10:1 Israel is a luxuriant vine bringing forth a great bounty of fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built. The more prosperous his land became, the richer he made the sacred pillars.
10:2 Their heart is false; now they must pay the penalty for the guilt. God himself will destroy their altars and demolish their sacred pillars.
10:3 Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not serve the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?”
10:4 They make many empty promises, swear false oaths and draw up treaties. Thus litigation spreads like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the fields.
10:5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven. The people mourn for it, and its idolatrous priests mourn over it, over its glory that has departed from it.
10:6 It will be carried to Assyria as an offering to the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced, and Israel will be shamed by his schemes.
10:7 The king of Samaria will float away like a flimsy twig drifting on the water.
10:8 The high places of Aven will be destroyed, the shrines where Israel sinned. Thorns and thistles shall flourish and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
10:9 Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?
10:10 I have come to confront the rebels and to chastise them. Nations shall mass against them to punish them for their two crimes.
10:11 Ephraim was a trained heifer that loved to thresh grain. I myself laid a yoke upon her fair neck. However, I will harness Ephraim; Judah will be forced to plow, and Jacob will harrow the land.
10:12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, and reap a harvest of steadfast love. Break up your fallow ground; it is time to seek the Lord so that he may come and rain down righteousness upon you.
10:13 However, you have plowed wickedness and reaped depravity; you have eaten the fruit of falsehood. Because you have trusted in your chariots and in your multitude of warriors,
10:14 the tumult of war will engulf your people, and all your fortresses will be destroyed, as Salman devastated Beth-arbel on the day of battle when mothers were dashed to pieces with their children.
10:15 Thus shall it be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness. At dawn the king of Israel will be utterly destroyed.
Your support helps pay our hosting costs, and
- with a little bit extra -
lets us pay transcribers and proofreaders.
If you can help, Click here to become a Patreon:
www.patreon.com/IslamAwakened Thank you!