God’s Word Against the Leaders
5 “·Listen [Hear this], you priests.
Pay attention, ·people [L house] of Israel.
Listen, ·royal family [L house of the king],
because you will all be judged.
You have been like a ·trap [snare] at Mizpah
and like a net spread out at Mount Tabor [C hunting places in Israel].
2 ·You have done many evil things [L The rebels are deep into slaughter; or You have dug a deep pit at Shittim/Acacia],
so I will ·punish [discipline] you all.
3 I know all about Ephraim [C Israel; 4:17];
what Israel has done is not hidden from me.
Now Ephraim acts like a prostitute,
and Israel has ·made itself unclean [L defiled himself].
4 “·They will not give up their deeds
and [or Their deeds won’t let them] return to their God.
·They are determined to be unfaithful to me [L For a spirit of prostitution is within them];
they do not know the Lord.
5 Israel’s ·pride [arrogance] testifies against them.
·The people of Israel [L Israel and Ephraim; 4:17] will stumble because of their ·sin [iniquity],
and ·the people of Judah [L Judah] will stumble with them.
6 They will come to ·worship [L seek] the Lord,
bringing their flocks and herds,
but they will not be able to find him,
because he has ·left [withdrawn from] them.
7 They have ·not been true to [been unfaithful to; dealt treacherously with] the Lord;
they ·are children who do not belong to him [or bear illegitimate/alien children].
So ·their false worship [L a new moon; C a festival]
will ·destroy [L devour] them and their ·land [wealth; portion].
8 “Blow the ·horn [trumpet; ram’s horn] in Gibeah
and the trumpet in Ramah [C used to sound a warning or call to battle].
·Give the warning [Sound the alarm; Raise the battle cry] at Beth Aven [4:15],
·and be first into battle [or lead on; or we are with you], ·people of Benjamin [L Benjamin].
9 ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17] will be ·ruined [laid waste; desolate]
on the day of ·punishment [rebuke; reckoning].
To the tribes of Israel
I ·tell the truth [L make known what is certain].
10 The ·leaders [princes] of Judah are like those
who ·steal other people’s land [L move boundary markers; C a serious crime in the ancient world; Deut. 19:14; 27:17; Prov. 15:25].
I will pour my ·punishment over [wrath on] them
like ·a flood of water [L water].
11 ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17] is ·beaten down [oppressed] and crushed by the ·punishment [judgment],
because it ·decided [was determined] to follow ·idols [or worthless things; or human precepts].
12 I am like a moth to ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17],
like ·a rot [wood rot; decay] to the ·people [L house] of Judah.
13 “When ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17] saw its illness
and Judah saw its ·wounds [or sores],
·Israel [L Ephraim] went to Assyria for help
and sent to the great ·king of Assyria [L king].
But he cannot heal you
or cure your wounds.
14 I will be like a lion to ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17],
like a young lion to ·Judah [L the house of Judah].
·I will attack them
and tear them to pieces [L I, even I, will tear them and go away].
I will drag them off,
and no one will be able to ·save [rescue] them.
15 Then I will go back to my ·place [lair; dwelling place]
until they ·suffer for [or admit] their guilt and ·turn back to me [L seek my face].
In their ·trouble [distress; affliction] they will look for me.”