The Lord Is Angry Against Israel

4 People of Israel, listen to the Lord’s message! The Lord will tell his argument against the people that live in this country. “People in this country don’t really know God. The people are not true and loyal to God. ²The people swear, lie, kill, and steal. They do the sin of adultery,* and they have their babies. The people murder again and again.* ³So the country is like a person crying for the dead, and all of its people are weak. Even the animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the fish in the sea are dying.* ⁴No person should argue or blame another person. Priest, my argument is with you!* ⁵You (priests) will fall in the daytime. And at night, the prophet will also fall with you. And I will destroy your mother. ⁶“My people are destroyed because they have no knowledge. You have refused to learn. So I will refuse to let you be a priest for me. You have forgotten the law of your God, so I will forget your children. ⁷They became proud! They sinned more and more against me. So I will change their glory to shame. ⁸The priests joined in the people’s sins. They wanted more and more of those sins.* ⁹So the priests are no different than the people. I will punish them for the things they did. I will pay them back for the wrong things they did. ¹⁰They will eat, but they will not be satisfied! They will do sexual sins, but they will not have babies.* Why? Because they left the Lord and became like prostitutes.*

¹¹“Sexual sins, strong drink, and new wine will ruin a person’s ability to think straight. ¹²My people are asking pieces of wood for advice. They think those sticks will answer them. Why? Because they have chased after those false gods like prostitutes.* They left their God and became like prostitutes. ¹³They make sacrifices on the tops of the mountains and burn incense* on the hills under oak trees, poplar trees, and elm trees.* The shade under those trees looks nice. So your daughters lie under those trees like prostitutes. And your daughters-in-law do their sexual sins. ¹⁴“I can’t blame* your daughters for being prostitutes,* or your daughters-in-law for doing sexual sins. The men go and sleep with prostitutes. They go and offer sacrifices with the temple prostitutes.* So, those foolish people are destroying themselves.

The Shameful Sins of Israel

¹⁵“Israel, you act like a prostitute.* But don’t let Judah be guilty. Don’t go to Gilgal* or go up to Beth-aven.* Don’t use the Lord’s name to make promises. Don’t say, ‘As the Lord lives ...!’ ¹⁶The Lord has given many things to Israel. He is like a shepherd that takes his sheep to a large field with much grass. But Israel is stubborn. Israel is like a young cow that runs away again and again. ¹⁷Ephraim* has joined his idols.* So leave him alone. ¹⁸“Ephraim has joined their drunkenness. Let them continue to be prostitutes. Let them be with their lovers. ¹⁹They went to those gods for safety, and they have lost their ability to think.* Their sacrifices bring them shame.”

adultery Breaking the marriage promise by sexual sin. and they … again Literally, “they break out, and blood touches blood.” dying Literally, “being taken away.” No person … you Or, “The people can’t complain or blame someone else. The people are helpless, like arguing with a priest.” Many times the priests and Levites served as judges, and their decisions were final. The priests joined in the people’s sins. They wanted more and more of those sins This is a word play. The word “sins” also means “sin offerings.” So instead of eating sacrifices, the priests became hungry for sin itself. They will do sexual sins, but they will not have babies A part of worshiping the false gods was having sexual relations with temple prostitutes. The people thought that this would make the gods happy. And then the gods would give the people large families and good crops. prostitute A woman paid by men for sexual sin. Sometimes this also means a person that is not faithful to God and stops following him. incense Special dried tree sap. Burned to make a sweet-smelling smoke, it was offered as a gift to God. under oak trees, poplar trees, and elm trees Trees and groves were an important part of the worshiping false gods. blame This word can mean, “visit,” “put in charge of,” “take account of,” or “to hold responsible for.” temple prostitutes Women that were prostitutes at the temples of the false gods. Their sexual sins were part of worshiping those false gods. Gilgal A city in Israel. The people worship false gods there. Beth-aven In Hebrew the meaning is “House of Evil.” It is a word play on the name “Bethel,” a town in Israel. There was a temple in this town. Ephraim Joseph’s younger son (Gen. 41:50–52). Ephraim’s family became a family group in Israel. Here the name is used to mean the northern kingdom of Israel. idols Statues of false gods that people worshiped. They … think Or, “The wind has carried them away on its wings,” or “The spirit held them tight in its wings.” This verse is very hard to understand in Hebrew.

