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Ephraim's Sin

¹ When I ^(C1)would heal Israel,
The sin (guilt) of Ephraim is uncovered,
And the wickedness of ^(F1)Samaria,
Because they practice ^(C2)false dealing;
The thief enters,
^(C3)Bandits ravage and raid outside.

² But they do not consider in their hearts (minds)
That I ^(C1)remember always all their wickedness.
Now their ^(C2)deeds surround and entangle them;
They are before My face.

³ They make the ^(C1)king glad ^(C2)with their wickedness,
And the princes with their ^(C3)lies.

⁴ They are ^(C1)all adulterers;
Like the heat of an oven
When the baker ceases to stir the fire, their passion smolders
From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.

⁵ On the special day of our king, the princes ^(C1)became sick with the heat of wine;
The king stretched out his hand in association with ^(C2)scoffers (lawless people).

⁶ As they approach their plotting,
Their mind burns with intrigue like an ^(C1)oven while they lie in wait.
Their anger smolders all night;
In the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

⁷ They are all hot like an oven
And they consume their ^(C1)judges (rulers);
All their kings have fallen.
There is ^(C2)no one among them who calls to Me.

⁸ Ephraim ^(C1)mixes himself with the Gentile nations seeking favor with one country, then another;
Ephraim is a cake not turned worthless; ready to be thrown away.

^9 (C1)Strangers have devoured his strength,
Yet he ^(C2)does not know it;
Gray hairs are sprinkled on him,
Yet he does not know.

¹⁰ Though the ^(C1)pride of Israel testifies against him,
Yet ^(C2)they do not return in repentance to the LORD their God,
Nor seek nor search for nor desire Him as essential in spite of all this.

^11 (C1)Ephraim also is like a silly dove, ^(C2)without heart or good sense;
They call to ^(C3)Egypt for help, they go to ^(C4)Assyria.

¹² When they go, I will ^(C1)spread My net over them;
I will bring them down like birds of the heavens into Assyrian captivity.
I will ^(C2)chastise them in accordance with the proclamation (prophecy) to their congregation. ^(VR1)

^13 (C1)Woe (judgment is coming) to them, for they have ^(C2)wandered away from Me!
Devastation is theirs, because they have rebelled and trespassed against Me!
I ^(C3)would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me.

^14 (C1)They do not cry out to Me from their heart
When they wail on their beds in unbelieving despair;
For the sake of grain and new wine they ^(F1)(C2)assemble themselves as if worshiping Baal;
They ^(C3)rebel against Me.

¹⁵ Although I trained and strengthened their arms for victory over their enemies,
Yet they ^(C1)devise evil against Me.

¹⁶ They turn, but they do not turn upward to the Most High.
They are like a ^(C1)poorly crafted bow that misses the mark;
Their princes shall fall by the sword
Because of the ^(C2)insolence of their tongue.
This will be cause for their ^(C3)mockery and disdain in the land of Egypt.