The Hebrew Prophets

For, lo, they have gone because of destruction, Egypt gathereth them, Moph burieth them, The desirable things of their silver, Nettles possess them--a thorn is in their tents.

Come in have the days of inspection, Come in have the days of recompence, Israel doth know! a fool is the prophet, Mad is the man of the Spirit, Because of the abundance of thine iniquity, And great is the hatred.

Ephraim is looking away from My God, The prophet! a snare of a fowler is over all his ways, Hatred is in the house of his God.

They have gone deep--have done corruptly, As in the days of Gibeah, He doth remember their iniquity, He doth inspect their sins.

As grapes in a wilderness I found Israel, As the first-fruit in a fig-tree, at its beginning, I have seen your fathers, They--they have gone in to Baal-Peor, And are separated to a shameful thing, And are become abominable like their love.

Ephraim is as a fowl, Fly away doth their honour, without birth, And without womb, and without conception.

For though they nourish their sons, I have made them childless--without man, Surely also, woe to them, when I turn aside from them.

Ephraim! when I have looked to the rock, Is planted in comeliness, And Ephraim is to bring out unto a slayer his sons.

Give to them, Jehovah--what dost Thou give? Give to them miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.

All their evil is in Gilgal, Surely there I have hated them, Because of the evil of their doings, Out of My house I do drive them, I add not to love them, all their heads are apostates.

Ephraim hath been smitten, Their root hath dried up, fruit they yield not, Yea, though they bring forth, I have put to death the desired of their womb.

Reject them doth my God, Because they have not hearkened to Him, And they are wanderers among nations!

`An empty vine is Israel, Fruit he maketh like to himself, According to the abundance of his fruit, He hath multiplied for the altars, According to the goodness of his land, They have made goodly standing-pillars.

Their heart hath been divided, now they are guilty, He doth break down their altars, He doth destroy their standing-pillars.

For now they say: We have no king, Because we have not feared Jehovah, And the king--what doth he for us?

They have spoken words, To swear falsehood in making a covenant, And flourished as a poisonous herb hath judgment, on the furrows of a field.

For the calves of Beth-Aven fear do inhabitants of Samaria, Surely mourned on account of it hath its people, And its priests on account of it leap about, Because of its honour, for it hath removed from it,

Also it to Asshur is carried, a present to a warlike king, Shame doth Ephraim receive, And ashamed is Israel of its own counsel.

Cut off is Samaria! Its king is as a chip on the face of the waters.

And destroyed have been high places of Aven, the sin of Israel. Thorn and bramble go up on their altars, And they have said to hills, Cover us, And to heights, Fall upon us.

From the days of Gibeah thou hast sinned, O Israel, There they have stood, Not overtake them in Gibeah doth battle, Because of sons of perverseness.

When I desire, then I do bind them, And gathered against them have peoples, When they bind themselves to their two iniquities.

And Ephraim is a trained heifer--loving to thresh, And I--I have passed over on the goodness of its neck, I cause one to ride Ephraim, Plough doth Judah, harrow for him doth Jacob.

Sow for yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to loving-kindness, Till for yourselves tillage of knowledge, To seek Jehovah, Till he come and shew righteousness to you.

Ye have ploughed wickedness, Perversity ye have reaped, Ye have eaten the fruit of lying, For thou hast trusted in thy way, In the abundance of thy might.