July 21 - Morning
"Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires."
- Song of Solomon 8:4
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires."
- Song of Solomon 8:4
Do Not Force a Romantic Relationship!
The words of 8:4 have been a theme throughout this book (also 2:7 and 3:5). But, this time the warning is more severe and pressing.
In 2:7 the young woman calls her girlfriends to swear an oath and urges them to make a promise. Now, in 8:4 she is commanding them!
One of the desires most people have, and one that is stronger in woman, especially young woman, is the desire for romance. (Think chic-flic.) And, all the more when you watch someone else experiencing the passions of falling in love and romance. This desire, like all desires, can lead to poor decisions.
This young woman who has found her right man and is in the midst of experiencing the bliss of falling in love is basically telling all her girlfriends to wait. She is telling them not to force romance into a relationship. Do not convince yourself you are falling in love. Do not manipulate the guy, or the situation, because it will backfire on you.
"I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases."
Ntn (Hb) – to give (Eng) - The Hebrew verb ntn has three basic meanings:
- “to give”
- “to place”, “to establish,” “to lay”
- “to make,” “to do”
The basic purpose of ntn is to indicate how something (a process or an object) was set in motion or set in place.
Isaiah 27:4
Jeremiah 9:1
Ezra 9:8
Exodus 40:8
2 Chronicles 16:10
Judges 20:13
- “to give”
- “to place”, “to establish,” “to lay”
- “to make,” “to do”
The basic purpose of ntn is to indicate how something (a process or an object) was set in motion or set in place.
Isaiah 27:4
Jeremiah 9:1
Ezra 9:8
Exodus 40:8
2 Chronicles 16:10
Judges 20:13
I will not allow myself to "fall in love" until the time is right.
I will not allow myself to "fall in love" if I am already married!
I will not allow myself to "fall in love" if I am already married!
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Spouse
Church
Perseverance in service to saints
Nation
Foreign conflicts
World
Israel
A map shows the location of sites referred to in 2 Kings 23 and 2 Chronicles 34 when Judah's King Josiah cleansed the land.
Someone to Quote
"If you've not yet met the God who refuses to meet all your expectations, you will. And how you react in that day will reveal whether you are worshipping Jesus Christ or Santa Claus."
- Frank Viola
- Frank Viola
Something to Ponder
Irenaeus wrote around 180 AD the following:
“While I was yet a boy, I saw you in Lower Asia with Polycarp…I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and teach,…together with the discourses that he delivered to the people. I can remember also, how he would speak of his familiar relations with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord. I remember how he would call their words to remembrance. Whatever things he had heard from them respecting the Lord, both with regard to His miracles and His teaching, Polycarp would recount them all in harmony with the Scriptures – having in that manner received it from the eye-witnesses of the Word of life.”
“While I was yet a boy, I saw you in Lower Asia with Polycarp…I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and teach,…together with the discourses that he delivered to the people. I can remember also, how he would speak of his familiar relations with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord. I remember how he would call their words to remembrance. Whatever things he had heard from them respecting the Lord, both with regard to His miracles and His teaching, Polycarp would recount them all in harmony with the Scriptures – having in that manner received it from the eye-witnesses of the Word of life.”
Here’s a Fact
When writing about the eclipse and the cosmic disturbances at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Origen refers his readers to “the thirteenth or fourteenth book” of Phlegon’s Chronicles. The writings of Phlegon no longer exist, but they were available for Origen’s readers to refer to when Origen was writing in Alexandria, Egypt during the years 200-254 AD.
(Details 1, 2, 3.)
(Details 1, 2, 3.)
Proverb
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered."
- Proverbs 21:13
- Proverbs 21:13
Coach’s Corner
Personal growth increases your personal potential. The failure to learn and the refusal to change is the rejection of increasing your opportunity for success.
1 Chronicles 25 New International Version (NIV)
The Musicians
25 David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:
2 From the sons of Asaph:
Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.
3 As for Jeduthun, from his sons:
Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord.
4 As for Heman, from his sons:
Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. 5 (All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)
6 All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.
Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. 7 Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288. 8 Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.
The Musicians
25 David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:
2 From the sons of Asaph:
Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.
3 As for Jeduthun, from his sons:
Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord.
4 As for Heman, from his sons:
Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. 5 (All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)
6 All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.
Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. 7 Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288. 8 Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.
| 9 The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
the second to Gedaliah, | him and his relatives and sons | 12 | |
10 the third to Zakkur, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
11 the fourth to Izri, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
12 the fifth to Nethaniah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
13 the sixth to Bukkiah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
14 the seventh to Jesarelah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
16 the ninth to Mattaniah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
17 the tenth to Shimei, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
18 the eleventh to Azarel, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
20 the thirteenth to Shubael, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
22 the fifteenth to Jerimoth, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
25 the eighteenth to Hanani, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
27 the twentieth to Eliathah, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
28 the twenty-first to Hothir, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth, | his sons and relatives | 12 | |
31 the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer, | his sons and relatives | 12. | |
Obadiah 1 New International Version (NIV)
Obadiah’s Vision
1 The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—
We have heard a message from the Lord: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, let us go against her for battle”—
2
“See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised.
