13:1 When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.
13:2 Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, “They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calf-idols.”
13:3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window.
13:4 “But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.
13:5 I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat.
13:6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.
13:7 So I will come upon them like a lion, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
13:8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open. Like a lion I will devour them; a wild animal will tear them apart.
13:9 “You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper.
13:10 Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’?
13:11 So in my anger I gave you a king, and in my wrath I took him away.
13:12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up, his sins are kept on record.
13:13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him, but he is a child without wisdom; when the time arrives, he does not come to the opening of the womb.
13:14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? “I will have no compassion,
13:15 even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the LORD will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treasures.
13:16 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open.”
13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. / He exalted himself in Israel; / But he trespassed through Baal and died.
13:2 And now they sin more and more / And make molten images for themselves out of their silver, / Idols according to their own understanding, / All of it the work of craftsmen. / Of them they say, / Let the men who sacrifice / Kiss the calves.
13:3 Therefore they will be like a morning cloud / And like dew that departs early, / Like chaff driven by a storm wind from the threshing floor / And like smoke from a window vent.
13:4 But I have been Jehovah your God / Since the land of Egypt; / And you were to know no god except Me, / For there is no savior besides Me.
13:5 I knew you in the wilderness, / In the land of great drought.
13:6 According to their pasturage they became full; / They became full, and their heart was exalted; / Therefore they have forgotten Me.
13:7 Thus I will be to them like a lion; / Like a leopard I will watch them along the way.
13:8 I will meet them like a bear robbed of her cubs, / And I will tear away the covering of their heart; / And I will devour them there like a lioness; / The beast of the field will tear them to pieces.
13:9 It is your destruction, O Israel, / That you are against Me, against your help.
13:10 Where then is your king, / That he may save you in all your cities, / And your judges of whom you said, / Give me a king and some princes?
13:11 I gave you a king in My anger / And took him away in My overflowing wrath.
13:12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; / His sin is laid up in store.
13:13 The pains of a woman giving birth will come upon him. / He is an unwise son; / For he should not delay at the time / The children break forth.
13:14 From the power of Sheol I will ransom them; / From death I will redeem them. / Where are your plagues, O death? / Where is your destruction, O Sheol? / Repentance will be hidden from My eyes.
13:15 Even if he should be fruitful among his brothers, / An east wind will come, / A wind of Jehovah / Coming up from the wilderness, / And his spring will become dry, / And his fountain will be dried up. / He will plunder the treasure / Of every desirable vessel.
13:16 Samaria will be guilty, / For she rebelled against her God. / They will fall by the sword; / Their children will be dashed in pieces, / And their pregnant women will be ripped up.