11 Ephraim is a trained heifer

that loves to thresh;

so I will put a yoke

on her fair neck.

I will drive Ephraim,

Judah must plow,

and Jacob must break up the ground.

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the Lord,

until he comes

and showers his righteousness on you.

13 But you have planted wickedness,

you have reaped evil,

you have eaten the fruit of deception.

Because you have depended on your own strength

and on your many warriors,

14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,

so that all your fortresses will be devastated—

as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,

when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.

15 So will it happen to you, Bethel,

because your wickedness is great.

When that day dawns,

the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

11 Ephraim was a trained calf

that loved to thresh,

and I spared her fair neck;

but I will put Ephraim to the yoke;

Judah must plow;

Jacob must harrow for himself.

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;

reap steadfast love;

break up your fallow ground,

for it is the time to seek the Lord,

that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

13 You have plowed iniquity;

you have reaped injustice;

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your own way

and in the multitude of your warriors,

14 therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people,

and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,

as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;

mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,

because of your great evil.

At dawn the king of Israel

shall be utterly cut off.

11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn;

But I passed over upon her fair neck:

I will make Ephraim to ride;

Judah shall plow,

And Jacob shall break his clods.

12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness,

Reap in mercy;

Break up your fallow ground:

For it is time to seek the Lord,

Till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity;

Ye have eaten the fruit of lies:

Because thou didst trust in thy way,

In the multitude of thy mighty men.

14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people,

And all thy fortresses shall be spoiled,

As Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle:

The mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.

15 So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness:

In a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

11 “Israel is like a trained heifer treading out the grain—

an easy job she loves.

But I will put a heavy yoke on her tender neck.

I will force Judah to pull the plow

and Israel to break up the hard ground.

12 I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,

and you will harvest a crop of love.

Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,

for now is the time to seek the Lord,

that he may come

and shower righteousness upon you.’

13 “But you have cultivated wickedness

and harvested a thriving crop of sins.

You have eaten the fruit of lies—

trusting in your military might,

believing that great armies

could make your nation safe.

14 Now the terrors of war

will rise among your people.

All your fortifications will fall,

just as when Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel.

Even mothers and children

were dashed to death there.

15 You will share that fate, Bethel,

because of your great wickedness.

When the day of judgment dawns,

the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

11 Ephraim is a trained heifer

That loves to thresh grain;

But I harnessed her fair neck,

I will make Ephraim pull a plow.

Judah shall plow;

Jacob shall break his clods.”

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;

Reap in mercy;

Break up your fallow ground,

For it is time to seek the Lord,

Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

13 You have plowed wickedness;

You have reaped iniquity.

You have eaten the fruit of lies,

Because you trusted in your own way,

In the multitude of your mighty men.

14 Therefore tumult shall arise among your people,

And all your fortresses shall be plundered

As Shalman plundered Beth Arbel in the day of battle—

A mother dashed in pieces upon her children.

15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,

Because of your great wickedness.

At dawn the king of Israel

Shall be cut off utterly.

11 Israel is like a well-trained young cow

that likes to thresh grain.

I will put a yoke on her neck

and make her work hard in the field.

Israel will plow,

and Judah will break up the ground.

12 I said, ‘Plant goodness,

harvest the fruit of loyalty,

plow the new ground of knowledge.

Look for the Lord until he comes

and pours goodness on you like water.’

13 But you have plowed evil

and harvested trouble;

you have eaten the fruit of your lies.

Because you have trusted in your own power

and your many soldiers,

14 your people will hear the noise of battle,

and all your strong, walled cities will be destroyed.

It will be like the time King Shalman

destroyed Beth Arbel in battle,

when mothers and their children were bashed to death.

15 The same will happen to you, people of Bethel,

because you did so much evil.

When the sun comes up,

the king of Israel will die.

11 And Ephraim is a trained heifer, that loveth to tread out the corn; I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to draw; Judah shall plough, Jacob shall break his clods. 12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13 Ye have ploughed wickedness, reaped iniquity, eaten the fruit of lies; for thou didst confide in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men. 14 And a tumult shall arise among thy peoples, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces with the children. 15 So shall Bethel do unto you because of the wickedness of your wickedness: at day-break shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

11 “Ephraim is like a trained calf that loves to threshgrain. 