3
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
4
Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
5
“If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night— oh, what a disaster awaits you!— would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes?
6
But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged!
7
All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it.
8
“In that day,” declares the Lord, “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
9
Your warriors, Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau’s mountains will be cut down in the slaughter.
10
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.
11
On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.
12
You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble.
13
You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster.
14
You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.
15
“The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.
16
Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been.
17
But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
18
Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.” The Lord has spoken.
19
People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20
This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev.
21
Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.
Obadiah’s Vision
1 The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—
We have heard a message from the Lord: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, let us go against her for battle”—
2
“See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised.
3
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
4
Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
5
“If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night— oh, what a disaster awaits you!— would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes?
6
But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged!
7
All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it.
8
“In that day,” declares the Lord, “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
9
Your warriors, Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau’s mountains will be cut down in the slaughter.
10
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.
11
On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.
12
You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble.
13
You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster.
14
You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.
15
“The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.
16
Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been.
17
But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
18
Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.” The Lord has spoken.
19
People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20
This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev.
21
Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.
Hosea 8-11New International Version (NIV)
Israel to Reap the Whirlwind
8
“Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law.
2
Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3
But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.
4
They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.
5
Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity?
6
They are from Israel! This calf—a metalworker has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria.
7
“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up.
8
Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like something no one wants.
9
For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.
10
Although they have sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them together. They will begin to waste away under the oppression of the mighty king.
11
“Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning.
12
I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something foreign.
13
Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me, and though they eat the meat, the Lord is not pleased with them. Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt.
14
Israel has forgotten their Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire on their cities that will consume their fortresses.”
Punishment for Israel
9
Do not rejoice, Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor.
2
Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people; the new wine will fail them.
3
They will not remain in the Lord’s land; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.
4
They will not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, nor will their sacrifices please him. Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat them will be unclean. This food will be for themselves; it will not come into the temple of the Lord.
5
What will you do on the day of your appointed festivals, on the feast days of the Lord?
6
Even if they escape from destruction, Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them. Their treasures of silver will be taken over by briers, and thorns will overrun their tents.
7
The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac.
8
The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.
9
They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.
10
“When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved.
11
Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.
12
Even if they rear children, I will bereave them of every one. Woe to them when I turn away from them!
13
I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer.”
14
Give them, Lord— what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry.
15
“Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious.
16
Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring.”
17
My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations.
10
Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.
2
Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.
3
Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?”
4
They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5
The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over it, and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splendor, because it is taken from them into exile.
6
It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.
7
Samaria’s king will be destroyed, swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8
The high places of wickedness will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9
“Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, Israel, and there you have remained. Will not war again overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?
10
When I please, I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11
Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim, Judah must plow, and Jacob must break up the ground.
12
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.
13
But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,
14
the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated— as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
15
So will it happen to you, Bethel, because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
God’s Love for Israel
11
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2
But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
5
“Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?
6
A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans.
7
My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them.
8
“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
9
I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities.
10
They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.
11
They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.
Israel’s Sin
12
Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One.
Israel to Reap the Whirlwind
8
“Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law.
2
Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3
But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.
4
They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.
5
Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity?
6
They are from Israel! This calf—a metalworker has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria.
7
“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up.
8
Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like something no one wants.
9
For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.
10
Although they have sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them together. They will begin to waste away under the oppression of the mighty king.
11
“Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning.
12
I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something foreign.
13
Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me, and though they eat the meat, the Lord is not pleased with them. Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt.
14
Israel has forgotten their Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire on their cities that will consume their fortresses.”
Punishment for Israel
9
Do not rejoice, Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor.
2
Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people; the new wine will fail them.
3
They will not remain in the Lord’s land; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.
4
They will not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, nor will their sacrifices please him. Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat them will be unclean. This food will be for themselves; it will not come into the temple of the Lord.
5
What will you do on the day of your appointed festivals, on the feast days of the Lord?
6
Even if they escape from destruction, Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them. Their treasures of silver will be taken over by briers, and thorns will overrun their tents.
7
The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac.
8
The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.
9
They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.
10
“When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved.
11
Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.
12
Even if they rear children, I will bereave them of every one. Woe to them when I turn away from them!
13
I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer.”
14
Give them, Lord— what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry.
15
“Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious.
16
Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring.”
17
My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations.
10
Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.
2
Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.
3
Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?”
4
They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5
The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over it, and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splendor, because it is taken from them into exile.
6
It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.
7
Samaria’s king will be destroyed, swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8
The high places of wickedness will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9
“Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, Israel, and there you have remained. Will not war again overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?
10
When I please, I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11
Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim, Judah must plow, and Jacob must break up the ground.
12
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.
13
But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,
14
the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated— as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
15
So will it happen to you, Bethel, because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
God’s Love for Israel
11
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2
But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
5
“Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?
6
A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans.
7
My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them.
8
“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
9
I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities.
10
They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.
11
They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.
Israel’s Sin
12
Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One.