| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1“Sound the alarm! The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the LORD, for they have broken my covenant and revolted against my law. | 1Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law. |
| 2Now Israel pleads with me, ‘Help us, for you are our God!’ | 2Israel cries out to Me, “O our God, we know You!” |
| 3But it is too late. The people of Israel have rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after them. | 3But Israel has rejected good; an enemy will pursue him. |
| 4The people have appointed kings without my consent, and princes without my approval. By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold, they have brought about their own destruction. | 4They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction. |
| 5“O Samaria, I reject this calf— this idol you have made. My fury burns against you. How long will you be incapable of innocence? | 5He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? |
| 6This calf you worship, O Israel, was crafted by your own hands! It is not God! Therefore, it must be smashed to bits. | 6For this thing is from Israel—a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria. |
| 7“They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it. | 7For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up. |
| 8The people of Israel have been swallowed up; they lie among the nations like an old discarded pot. | 8Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like a worthless vessel. |
| 9Like a wild donkey looking for a mate, they have gone up to Assyria. The people of Israel have sold themselves— sold themselves to many lovers. | 9For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey on its own. Ephraim has hired lovers. |
| 10But though they have sold themselves to many allies, I will now gather them together for judgment. Then they will writhe under the burden of the great king. | 10Though they hire allies among the nations, I will now round them up, and they will begin to diminish under the oppression of the king of princes. |
| 11“Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning! | 11Though Ephraim multiplied the altars for sin, they became his altars for sinning. |
| 12Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them. | 12Though I wrote for them the great things of My law, they regarded them as something strange. |
| 13The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. They will return to Egypt. | 13Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to Me, and though they eat the meat, the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt. |
| 14Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces, and Judah has fortified its cities. Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities and will burn up their fortresses.” | 14Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has multiplied its fortified cities. But I will send fire upon their cities, and it will consume their citadels. |
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