind from the <sc>Lordsc> rising up from the desert.p> <p class="poetry">As a result, his spring will dry up;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">his well will become dry.p> <p class="poetry">That wind<n id="3" /> will spoil all his delightful foodsp> <p class="poetry">in the containers in his storehouse.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Plead earnestly<n id="1" /> with your<n id="2" /> motherp> <p class="poetry">(for<n id="3" /> she is not my wife, and I am not her husband),p> <p class="poetry">so that<n id="4" /> she might put an end to her adulterous lifestyle,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">and turn away from her sexually immoral behavior.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Yet<n id="1" /> until now<n id="2" /> she has refused to acknowledge<n id="3" /> that I<n id="4" /> was the onep> <p class="poetry">who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil;p> <p class="poetry">and that it was I who<n id="5" /> lavished on her the silver and gold &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">which they<n id="6" /> used in worshiping Baal!<n id="7" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;At that time,&#8221;<n id="1" /> declares the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;you will call,<n id="2" /> &#8216;My husband&#8217;;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">you will never again call me,<n id="4" /> &#8216;My master.&#8217;<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;At that time,<n id="1" /> I will willingly respond,&#8221;<n id="2" /> declares the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will respond to the sky,p> <p class="poetry">and the sky<n id="3" /> will respond to the ground;p>

<p class="poetry">Then I will plant her as my own<n id="1" /> in the land.p> <p class="poetry">I will have pity on &#8216;No Pity&#8217; (Lo-Ruhamah).p> <p class="poetry">I will say to &#8216;Not My People&#8217; (Lo-Ammi), &#8216;You are my people!&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">And he<n id="2" /> will say, &#8216;You are<n id="3" /> my God!&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">They approach him, all the while plotting against him.p> <p class="poetry">Their hearts are like an oven;p> <p class="poetry">their anger smolders all night long,p> <p class="poetry">but in the morning it bursts into a flaming fire.p>

<p class="poetry">The labor pains of a woman will overtake him,p> <p class="poetry">but the baby will lack wisdom;p> <p class="poetry">when the time arrives,p> <p class="poetry">he will not come out of the womb!p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;At that time<n id="1" /> I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals,p> <p class="poetry">the birds of the air, and the creatures that crawl on the ground.p> <p class="poetry">I will abolish<n id="2" /> the warrior&#8217;s bow and swordp> <p class="poetry">&#8211; that is, every weapon of warfare<n id="3" /> &#8211; from the land,p> <p class="poetry">and I will allow them to live securely.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">When Ephraim saw<n id="1" /> his sicknessp> <p class="poetry">and Judah saw his wound,p> <p class="poetry">then Ephraim turned<n id="2" /> to Assyria,p> <p class="poetry">and begged<n id="3" /> its great king<n id="4" /> for help.p> <p class="poetry">But he will not be able to heal you!p> <p class="poetry">He cannot cure your wound!<n id="5" />p>