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Israel Is Doomed

The Lord said:

13 When your leaders[a] spoke,
everyone in Israel trembled
    and showed great respect.
But you sinned by worshiping Baal,
    and you were destroyed.
Now you continue to sin
    by designing and making
idols of silver
    in the shape of calves.
You are told to sacrifice
to these idols[b]
    yes, even to kiss them.
And so, all of you will vanish
like the mist or the dew
    of early morning,
or husks of grain in the wind
    or smoke from a chimney.

I, the Lord, have been your God
since the time
    you were in Egypt.
I am the only God you know,
    the only one who can save.
(A) I took care of you
    in a thirsty desert.[c]
I fed you till you were satisfied,
then you became proud
    and forgot about me.
Now I will attack like a lion,
    ambush you like a leopard,
and rip you apart like a bear
    robbed of her cubs.
I will gnaw on your bones,
as though I were a lion
    or some other wild animal.
Israel, you are done for.
    Don't expect help from me.[d]
10 (B) You wanted a king and rulers.
Where is your king now?
    What cities have rulers?
11 (C) In my anger, I gave you a king;
    in my fury, I took him away.

Israel's Terrible Fate

The Lord said:

12 Israel, your terrible sins
are written down
    and stored away.
13 You are like a senseless child
who refuses to be born
    at the proper time.
14 (D) Should I, the Lord, rescue you
    from death and the grave?
No! I call death and the grave
to strike you like a plague.
    I refuse to show mercy.

15 No matter if you prosper
    more than the other tribes,[e]
I, the Lord, will wipe you out,
just as a scorching desert wind
    dries up streams of water.
I will take away
    your precious treasures.
16 Samaria[f] will be punished
    for turning against me.
It will be destroyed in war—
children will be beaten
    against rocks,
and pregnant women
    will be ripped open.

Footnotes

  1. 13.1 your leaders: The Hebrew text has “Ephraim,” here meaning Mount Ephraim, where the royal palace of Samaria (capital of the northern kingdom of Israel) was located.
  2. 13.2 You are told … idols: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 13.5 thirsty desert: The 40 years that Israel wandered through the desert, after leaving Egypt.
  4. 13.9 Don't … me: Or “You are against me, the one who helps you.”
  5. 13.15 more … tribes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  6. 13.16 Samaria: The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel.

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