Samaria and its king will be carried off ¹  like a twig ²  on the surface of the waters.

Even though he flourishes like a reed plant, ¹  a scorching east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. As a result, his spring will dry up; ²  his well will become dry. That wind ³  will spoil all his delightful foods in the containers in his storehouse.

A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings; they will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship. ¹ 

They are all like bakers, ¹  they ²  are like a smoldering oven; they are like a baker who does not stoke the fire until the kneaded dough is ready for baking.

Ephraim has mixed itself like flour ¹  among the nations; Ephraim is like a ruined cake of bread that is scorched on one side. ² 

Ephraim will be like a bird; what they value ¹  will fly away. They will not bear children – they will not enjoy pregnancy – they will not even conceive! ² 

Ephraim has been like a dove, easily deceived and lacking discernment. They called to Egypt for help; they turned to Assyria for protection.

I have appointed a time to reap judgment ¹  for you also, O Judah!Whenever I want to restore the fortunes of my people, ² 

He will roar like a lion, and they will follow the Lord; when he roars, his children will come trembling ¹  from the west.

The labor pains of a woman will overtake him, but the baby will lack wisdom; when the time arrives, he will not come out of the womb!

For the Israelites ¹  must live many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols.

The Lord also has a covenant lawsuit ¹  against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.

The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers. I will pour out my rage on them like a torrential flood! ¹ 

That idol was made by a workman – it is not God! The calf idol of Samaria will be broken to bits.

His young shoots will grow; his splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.

Very soon they will say, “We have no king since we did not fear the Lord. But what can a king do for us anyway?”

They ¹  utter empty words, ²  taking ³  false oaths and making empty ⁴  agreements. Therefore legal disputes sprout up like poisonous weeds ⁵  in the furrows of a plowed field.

Israel was a fertile vine that yielded fruit. As his fruit multiplied, he multiplied altars to Baal. ¹  As his land prospered, they adorned the fertility pillars.

When they were fed, ¹  they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; ²  as a result, they forgot me!

Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God; because a spirit of idolatry ¹  controls their heart, ²  and they do not acknowledge the Lord.