Read the Bible

¹ When your leaders^[a] spoke,
everyone in Israel trembled
    and showed great respect.
But you sinned by worshiping Baal,
    and you were destroyed.
² Now you continue to sin
    by designing and making
idols of silver
    in the shape of calves.
You are told to sacrifice
to these idols^[b]—
    yes, even to kiss them.
³ And so, all of you will vanish
like the mist
or the dew
    of early morning,
or husks of grain in the wind
    or smoke from a chimney.

⁴ I, the Lord, have been your God
since the time
    you were in Egypt.
I am the only God you know,
    the only one who can save.
⁵ I took care of you
    in a thirsty desert.^[c]
6 I fed you till you were satisfied,
then you became proud
    and forgot about me.
⁷ Now I will attack like a lion,
    ambush you like a leopard,
⁸ and rip you apart like a bear
    robbed of her cubs.
I will gnaw on your bones,
as though I were a lion
    or some other wild animal.
⁹ Israel, you are done for.
    Don't expect help from me.^[d]
10 You wanted a king and rulers.
Where is your king now?
    What cities have rulers?
¹¹ In my anger, I gave you a king;
    in my fury, I took him away.

¹² Israel, your terrible sins
are written down
    and stored away.
¹³ You are like a senseless child
who refuses to be born
    at the proper time.
¹⁴ Should I, the Lord, rescue you
    from death and the grave?
No! I call death and the grave
to strike you like a plague.
    I refuse to show mercy.

¹⁵ No matter how much you prosper
    more than the other tribes,^[e]
I, the Lord, will wipe you out,
just as a scorching desert wind
    dries up streams of water.
I will take away
    your precious treasures.
¹⁶ Samaria^[f] will be punished
    for turning against me.
It will be destroyed in war—
children will be beaten
    against rocks,
and pregnant women
    will be ripped open.