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Retribution for Israel's Sin

¹ Israel is a luxuriant ^(C1)vine;
He produces fruit for himself.
The more his fruit,
The more altars he ^(C2)made;
The ^(F1)richer his land,
The better ^(F2)he made the ^(C3)memorial stones.

² Their heart is ^(F1)(C1)deceitful;
Now they must suffer for their ^(C2)guilt.
^(F2)The LORD will ^(C3)break down their altars
And destroy their memorial stones.

³ Certainly now they will say, "We have ^(C1)no king,
For we do not revere the LORD.
As for the king, what can he do for us?"

⁴ They speak mere words,
^(F1)With ^(C1)worthless oaths they make covenants;
And ^(C2)judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

⁵ The inhabitants of Samaria will fear
For the ^(F1)(C1)calf of ^(C2)Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn for it,
And its ^(C3)idolatrous priests ^(F2)will cry out over it,
Over its ^(C4)glory, since it has left it.

⁶ The thing itself will be brought to ^(C1)Assyria
As a gift of tribute to ^(F1)(C2)King Jareb;
Ephraim will ^(F2)be ^(C3)seized with shame,
And Israel will be ashamed of its ^(C4)own plan.

⁷ Samaria will be ^(C1)destroyed with her king,
Like a twig on the surface of the water.

⁸ Also the ^(C1)high places of Aven, the ^(C2)sin of Israel, will be destroyed;
^(C3)Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars;
Then they will ^(C4)say to the mountains,
"Cover us!" And to the hills, "Fall on us!"

⁹ Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel;
There they stand!
Will the battle against the sons of injustice not overtake them in Gibeah?

¹⁰ When it is My ^(C1)desire, I will ^(F1)(C2)discipline them;
And ^(C3)the peoples will be gathered against them
When they are bound for their double guilt.

¹¹ Ephraim is a trained ^(C1)heifer that loves to thresh,
^(F1)And I ^(C2)passed over her lovely neck;
I will harness Ephraim,
Judah will plow, Jacob will ^(F2)harrow for himself.

^12 (C1)Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness;
Harvest in accordance with ^(F1)kindness.
^(C2)Break up your uncultivated ground,
For it is time to ^(C3)seek the LORD
Until He ^(C4)comes and ^(C5)rains righteousness on you.

¹³ You have ^(C1)plowed wickedness, you have harvested injustice,
You have eaten the fruit of ^(C2)lies.
Because you have trusted in your way, in your ^(C3)many warriors,

¹⁴ An uproar will arise among your people,
And all your ^(C1)fortresses will be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
When ^(C2)mothers were ^(F1)slaughtered with their children.

¹⁵ So it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.