1 W hen Ephraim speaketh tremblingly, He hath been lifted up in Israel, When he becometh guilty in Baal he dieth.

When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, But through Baal he did wrong and died.

2 A nd now do they add to sin, And make to them a molten image of their silver, By their own understanding -- idols, A work of artizans -- all of it, Of them they say, who sacrificers among men, `The calves let them kiss.'

And now they sin more and more, And make for themselves molten images, Idols skillfully made from their silver, All of them the work of craftsmen. They say of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!”

3 T herefore they are as a cloud of the morning, And as dew, rising early, going away, As chaff tossed about out of a floor, And as smoke out of a window.

Therefore they will be like the morning cloud And like dew which soon disappears, Like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor And like smoke from a chimney.

4 A nd I Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt, And a God besides Me thou dost not know, And a Saviour -- there is none save Me.

Yet I have been the Lord your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me.

5 I -- I have known thee in a wilderness, In a land of droughts.

I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought.

6 A ccording to their feedings they are satiated, They have been satiated, And their heart is lifted up, Therefore they have forgotten Me,

As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me.

7 A nd I am to them as a lion, As a leopard by the way I look out.

So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside.

8 I do meet them as a bereaved bear, And I rend the enclosure of their heart.

I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them.

9 A nd I consume them there as a lioness, A beast of the field doth rend them.

It is your destruction, O Israel, That you are against Me, against your help.

10 T hou hast destroyed thyself, O Israel, But in Me thy help, Where thy king now -- And he doth save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges of whom thou didst say, `Give to me a king and heads?'

Where now is your king That he may save you in all your cities, And your judges of whom you requested, “Give me a king and princes”?

11 I give to thee a king in Mine anger, And I take away in My wrath.

I gave you a king in My anger And took him away in My wrath.

12 B ound up the iniquity of Ephraim, Hidden his sin,

The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; His sin is stored up.

13 P angs of a travailing woman come to him, He a son not wise, For he remaineth not the time for the breaking forth of sons.

The pains of childbirth come upon him; He is not a wise son, For it is not the time that he should delay at the opening of the womb.

14 F rom the hand of Sheol I do ransom them, From death I redeem them, Where thy plague, O death? Where thy destruction, O Sheol? Repentance is hid from Mine eyes.

Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight.

15 T hough he among brethren produceth fruit, Come in doth an east wind, a wind of Jehovah, From a wilderness it is coming up, And it drieth up his fountain, And become dry doth his spring, It -- it spoileth a treasure -- every desirable vessel.

Though he flourishes among the reeds, An east wind will come, The wind of the Lord coming up from the wilderness; And his fountain will become dry And his spring will be dried up; It will plunder his treasury of every precious article.

16 B ecome desolate doth Samaria, Because she hath rebelled against her God, By sword they do fall, Their sucklings are dashed in pieces, And its pregnant ones are ripped up!

Samaria will be held guilty, For she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, Their little ones will be dashed in pieces, And their pregnant women will be ripped open.