I will put a yokeon its beautiful neck. 

I will harness Ephraim. 

Judah must plow. 

Jacob must break up the ground. 

12 “Break new ground. 

Plant righteousness, 

and harvest the fruit that your loyalty will produce for me.” 

It’s time to seek the Lord! 

When he comes, he will rain righteousness on you. 

13 You have planted wickedness and harvested evil. 

You have eaten the fruit that your lies produced. 

You have trusted your own power and your many warriors. 

14 So your army will hear the noise of battle. 

All your fortresses will be destroyed 

like the time Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel in battle. 

Mothers and their children were smashed to death. 

15 This is what will happen to you, Bethel, 

because you have done many wicked things. 

At daybreak, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed. 

11 Ephraim is a well-trained calf

that loves to thresh,

but I will place a yoke on her fine neck.

I will harness Ephraim;

Judah will plow;

Jacob will do the final plowing.

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves

and reap faithful love;

break up your unplowed ground.

It is time to seek the Lord

until He comes and sends righteousness

on you like the rain.

13 You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice;

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your own way

and in your large number of soldiers,

14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,

and all your fortifications will be demolished

in a day of war,

like Shalman’s destruction of Beth-arbel.

Mothers will be dashed to pieces

along with their children.

15 So it will be done to you, Bethel,

because of your extreme evil.

At dawn the king of Israel will be totally destroyed.

11 Ephraim was a trained heifer

that loved to thresh,

and I spared her fair neck;

but I will make Ephraim break the ground;

Judah must plow;

Jacob must harrow for himself.

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;

reap steadfast love;

break up your fallow ground;

for it is time to seek the Lord,

that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

13 You have plowed wickedness,

you have reaped injustice,

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your power

and in the multitude of your warriors,

14 therefore the tumult of war shall rise against your people,

and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,

as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle

when mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,

because of your great wickedness.

At dawn the king of Israel

shall be utterly cut off.

11 Ephraim was a trained heifer,

that loved to thresh grain,

and I myself spared

the fairness of her neck;

I will make Ephraim break the ground,

Judah will plow,

Jacob must till for himself.

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;

reap loyal love.

Break up for yourself fallow ground;

it is time to seek Yahweh

so he will come and rain

righteousness upon you.

13 You have plowed wickedness,

you have reaped injustice,

you have eaten the fruit of lies,

because you have trusted in your strength,

in the multitude of your warriors.

14 The tumult of war will rise up against your people,

and all your fortresses will be destroyed,

as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel;

on the day of war

mothers were dashed to pieces with their children.

15 So it will be done to you, O Bethel,

because of the evil of your wickedness;

at dawn, the king of Israel

will be utterly destroyed.

11 Ephraim, you were like a well-trained young cow.

It loved to thresh grain.

I spared its pretty neck

from pulling heavy loads.

But now I will make you do hard work.

Judah also must plow.

So all of the people of Jacob

must break up the ground.

12 Your hearts are as hard as a field

that has not been plowed.

If you change your ways,

you will produce good crops.

So plant the seeds of doing what is right.

Then you will harvest the fruit of your faithful love.

It is time to turn to me.

When you do, I will come

and shower my blessings on you.

13 But you have planted the seeds of doing what is wrong.

So you have harvested the fruit of your evil conduct.

You have had to eat the fruit of your lies.

You have trusted in your own strength.

You have depended on your many soldiers.

14 But the roar of battle will come against you.

All of your forts will be completely destroyed.

It will happen just as Shalman

destroyed Beth Arbel in a battle.

Mothers and their children

were smashed on the ground.

15 People of Bethel, that will happen to you.

You have committed far too many sins.

When the time for me to punish you comes,

your king will be completely destroyed.”

11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh,

But I will come over her fair neck with a yoke;

I will harness Ephraim,

Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.

12 Sow with a view to righteousness,

Reap in accordance with kindness;

Break up your fallow ground,

For it is time to seek the Lord

Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

13 You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,

You have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors,

14 Therefore a tumult will arise among your people,

And all your fortresses will be destroyed,

As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,

When mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

15 Thus it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.

At dawn the king of Israel will be completely cut off.