Ephraim’s Iniquity 1 UDB As often as I try to heal Israel, the people openly show that they are sinning, and the people in the city of Samaria show the same thing. They lie and cheat in their buying and selling; they are like lawless men who attack people who are walking in the streets. BSB BSB: When I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed, as well as the crimes of Samaria. For they practice deceit and thieves break in; bandits raid in the streets.
2 UDB But they do not take a moment to think that I, Yahweh, see everything they do. Everywhere they go, they commit evil, and I see it all. BSB BSB: But they fail to consider in their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.
3 UDB The wicked things they do bring delight to their king, and the king's officials are happy when they tell lies. BSB BSB: They delight the king with their evil, and the princes with their lies.
4 UDB They are all sexually immoral; they burn with lust like a baker's oven that is burning hot; once he lights the fire, he does not need to put any more wood on it, until he is ready to bake the bread. BSB BSB: They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by a baker who needs not stoke the fire from the kneading to the rising of the dough.
5 UDB At the king's festivals, his officials do outrageous things because they are drunk with wine, and the king joins in with them as they mock me. BSB BSB: The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.
6 UDB But these same officials then set about making plans to murder the king. They are quietly angry all night, and they are openly angry in the morning. BSB BSB: For they prepare their heart like an oven while they lie in wait; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 UDB All those officials become so angry at the king, that they kill all their rulers. In the end, all their kings were killed; not one of them called on me, Yahweh, to help." BSB BSB: All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls upon Me.
8 UDB "Israel joins with other peoples, but all the people are like a flat cake that is only cooked on one side; they are weak. BSB BSB: Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is an unturned cake.
9 UDB People who come from far away have taken away Israel's strength. The nation is gorwing very weak, like an old man whose hair is turning gray. But the nation does not know it is weak. BSB BSB: Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not know.
10 UDB Israel is so proud that everyone else sees it. Even so, they will not return to me—to Yahweh their God. They will not try to persuade me to have mercy on them, no matter what happens to them. BSB BSB: Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the LORD their God; despite all this, they do not seek Him.
11 UDB Israel is like a foolish bird, a dove that anyone can easily deceive. He calls out first to Egypt, and then like a bird, he flies up to Assyria. BSB BSB: So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
12 UDB But when they are on their way there, I will spread my net over them, I will bring them down as a hunter brings down birds from the air into a net. I will punish them all together. BSB BSB: As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together.
13 UDB How terrible it will be for my people, because they have abandoned me! They will perish because they have rebelled against me. I wanted to rescue them, but they kept telling lies against me. BSB BSB: Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me! Though I would redeem them, they speak lies against Me.
14 UDB They do not cry out to me; they do not call to me from their hearts; they only lie on their beds and howl and cry out. They meet together to ask their idols for their grain and new wine. They have rebelled against me. BSB BSB: They do not cry out to Me from their hearts when they wail upon their beds. They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from Me.
15 UDB Even though I trained them and helped them become strong, even now they are planning to do evil against me. BSB BSB: Although I trained and strengthened their arms, they plot evil against Me.
16 UDB They go this way and that, but never to me, God Most High. They are like a bow that cannot shoot. Their officers will be killed by their enemies' swords; they will die because they have insulted me. This is why the people in Egypt will insult them." BSB BSB: They turn, but not to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword for the cursing of their tongue; for this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.