[1] Israel is a branching vine, full of fruit; as his fruit is increased,
so the number of his altars is increased; as the land is fair, so they have
made fair pillars. [2] Their mind is taken away; now they will be made
waste: he will have their altars broken down, he will give their pillars to
destruction. [3] Now, truly, they will say, We have no king, we have no
fear of the Lord; and the king, what is he able to do for us? [4] Their
words are foolish; they make agreements with false oaths, so punishment
will come up like a poison-plant in a ploughed field. [5] The people of
Samaria will be full of fear because of the ox of Beth-aven; its people
will have sorrow for it, and its priests will give cries of grief for its
glory, for the glory has gone in flight. [6] And they will take it to
Assyria and give it to the great king; shame will come on Ephraim, and
Israel will be shamed because of its image. [7] As for Samaria, her king is
cut off, like mist on the water. [8] And the high places of Aven, the sin
of Israel, will come to destruction; thorns and waste plants will come up
on their altars; they will say to the mountains, Be a cover over us; and to
the hills, Come down on us. [9] O Israel, you have done evil from the days
of Gibeah; there they took up their position, so that the fighting against
the children of evil might not overtake them in Gibeah. [10] I will come
and give them punishment; and the peoples will come together against them
when I give them the reward of their two sins. [11] And Ephraim is a
trained cow, taking pleasure in crushing the grain; but I have put a yoke
on her fair neck; I will put a horseman on the back of Ephraim; Judah will
be working the plough, Jacob will be turning up the earth. [12] Put in the
seed of righteousness, get in your grain in mercy, let your unploughed
earth be turned up: for it is time to make search for the Lord, till he
comes and sends righteousness on you like rain. [13] You have been
ploughing sin, you have got in a store of evil, the fruit of deceit has
been your food: for you put faith in your way, in the number of your men of
war. [14] So a great outcry will go up from among your people, and all your
strong places will be broken, as Beth-arbel was broken by Shalman in the
day of war, as the mother was broken on the rocks with her children. [15]
So will Beth-el do to you because of your evil-doing; at dawn will the king
of Israel be cut off completely.
