God

And by a prophet hath Jehovah brought up Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet it hath been watched.

Ephraim hath provoked most bitterly, And his blood on himself he leaveth, And his reproach turn back to him doth his Lord!

And I am Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt, And a God besides Me thou dost not know, And a Saviour--there is none save Me.

I--I have known thee in a wilderness, In a land of droughts.

According to their feedings they are satiated, They have been satiated, And their heart is lifted up, Therefore they have forgotten Me,

And I am to them as a lion, As a leopard by the way I look out.

I do meet them as a bereaved bear, And I rend the enclosure of their heart.

And I consume them there as a lioness, A beast of the field doth rend them.

Thou hast destroyed thyself, O Israel, But in Me is thy help, Where is thy king now--And he doth save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges of whom thou didst say, `Give to me a king and heads?'

I give to thee a king in Mine anger, And I take away in My wrath.

From the hand of Sheol I do ransom them, From death I redeem them, Where is thy plague, O death? Where thy destruction, O Sheol? Repentance is hid from Mine eyes.

Though he among brethren produceth fruit, Come in doth an east wind, a wind of Jehovah, From a wilderness it is coming up, And it drieth up his fountain, And become dry doth his spring, It--it spoileth a treasure--every desirable vessel.

Become desolate doth Samaria, Because she hath rebelled against her God, By sword they do fall, Their sucklings are dashed in pieces, And its pregnant ones are ripped up!

Turn back, O Israel, unto Jehovah thy God, For thou hast stumbled by thine iniquity.

Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah, Say ye unto Him: `Take away all iniquity, and give good, And we do render the fruit of our lips.

Asshur doth not save us, on a horse we ride not, Nor do we say any more, Our God, to the work of our hands, For in Thee find mercy doth the fatherless.'

I heal their backsliding, I love them freely, For turned back hath Mine anger from him.

I am as dew to Israel, he flourisheth as a lily, And he striketh forth his roots as Lebanon.

O Ephraim, what to Me any more with idols? I--I afflicted, and I cause him to sing: `I am as a green fir-tree,' From Me is thy fruit found.

Who is wise, and doth understand these? Prudent, and knoweth them? For upright are the ways of Jehovah, And the righteous go on in them, And the transgressors stumble therein!

A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Joel, son of Pethuel:

For a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.

It hath made my vine become a desolation, And my fig-tree become a chip, It hath made it thoroughly bare, and hath cast down, Made white have been its branches.

Cut off hath been present and libation from the house of Jehovah, Mourned have the priests, ministrants of Jehovah.

Gird, and lament, ye priests, Howl, ye ministrants of the altar, Come in, lodge in sackcloth, ministrants of my God, For withheld from the house of your God hath been present and libation.