1When Ephraim spoke, there was terror;
he was exalted in Israel,
but he became guilty by worshiping Baal and died.

2Even now they persist in sin!
They make metal images for themselves,
idols that they skillfully fashion from their own silver;
all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen!
There is a saying about them:
“Those who sacrifice to the calf idol are calf kissers!”

3Therefore they will disappear like the morning mist,
like early morning dew that evaporates,
like chaff that is blown away from a threshing floor,
like smoke that disappears through an open window.

Well-Fed Israel Will Be Fed to Wild Animals

4But I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of Egypt.
Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me;
except me there is no Savior.

5I cared for you in the wilderness,
in the dry desert where no water was.

6When they were fed, they became satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
as a result, they forgot me!

7So I will pounce on them like a lion;
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.

8I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs –
I will rip open their chests.
I will devour them there like a lion –
like a wild animal would tear them apart.

Israel’s King Unable to Deliver the Nation

9I will destroy you, O Israel!
Who is there to help you?

10Where then is your king,
that he may save you in all your cities?
Where are your rulers for whom you asked, saying,
“Give me a king and princes”?

11I granted you a king in my anger,
and I will take him away in my wrath!

Israel’s Punishment Will Not Be Withheld Much Longer

12The punishment of Ephraim has been decreed;
his punishment is being stored up for the future.

13The labor pains of a woman will overtake him,
but the baby will lack wisdom;
when the time arrives,
he will not come out of the womb!

The Lord Will Not Relent from the Threatened Judgment

14Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not!
Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not!
O Death, bring on your plagues!
O Sheol, bring on your destruction!
My eyes will not show any compassion!

The Capital of the Northern Empire Will Be Destroyed

15Even though he flourishes like a reed plant,
a scorching east wind will come,
a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert.
As a result, his spring will dry up;
his well will become dry.
That wind will spoil all his delightful foods
in the containers in his storehouse.

16Samaria will be held guilty,
because she rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword,
their infants will be dashed to the ground –
their pregnant women will be ripped open.