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Ephraim's Wrongdoing

¹ When I ^(C1)would heal Israel,
The wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered,
And the evil deeds of Samaria,
For they practice ^(C2)deception;
The thief enters,
A band of ^(C3)robbers attack outside,

² And they do not ^(F1)consider in their hearts
That I ^(C1)remember all their wickedness.
Now their ^(C2)deeds surround them;
They are before My face.

^3 (C1)With their wickedness they make the ^(C2)king happy,
And the officials with their ^(C3)lies.

⁴ They are ^(C1)all adulterers,
Like an oven heated by the baker,
Who stops ^(F1)stoking the fire
From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened.

⁵ On the ^(F1)day of our king, the officials ^(C1)became sick with the heat of wine;
He stretched out his hand with ^(F2)(C2)scoffers,

⁶ For their hearts are like an ^(C1)oven
As they approach their ^(F1)plotting;
Their ^(F2)anger ^(F3)smolders all night,
In the morning it burns like flaming fire.

⁷ All of them are hot like an oven,
And they consume their ^(C1)rulers;
All their kings have fallen.
^(C2)None of them calls on Me.

⁸ Ephraim is himself ^(C1)thrown about with the ^(F1)nations;
Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over.

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

¹⁰ Though the ^(C1)pride of Israel testifies against him,
Yet ^(C2)they have not returned to the LORD their God,
Nor have they sought Him, despite all this.

¹¹ So ^(C1)Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, ^(C2)without ^(F1)sense;
They call to ^(C3)Egypt, they go to ^(C4)Assyria.

¹² When they go, I will ^(C1)spread My net over them;
I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
I will ^(C2)discipline them in accordance with the ^(F1)proclamation to their assembly.

^13 (C1)Woe to them, for they have ^(C2)strayed from Me!
Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me!
I ^(C3)would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.

¹⁴ And ^(C1)they do not cry to Me from their heart
When they wail on their beds;
For the sake of grain and new wine they ^(F1)(C2)assemble themselves,
They ^(C3)turn against Me.

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

¹⁶ They turn, but not ^(F1)upward,
They are like a ^(C1)loose bow;
Their officials will fall by the sword
Because of the ^(F2)(C2)insolence of their tongue.
This will be their ^(C3)derision in the land of Egypt.