Online Bible

Ephraim’s Idolatry

^aWhen Ephraim ¹spoke, there was trembling.He ^bexalted himself in Israel,But through ^cBaal he ²did wrong and died.2 And now they sin more and more,And make for themselves ^amolten images,Idols ¹^bskillfully made from their silver,All of them the ^cwork of craftsmen.They say of them, “Let the ²men who sacrifice kiss the ^dcalves!”3 Therefore they will be like the ^amorning cloudAnd like dew which ¹soon disappears,Like ^bchaff which is blown away from the threshing floorAnd like ^csmoke from a ²chimney.

4 Yet I have been the ^aLORD your GodSince the land of Egypt;And you were not to know ^bany god except Me,For there is no savior ^cbesides Me.5 I ¹^acared for you in the wilderness,^bIn the land of drought.6 As they had their pasture, they became ^asatisfied,And being satisfied, their ^bheart became proud;Therefore they ^cforgot Me.7 So I will be ^alike a lion to them;Like a ^bleopard I will ¹lie in wait by the wayside.8 I will encounter them ^alike a bear robbed of her cubs,And I will tear open ¹their chests;There I will also ^bdevour them like a lioness,As a wild beast would tear them.

9 It is your destruction, O Israel,¹That you are ^aagainst Me, against your ^bhelp.10 Where now is your ^akingThat he may save you in all your cities,And your ^bjudges of whom you ¹requested,“Give me a king and princes”?11 I ^agave you a king in My angerAnd ^btook him away in My wrath.

12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;His sin is ^astored up.13 The pains of ^achildbirth come upon him;He is ^bnot a wise son,For ¹it is not the time that he should ^cdelay at the opening of the womb.14 Shall I ^aransom them from the ¹power of Sheol?Shall I redeem them from death?^bO Death, where are your thorns?O Sheol, where is your sting?^cCompassion will be hidden from My sight.

15 Though he ^aflourishes among the ¹reeds,An ^beast wind will come,The wind of the LORD coming up from the wilderness;And his fountain will ^cbecome dryAnd his spring will be dried up;It will ^dplunder his treasury of every precious article.16 ¹Samaria will be held ^aguilty,For she has ^brebelled against her God.^cThey will fall by the ^dsword,Their little ones will be ^edashed in pieces,And their pregnant ^fwomen will be ripped open.

Ephraim’s Idolatry

^aWhen Ephraim ¹spoke, there was trembling.He ^bexalted himself in Israel,But through ^cBaal he incurred guilt and died.2 And now they sin more and more,And make for themselves ^acast metal images,Idols ¹^bskillfully made from their silver,All of them the ^cwork of craftsmen.They say of them, “Let the ²people who sacrifice kiss the ^dcalves!”3 Therefore they will be like the ^amorning cloudAnd like dew which ¹soon disappears,Like ^bchaff which is blown away from the threshing floor,And like ^csmoke from a chimney.

4 Yet I have been the ^aLORD your GodSince the land of Egypt;And you were not to know ^bany god except Me,For there is no savior ^cbesides Me.5 I ¹^acared for you in the wilderness,^bIn the land of drought.6 As they had their pasture, they became ^asatisfied,And as they became satisfied, their ^bheart became proud;Therefore they ^cforgot Me.7 So I will be ^alike a lion to them;Like a ^bleopard I will ¹lie in wait by the wayside.8 I will confront them ^alike a bear deprived of her cubs,And I will tear open ¹their chests;I will also ^bdevour them there like a lioness,As a wild animal would tear them to pieces.

9 ¹It is to your own destruction, Israel,That you are ^aagainst Me, against your ^bhelp.10 Where then is your ^aking,That he might save you in all your cities;And your ^bjudges, to whom you said,“Give me a king and princes”?11 I ^agave you a king in My anger,And ^btook him away in My wrath.

12 The guilt of Ephraim is wrapped up;His sin is ^astored up.13 The pains of ^achildbirth come on him;He is ^bnot a wise son,For ¹it is not the time that he should ^cdelay at the opening of the womb.14 Shall I ^aransom them from the ¹power of Sheol?Shall I redeem them from death?^bDeath, where are your ²thorns?Sheol, where is your sting?^cCompassion will be hidden from My sight.

15 Though he ^aflourishes among the ¹reeds,An ^beast wind will come,The wind of the LORD coming up from the wilderness;And his fountain will ^cbecome dryAnd his spring will dry up;It will ^dplunder his treasury of every precious article.16 ¹Samaria will pay the penalty for her ^aguilt,Because she has ^brebelled against her God.^cThey will fall by the ^dsword,Their children will be ²^eslaughtered,And their pregnant ^fwomen will be ripped open.

Ephraim’s Idolatry

^aWhen Ephraim spoke, there was trembling and terror.He ^bexalted himself above the other tribes in Israel;But through the worship of ^cBaal he became guilty and died spiritually, and then came ruin, sealing Israel’s doom as a nation.2 And now they sin more and more,And make for themselves ^amolten images,Idols ^bskillfully made from their silver as it pleased them,All of them the ^cwork of the craftsmen.They say of these very works of their hands, “Let those who sacrifice kiss and show respect to the ^dcalves as if they were living gods!”3 Therefore they will be swiftly dissipated like the ^amorning cloudOr like dew which soon disappears,Like ^bchaff which swirls with the whirlwind from the threshing floor,And like ^csmoke from the chimney or through the window worthless and without substance—they will vanish.

4 Yet I have been the ^aLORD your GodSince the time you became a nation in the land of Egypt;And you were not to know ^bany god except Me,For there is no savior ^cbesides Me.5 I ^aknew and regarded you and cared for you in the wilderness,^bIn the land of drought.6 When they had their pasture, they became ^asatisfied,And being satisfied, their ^bheart became proud (self-centered) ;Therefore they ^cforgot Me.7 So I will be ^alike a lion to them;Like a ^bleopard I will watch and lie in wait ready to attack by the road to Assyria.8 I will encounter them ^alike a bear robbed of her cubs,And I will tear open their chests;There I will also ^bdevour them like a lioness,As a wild beast would tear them.

9 It is your destruction, O Israel,Because you are ^aagainst Me, and have rebelled against your ^bhelp.10 Where now is your ^akingThat he may save you when you are attacked in all your cities?And your ^bjudges of whom you asked,“Give me a king and princes”?11 I ^agave you a king in My anger,And I ^btook him away in My wrath as punishment.

12 The wickedness of Ephraim which is not yet completely punished is bound up as in a bag;His sin is ^astored up for judgment and destruction.13 The pains of ^achildbirth come on him;But he is not a ^bwise son,For it is not the time to ^cdelay his chance at a new birth as the womb opens but he ignores the opportunity to change.14 Shall I ^aransom them from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead) ?Shall I redeem them from death?¹^bO death, where are your thorns?O Sheol, where is your sting?^cCompassion is hidden from My eyes because of their failure to repent. 1+@Cor 15:55

15 For though he ^aflourishes among the reeds (his fellow tribes) ,An ^beast wind (Assyria) will come,The breath of the LORD rising from the desert;And Ephraim’s spring will ^cbecome dryAnd his fountain will be dried up.Assyria will ^dplunder his treasury of every precious object.16 Samaria will be found ^aguilty and become desolate,Because she ^brebelled against her God;^cThey will fall by the ^dsword,Their infants will be ^edashed in pieces,And their pregnant ^fwomen will be ripped open.