¹ Da Ephraim Schreckliches redete, ward er in Israel erhoben, darnach versündigten sie sich durch Baal und wurden darüber getötet.

² Aber nun machen sie der Sünden viel mehr und aus ihrem Silber Bilder, wie sie es erdenken können, nämlich Götzen, welche doch eitel Schmiedewerk sind. Dennoch predigen sie von denselben: Wer die Kälber küssen will, der soll Menschen opfern.

³ Darum werden sie sein wie die Morgenwolke und wie der Tau, der frühmorgens vergeht; ja, wie die Spreu, die von der Tenne verweht wird, und wie der Rauch von dem Schornstein.

⁴ Ich bin aber der HERR, dein Gott, aus Ägyptenland her; und du solltest ja keinen andern Gott kennen denn mich und keinen Heiland als allein mich.

⁵ Ich nahm mich ja deiner an in der Wüste, im dürren Lande.

⁶ Aber weil sie geweidet sind, daß sie satt geworden sind und genug haben, erhebt sich ihr Herz; darum vergessen sie mein.

⁷ So will ich auch werden gegen sie wie ein Löwe, und wie ein Parder auf dem Wege will ich auf sie lauern.

⁸ Ich will ihnen begegnen wie ein Bär, dem seine Jungen genommen sind, und will ihr verstocktes Herz zerreißen und will sie daselbst wie ein Löwe fressen; die wilden Tiere sollen sie zerreißen.

⁹ Israel, du bringst dich in Unglück; denn dein Heil steht allein bei mir.

¹⁰ Wo ist dein König hin, der dir helfen möge in allen deinen Städten? und deine Richter, von denen du sagtest: Gib mir Könige und Fürsten?

¹¹ Wohlan, ich gab dir einen König in meinem Zorn, und will ihn dir in meinem Grimm wegnehmen.

¹² Die Missetat Ephraims ist zusammengebunden, und seine Sünde ist behalten.

¹³ Denn es soll ihm wehe werden wie einer Gebärerin. Er ist ein unverständig Kind; denn wenn die Zeit gekommen ist, so will er die Mutter nicht brechen.

¹⁴ Aber ich will sie erlösen aus der Hölle und vom Tod erretten. Tod, ich will dir ein Gift sein; Hölle ich will dir eine Pestilenz sein. Doch ist der Trost vor meinen Augen verborgen.

¹⁵ Denn wenn er auch zwischen Brüdern Frucht bringt, so wird doch ein Ostwind des HERRN aus der Wüste herauffahren, daß sein Brunnen vertrocknet und seine Quelle versiegt; und er wird rauben den Schatz alles köstlichen Gerätes.

¹⁶ 14:1 Samaria wird wüst werden, denn sie sind ihrem Gott ungehorsam; sie sollen durchs Schwert fallen, und ihre jungen Kinder zerschmettert und ihre schwangeren Weiber zerrissen werden.

³⁵ Darum so spricht der HERR HERR: Darum, daß du mein vergessen und mich hinter deinen Rücken geworfen hast, so trage auch nun deine Unzucht und deine Hurerei.

¹ "If you will return, Israel," says Yahweh, "if you will return to me, and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight; then you shall not be removed;

² and you shall swear, 'As Yahweh lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory."

³ For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, "Break up your fallow ground, and don't sow among thorns.

⁴ Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

⁵ Declare in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, 'Blow the trumpet in the land!' Cry aloud and say, 'Assemble yourselves! Let us go into the fortified cities!'

⁶ Set up a standard toward Zion. Flee for safety! Don't wait; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction."

⁷ A lion is gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations; he is on his way, he is gone forth from his place, to make your land desolate, that your cities be laid waste, without inhabitant.

⁸ For this clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of Yahweh hasn't turned back from us.

⁹ "It shall happen at that day," says Yahweh, "that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder."

¹⁰ Then I said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh! Surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'You shall have peace;' whereas the sword reaches to the heart."

¹¹ At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow, nor to cleanse;

¹² a full wind from these shall come for me. Now I will also utter judgments against them."

¹³ Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots [shall be] as the whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! For we are ruined.

¹⁴ Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?

¹⁵ For a voice declares from Dan, and publishes evil from the hills of Ephraim:

¹⁶ "Tell the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, 'Watchers come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Judah.

¹⁷ As keepers of a field, they are against her all around, because she has been rebellious against me,'" says Yahweh.

¹⁸ "Your way and your doings have brought these things to you. This is your wickedness; for it is bitter, for it reaches to your heart."

¹⁹ My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I can't hold my peace; because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

²⁰ Destruction on destruction is cried; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents destroyed, [and] my curtains in a moment.

²¹ How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

²² "For my people are foolish, they don't know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

²³ I saw the earth, and, behold, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

²⁴ I saw the mountains, and behold, they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth.

²⁵ I saw, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky had fled.

²⁶ I saw, and behold, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of Yahweh, [and] before his fierce anger.

²⁷ For thus says Yahweh, "The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.

²⁸ For this the earth will mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it."

²⁹ Every city flees for the noise of the horsemen and archers; they go into the thickets, and climb up on the rocks: every city is forsaken, and not a man dwells therein.

³⁰ You, when you are made desolate, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, though you deck you with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your eyes with paint, in vain do you make yourself beautiful; [your] lovers despise you, they seek your life.

³¹ For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath, who spreads her hands, [saying], "Woe is me now! For my soul faints before the murderers."