The Leaders Cause Israel and Judah to Sin

5 “Priests, nation of Israel, and people in the king’s family, listen to me. You have been judged guilty! “You were like a trap at Mizpah.* You were like a net spread on the ground at Tabor.* ²You have done many, many bad things.* So I will punish you all! ³I know Ephraim.* I know the things that Israel has done. Ephraim, right now you act like a prostitute.*Israel is dirty with sins. ⁴The people of Israel have done many bad things. And those bad things keep them from coming back to their God. They are always thinking of ways to chase after other gods. They don’t know the Lord. ⁵Israel’s pride is a witness against them.* So Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their sin. But Judah will also stumble with them. ⁶“The leaders of the people went to look for the Lord. They took their ‘sheep’ and ‘cows’ with them. But they did not find the Lord. Why? Because he left them. ⁷They have not been faithful to the Lord. Their children are from some stranger. And now, he will destroy them and their land again.”*

A Prophecy of Israel’s Destruction

⁸“Blow the horn in Gibeah.* Blow the trumpet in Ramah.* Give the warning at Beth-Aven.* The enemy is behind you, Benjamin. ⁹Ephraim* will become empty at the time of punishment. I (God) warn the families of Israel that those things really will happen. ¹⁰The leaders of Judah are like thieves trying to steal another man’s property. So I (God) will pour out my anger on them like water. ¹¹Ephraim* will be punished. He will be crushed and pressed like grapes. Why? Because he decided to follow filth. ¹²I will destroy Ephraim, like a moth destroys a piece of cloth. I {will destroy} Judah, like rot {destroys a piece of wood}. ¹³Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound. So they went to Assyria for help. They told their problems to the great king. But that king can’t heal you. He can’t cure your wound. ¹⁴Why? Because I will be like a lion to Ephraim. I will be like a young lion to the nation* of Judah. I—yes, I (the Lord)—will rip them to pieces. I will carry them away, and no person can save. ¹⁵I will go back to my place, until the people admit they are guilty, until they come looking for me. Yes, in their trouble they will try hard to find me.”

Mizpah A mountain in Israel. The people worshiped the false gods on many of the hills and mountains. Tabor A mountain in Israel. You have done … bad things This sentence is hard to understand in Hebrew, probably because there is a word play and a reference to things we are not sure of. Ephraim Joseph’s younger son (Gen. 41:50–52). Ephraim’s family became a family group in Israel. Here the name is used to mean the northern kingdom of Israel. prostitute A woman paid by men for sexual sin. Sometimes this also means a person that is not faithful to God and stops following him. them Literally, “his face.” And now … again The Hebrew here is hard to understand. Gibeah, Ramah Hills on Judah’s border with Israel. Beth-Aven In Hebrew the meaning is “House of Evil.” It is a word play on the name “Bethel,” a town in Israel. There was a temple in this town. nation Literally, “house.” This might mean the royal family of that country.

The Rewards of Coming Back to the Lord

6 “Come, let’s go back to the Lord. He hurt us, but he will heal us. He wounded us, but he will put bandages on us. ²After two days he will bring us back to life. He will raise us up on the third day. Then we can live near him. ³Let’s learn about the Lord. Let’s try very hard to know the Lord. We know he is coming, like we know the dawn is coming. The Lord will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the ground.”

