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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 (A) I took care of you
in a thirsty desert.[c]
6 I fed you till you were satisfied,
then you became proud
and forgot about me.
7 Now I will attack like a lion,
ambush you like a leopard,
8 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.
9 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
- 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.
- 13.2 You are told … idols: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 13.5 thirsty desert: The 40 years that Israel wandered through the desert, after leaving Egypt.
- 13.9 Don't … me: Or “You are against me, the one who helps you.”
- 13.15 more … tribes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 13.16 Samaria: The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel.