| New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET Bible |
| 1When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, But through Baal he did wrong and died. | 1When Ephraim spoke, there was terror; he was exalted in Israel, but he became guilty by worshiping Baal and died. |
| 2And now they sin more and more, And make for themselves molten images, Idols skillfully made from their silver, All of them the work of craftsmen. They say of them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!" | 2Even now they persist in sin! They make metal images for themselves, idols that they skillfully fashion from their own silver; all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen! There is a saying about them: "Those who sacrifice to the calf idol are calf kissers!" |
| 3Therefore they will be like the morning cloud And like dew which soon disappears, Like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor And like smoke from a chimney. | 3Therefore they will disappear like the morning mist, like early morning dew that evaporates, like chaff that is blown away from a threshing floor, like smoke that disappears through an open window. |
| 4Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me. | 4But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me; except me there is no Savior. |
| 5I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. | 5I cared for you in the wilderness, in the dry desert where no water was. |
| 6As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me. | 6When they were fed, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; as a result, they forgot me! |
| 7So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside. | 7So I will pounce on them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk by the path. |
| 8I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them. | 8I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs--I will rip open their chests. I will devour them there like a lion--like a wild animal would tear them apart. |
| 9It is your destruction, O Israel, That you are against Me, against your help. | 9I will destroy you, O Israel! Who is there to help you? |
| 10Where now is your king That he may save you in all your cities, And your judges of whom you requested, "Give me a king and princes "? | 10Where then is your king, that he may save you in all your cities? Where are your rulers for whom you asked, saying, "Give me a king and princes"? |
| 11I gave you a king in My anger And took him away in My wrath. | 11I granted you a king in my anger, and I will take him away in my wrath! |
| 12The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; His sin is stored up. | 12The punishment of Ephraim has been decreed; his punishment is being stored up for the future. |
| 13The pains of childbirth come upon him; He is not a wise son, For it is not the time that he should delay at the opening of the womb. | 13The 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! |
| 14Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight. | 14Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion! |
| 15Though he flourishes among the reeds, An east wind will come, The wind of the LORD coming up from the wilderness; And his fountain will become dry And his spring will be dried up; It will plunder his treasury of every precious article. | 15Even though he flourishes like a reed plant, a scorching east wind will come, a wind from the LORD rising up from the desert. As a result, his spring will dry up; his well will become dry. That wind will spoil all his delightful foods in the containers in his storehouse. |
| 16Samaria will be held guilty, For she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, Their little ones will be dashed in pieces, And their pregnant women will be ripped open. | 16Samaria will be held guilty, because she rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, their infants will be dashed to the ground--their pregnant women will be ripped open. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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