<p class="poetry">They will eat, but not be satisfied;p> <p class="poetry">they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers;p> <p class="poetry">because they have abandoned the <sc>Lordsc>p> <p class="poetry">by pursuing other gods.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">The arrogance of Israel testifies against him,p> <p class="poetry">yet they refuse to return to the <sc>Lordsc> their God!p> <p class="poetry">In spite of all this they refuse to seek him!p>

<t /><p class="poetry">They enthroned kings without my consent!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They appointed princes without my approval!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">They made idols out of their silver and gold,p> <p class="poetry">but they will be destroyed!<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">I cannot carry out<n id="1" /> my fierce anger!p> <p class="poetry">I cannot totally destroy Ephraim!p> <p class="poetry">Because I am God, and not man &#8211; the Holy One among you &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">I will not come in wrath!p>

<p class="poetry">For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice;p> <p class="poetry">I delight<n id="1" /> in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For<n id="1" /> I will remove the names of the Baal idols<n id="2" /> from your lips,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">so that you will never again utter their names!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Although they bring their flocks and herds<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">to seek<n id="2" /> the favor of the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They will not find him &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">he has withdrawn himself from them!p>

<p class="poetry">Yet it was I who led<n id="1" /> Ephraim,p> <p class="poetry">I took them by the arm;p> <p class="poetry">but they did not acknowledgep> <p class="poetry">that I had healed them.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch<n id="1" /> them;p> <p class="poetry">she will seek them, but she will not find them.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Then she will say,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will go back<n id="3" /> to my husband,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">because I was better off then than I am now.&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

But I will have pity on the nation<n id="1" /> of Judah.<n id="2" /> I will deliver them by the <sc>Lordsc> their God; I will not deliver them by the warrior&#8217;s bow, by sword, by military victory,<n id="3" /> by chariot horses, or by chariots.&#8221;<n id="4" />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>

Then I told her, &#8220;You must live with me many days; you must not commit adultery or have sexual intercourse with<n id="1" /> another man, and I also will wait for you.&#8221;

<p class="poetry">They do not pray to me,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but howl in distress on their beds;p> <p class="poetry">They slash themselves<n id="2" /> for grain and new wine,p> <p class="poetry">but turn away from me.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>

<p class="poetry">Assyria cannot save us;p> <p class="poetry">we will not ride warhorses.p> <p class="poetry">We will never again say, &#8216;Our gods&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">to what our own hands have made.p> <p class="poetry">For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext"><v id="(2:1)" /><n id="1" /> However,<n id="2" /> in the future the number of the people<n id="3" /> of Israel will be like the sand of the sea which can be neither measured nor numbered. Although<n id="4" /> it was said to them, &#8220;You are not my people,&#8221; it will be said to them, &#8220;You are<n id="5" /> children<n id="6" /> of the living God!&#8221;

<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>

<p class="poetry">They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the <sc>Lordsc>;p> <p class="poetry">they will not please him with their sacrifices.p> <p class="poetry">Their sacrifices will be like bread eaten while in mourning;p> <p class="poetry">all those who eat them will make themselves ritually unclean.p> <p class="poetry">For their bread will be only to satisfy their appetite;p> <p class="poetry">it will not come into the temple of the <sc>Lordsc>.p>