¹ Cuando Efraín hablaba, todos tenían temor; fue ensalzado en Israel; mas pecó en Baal, y murió.

² Y ahora añadieron a su pecado, y de su plata se han hecho según su entendimiento estatuas de fundición, ídolos, toda obra de artífices; acerca de los cuales dicen a los hombres que sacrifican, que besen los becerros.

³ Por tanto, serán como la niebla de la mañana, y como el rocío de la madrugada que se pasa; como el tamo que la tempestad arroja de la era, y como el humo que de la chimenea sale.

⁴ Mas yo soy el SEÑOR tu Dios desde la tierra de Egipto; por tanto no conocerás Dios fuera de mí, ni otro salvador sino a mí.

⁵ Yo te conocí en el desierto, en tierra seca.

⁶ En sus pastos se hartaron, se saciaron, y se ensoberbeció su corazón; por esta causa se olvidaron de mí.

⁷ Por tanto, yo seré para ellos como león; como tigre en el camino los espiaré.

⁸ Como oso que ha perdido los hijos los encontraré, y romperé el velo de su corazón, y allí los devoraré como león; bestia del campo los despedazará.

⁹ Te perdiste, oh Israel, mas en mí está tu ayuda.

¹⁰ ¿Dónde está tu rey, para que te guarde con todas tus ciudades? ¿y tus jueces? De los cuales dijiste: Dame rey y príncipes.

¹¹ Te di rey en mi furor, y lo quité en mi ira.

¹² Atada está la maldad de Efraín; su pecado está guardado.

¹³ Dolores de mujer de parto le vendrán; es un hijo ignorante, porque ya hace tiempo que no debería detenerse al punto mismo de nacer.

¹⁴ De la mano del sepulcro los redimiré, de la muerte los libraré. Oh muerte, yo seré tu mortandad; y seré tu destrucción, oh sepulcro; arrepentimiento será escondido de mis ojos.

¹⁵ Aunque él fructificará entre los hermanos, vendrá el solano, viento del SEÑOR; subiendo de la parte del desierto, y se secará su vena, y se secará su manadero; él saqueará el tesoro de todas las alhajas de codicia.

¹⁶ Samaria será asolada, porque se rebeló contra su Dios; caerán a cuchillo; sus niños serán estrellados, y sus mujeres encintas serán abiertas.

⁸ Porque la cabeza de Siria será Damasco, y la cabeza de Damasco, Rezín; y dentro de sesenta y cinco años Efraín será quebrantado y nunca mas será pueblo.

¹ "Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of Yahweh, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness

² (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; Yahweh of Armies is his name):

³ I have declared the former things from of old; yes, they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they happened.

⁴ Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow brass;

⁵ therefore I have declared it to you from of old; before it came to pass I showed it to you; lest you should say, 'My idol has done them, and my engraved image, and my molten image, has commanded them.'

⁶ You have heard it; see all this; and you, will you not declare it? "I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, which you have not known.

⁷ They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day you didn't hear them; lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them.'

⁸ Yes, you didn't hear; yes, you didn't know; yes, from of old your ear was not opened: for I knew that you did deal very treacherously, and was called a transgressor from the womb.

⁹ For my name's sake will I defer my anger, and for my praise will I refrain for you, that I not cut you off.

¹⁰ Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.

¹¹ For my own sake, for my own sake, will I do it; for how should [my name] be profaned? and my glory I will not give to another.

¹² "Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

¹³ Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spread out the heavens: when I call to them, they stand up together.

¹⁴ "Assemble yourselves, all you, and hear; who among them has declared these things? He whom Yahweh loves shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm [shall be on] the Chaldeans.

¹⁵ I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.

¹⁶ "Come near to me and hear this: "From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I." Now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, with his Spirit.

¹⁷ Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.

¹⁸ Oh that you had listened to my commandments! then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea:

¹⁹ your seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of your body like its grains: his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.

²⁰ Go forth from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say, Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob.

²¹ They didn't thirst when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he split the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

²² "There is no peace," says Yahweh, "for the wicked."