Retribution for Israel’s Sin

1 Israel is a 1luxuriant avine;

He produces fruit for himself.

The more his fruit,

The more altars he bmade;

The 2richer his land,

The better 3he made the sacred cpillars.

2 Their heart is 1afaithless;

Now they must bear their bguilt.

2The Lord will cbreak down their altars

And destroy their sacred pillars.

3 Surely now they will say, “We have ano king,

For we do not revere the Lord.

As for the king, what can he do for us?”

4 They speak mere words,

1With aworthless oaths they make covenants;

And bjudgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria will fear

For the 1acalf of bBeth-aven.

Indeed, its people will mourn for it,

And its cidolatrous priests 2will cry out over it,

Over its dglory, since it has departed from it.

6 The thing itself will be carried to aAssyria

As tribute to 1bKing Jareb;

Ephraim will 2be cseized with shame

And Israel will be ashamed of its down counsel.

7 Samaria will be acut off with her king

Like a stick on the surface of the water.

8 Also the ahigh places of Aven, the bsin of Israel, will be destroyed;

cThorn and thistle will grow on their altars;

Then they will dsay to the mountains,

“Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

9 From the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel;

There they stand!

Will not the battle against the sons of iniquity overtake them in Gibeah?

10 When it is My adesire, I will 1bchastise them;

And cthe peoples will be gathered against them

When they are bound for their double guilt.

11 Ephraim is a trained aheifer that loves to thresh,

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

I will harness Ephraim,

Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.

12 aSow with a view to righteousness,

Reap in accordance with 1kindness;

bBreak up your fallow ground,

For it is time to cseek the Lord

Until He dcomes to 2erain righteousness on you.

13 You have aplowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,

You have eaten the fruit of blies.

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

14 Therefore a tumult will arise among your people,

And all your afortresses will be destroyed,

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

When bmothers 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.