¹ Be· not ·glad, O Israel, unto^▵ rejoicing as the peoples; for thou hast committed·​·harlotry from thy God; thou hast loved meretricious^* hire^◦ on every threshing·​·floor of grain.

² The threshing·​·floor and the winepress shall not pasture them, and the must^* shall deny her.

³ They shall not dwell in Jehovah’s land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.

⁴ They shall not pour·​·out wine to Jehovah, nor shall they be·​·agreeable to Him; their sacrifices shall be to them as the bread of sorrows^◦; all that eat of it shall be defiled; for their bread for their soul shall not come·​·into the house of Jehovah.

⁵ What will you do in the solemn day, and in the day of the festival of Jehovah?

⁶ For, behold, they are gone^◦ away because of devastation; Egypt shall bring· them ·together, Memphis shall bury them: their silver shall be desired, kimmos^* shall possess them: the thorny·​·shrub shall be in their tents.

⁷ The days of the visitation have come, the days of the repayment have come; Israel shall know; stupid is the prophet, the man^◦ of the spirit is mad, on·​·account·​·of the multitude of thine iniquity, and much hatred^◦.

⁸ The watchman of Ephraim was with my God; the prophet is like a trap of a fowler in all his ways, hatred^◦ in the house of his God.

⁹ They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity, He will visit their sins.

¹⁰ I found Israel as grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first·​·fruit in the fig·​·tree in her beginning^◦; but they^◦ came to Baal-peor, and separated^▵ themselves to that shame; and their detestable things were according·​·to their love.

¹¹ As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like^◦ a fowl, from the giving·​·birth, and from the belly, and from the conception.

¹² For though they cause their sons to grow·​·up, yet I will make them bereaved of man; for there is also woe to them when I turn·​·aside from them!

¹³ Ephraim, as^◦ I saw Tyre, is planted^◦ in a home; but Ephraim shall bring·​·forth his sons to^▵ the killer.

¹⁴ Give them, O Jehovah; what wilt Thou Give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

¹⁵ All their evil is in Gilgal; for there I hated them: on·​·account·​·of the evil of their actions I will drive· them ·out from My house, I will love them not again; all their princes are defiant.

¹⁶ Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried·​·up, they shall not^▵ make fruit; even though^◦ they give·​·birth, yet will I put·​·to·​·death the desires of their belly.

¹⁷ My God will reject them, because^◦ they did not hearken unto Him; and they shall be fugitives among^◦ the nations.

¹ Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.

² For in many things we all stumble. If anyone doesn't stumble in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also.

³ Indeed, we put bits into the horses' mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body.

⁴ Behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires.

⁵ So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest!

⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.

⁷ For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and thing in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind.

⁸ But nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God.

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

¹¹ Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water?

¹² Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.

¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and don't lie against the truth.

¹⁵ This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

¹⁸ Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.