Online Bible

Ephraim’s Wrongdoing

When I ^awould heal Israel,The wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered,And the evil deeds of Samaria,For they practice ^bdeception;The thief enters,A band of ^crobbers attack outside,2 And they do not ¹consider in their heartsThat I ^aremember all their wickedness.Now their ^bdeeds surround them;They are before My face.3 ^aWith their wickedness they make the ^bking happy,And the officials with their ^clies.4 They are ^aall adulterers,Like an oven heated by the baker,Who stops ¹stoking the fireFrom the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened.5 On the ¹day of our king, the officials ^abecame sick with the heat of wine;He stretched out his hand with ²^bscoffers,6 For their hearts are like an ^aovenAs they approach their ¹plotting;Their ²anger ³smolders all night,In the morning it burns like flaming fire.7 All of them are hot like an oven,And they consume their ^arulers;All their kings have fallen.^bNone of them calls on Me.

8 Ephraim is himself ^athrown about with the ¹nations;Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over.9 ^aStrangers devour his strength,Yet he ^bdoes not know it;Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him,Yet he does not know it.10 Though the ^apride of Israel testifies against him,Yet ^bthey have not returned to the LORD their God,Nor have they sought Him, despite all this.11 So ^aEphraim has become like a gullible dove, ^bwithout ¹sense;They call to ^cEgypt, they go to ^dAssyria.12 When they go, I will ^aspread My net over them;I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.I will ^bdiscipline them in accordance with the ¹proclamation to their assembly.13 ^aWoe to them, for they have ^bstrayed from Me!Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me!I ^cwould redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.14 And ^athey do not cry to Me from their heartWhen they wail on their beds;For the sake of grain and new wine they ¹^bassemble themselves,They ^cturn against Me.15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,Yet they ^adevise evil against Me.16 They turn, but not ¹upward,They are like a ^aloose bow;Their officials will fall by the swordBecause of the ²^binsolence of their tongue.This will be their ^cderision in the land of Egypt.