The People Are Not Faithful

⁴“Ephraim,* what should I do with you? Judah, what should I do with you? Your faithfulness is like a morning mist, Your faithfulness is like the dew that goes away early in the morning. ⁵I used the prophets, and made laws for the people. The people were killed at my command. But good things will come from those decisions.* ⁶Why? Because I want faithful love, not sacrifice, {I want people} to know God, not {to bring} burnt offerings. ⁷But the people broke the Agreement just like Adam did.* They were unfaithful to me in their country. ⁸Gilead* is a city of people that do evil. People have tricked and killed other people. ⁹Robbers hide and wait to attack someone. In the same way, priests wait on the road to Shechem and attack the people that pass by. They have done evil things. ¹⁰I have seen a terrible thing in the nation* of Israel. Ephraim* was unfaithful to God. Israel is dirty with sin. ¹¹Judah, there is also a time of harvest for you. It will happen at the time that I bring my people back from captivity.”

Ephraim Joseph’s younger son (Gen. 41:50–52). Ephraim’s family became a family group in Israel. Here the name is used to mean the northern kingdom of Israel. But good things … decisions Or, “I cut them with the prophets. I killed them with the words from my mouth. Light will come from your decisions.” like Adam did See Gen. 3. Gilead An area where some of the people from the family group of Manasseh lived. See Numbers 26:29. nation Literally, “house.” This might mean the royal family of that country.

7 “I will heal Israel! Then people will know that Ephraim* sinned. People will know about Samaria’s* lies. People will know about the thieves that come and go in that town. ²Those people don’t believe that I will remember their crimes. The bad things they did are all around. I can see their sins clearly. ³Their evil makes their king happy. Their false gods please their leaders. ⁴A baker presses dough {to make bread}. {He puts the bread in the oven.} The baker does not make the fire hotter while the bread is rising. {But the people of Israel are not like that.} The people of Israel are always making their fire hotter. ⁵On Our King’s Day, {they make the fire hotter} {they give their drinking parties.} The leaders become sick from the heat of wine. So the kings join hands with people that laugh at God. ⁶The people make their secret plans. Their hearts burn with excitement like an oven. Their excitement burns all night. And in the morning it is like a hot fire. ⁷They are all like hot ovens. They destroyed their rulers. All of their kings fell. Not one of them called to me for help.”

Israel Does Not Know It Will Be Destroyed

⁸“Ephraim* mixes with the nations. Ephraim is like a cake that was not cooked on both sides. ⁹Strangers destroy Ephraim’s strength. But Ephraim does not know it. Gray hairs* are also sprinkled on Ephraim. But Ephraim does not know it. ¹⁰{Ephraim’s} pride speaks against him. The people had many, many troubles, but they still didn’t go back to the Lord their God. The people didn’t look to him for help. ¹¹So Ephraim has become like a silly dove without understanding. The people called to Egypt for help. The people went to Assyria for help. ¹²They go to those countries for help, but I will trap them. I will throw my net over them, and I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will punish them for their agreements.* ¹³It will be bad for them. They left me. They refused to obey me. So they will be destroyed. I saved those people. But they speak lies against me. ¹⁴They never call to me from their hearts. Yes, they cry on their beds. And they cut themselves when they ask for grain and new wine. But {in their hearts,} they have turned away from me. ¹⁵I trained them and made their arms strong. But they made evil plans against me. ¹⁶But they were like a boomerang.* They changed directions, but they did not come back to me.* Their leaders bragged {about their strength}. But they will be killed with swords. And the people in Egypt will laugh at them.

Ephraim Joseph's younger son (Gen. 41:50–52). Ephraim’s family became a family group in Israel. Here the name is used to mean the northern kingdom of Israel. Samaria The capital of the northern ten-family group kingdom of Israel. Here it is often used to mean the northern kingdom itself. Gray hairs This word might describe something that was put on the food when people cooked, something that looked like gray hairs. for their agreements Or, “for the report of their treaties.” boomerang A curved stick used in hunting birds. When thrown properly, it flies low to the ground and suddenly curves upward, often returning to the thrower. Literally, “a bow of throwing,” or “a bow of deception.” They changed … to me Or, “The turned, but not upward,” or, “They turned to the ‘no-gods’”—that is, the statues people worshiped as gods.