<t /><p class="poetry">Woe to them! For they have fled from me!p> <p class="poetry">Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me!p> <p class="poetry">I want to deliver<n id="1" /> them,p> <p class="poetry">but they have lied to me.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">At Adam<n id="1" /> they broke<n id="2" /> the covenant;p> <p class="poetry">Oh how<n id="3" /> they were unfaithful<n id="4" /> to me!p>

<p class="poetry">I will have no pity on her children,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">because they are children conceived in adultery.<n id="2" />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he has withdrawn himself from them!p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">Then I will return again to my lairp> <p class="poetry">until they have suffered their punishment.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Then they will seek me;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">in their distress they will earnestly seek me.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">They have gone up to Assyria,p> <p class="poetry">like a wild donkey that wanders off.p> <p class="poetry">Ephraim has hired prostitutes as lovers.<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">I will destroy her vines and fig trees,p> <p class="poetry">about which she said, &#8220;These are my wages for prostitution<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">that my lovers gave to me!&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">I will turn her cultivated vines and fig trees<n id="2" /> into an uncultivated thicket,p> <p class="poetry">so that wild animals<n id="3" /> will devour them.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 the ground will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil;p> <p class="poetry">and they will respond to &#8216;God Plants&#8217; (Jezreel)!<n id="1" />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">They offer up sacrificial gifts to me,p> <p class="poetry">and eat the meat,p> <p class="poetry">but the <sc>Lordsc> does not accept their sacrifices.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Soon he will remember their wrongdoing,p> <p class="poetry">he will punish their sins,p> <p class="poetry">and they will return to Egypt.p>

<p class="poetry">When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness.p> <p class="poetry">I viewed your ancestors<n id="1" /> like an early fig on a fig tree in its first season.p> <p class="poetry">Then they came to Baal-Peor and they dedicated themselves to shame &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">they became as detestable as what they loved.p>

<p class="poetry">Even if they raise their children,p> <p class="poetry">I will take away every last one of them.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Woe to them!p> <p class="poetry">For I will turn away from them.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I will punish her for the festival daysp> <p class="poetry">when she burned incense to the Baal idols;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">she adorned herself with earrings and jewelry,p> <p class="poetry">and went after her lovers,p> <p class="poetry">but<n id="2" /> she forgot me!&#8221;<n id="3" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> said to me, &#8220;Go, show love to<n id="1" /> your wife<n id="2" /> again, even though she loves<n id="3" /> another man<n id="4" /> and continually commits adultery.<n id="5" /> Likewise, the <sc>Lordsc> loves<n id="6" /> the Israelites<n id="7" /> although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.&#8221;<n id="8" />

<p class="poetry">I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution,p> <p class="poetry">nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.p> <p class="poetry">For the men consort with harlots,p> <p class="poetry">they sacrifice with temple prostitutes.p> <p class="poetry">It is true:<n id="1" /> &#8220;A people that lacks understanding will come to ruin!&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Even now they persist in sin!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They make metal images for themselves,p> <p class="poetry">idols that they skillfully fashion<n id="2" /> from their own silver;p> <p class="poetry">all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen!p> <p class="poetry">There is a saying about them:<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Those who sacrifice<n id="4" /> to the calf idol are calf kissers!&#8221;<n id="5" />p>