62 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
62 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 13
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1 When the tribe of Ephraim spoke,
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the people shook with fear,
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for that tribe was important in Israel.
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But the people of Ephraim sinned by worshiping Baal
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and thus sealed their destruction.
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2 Now they continue to sin by making silver idols,
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images shaped skillfully with human hands.
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“Sacrifice to these,” they cry,
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“and kiss the calf idols!”
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3 Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist,
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like dew in the morning sun,
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like chaff blown by the wind,
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like smoke from a chimney.
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4 “I have been the Lord your God
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ever since I brought you out of Egypt.
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You must acknowledge no God but me,
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for there is no other savior.
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5 I took care of you in the wilderness,
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in that dry and thirsty land.
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6 But when you had eaten and were satisfied,
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you became proud and forgot me.
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7 So now I will attack you like a lion,
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like a leopard that lurks along the road.
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8 Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away,
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I will tear out your heart.
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I will devour you like a hungry lioness
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and mangle you like a wild animal.
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9 “You are about to be destroyed, O Israel—
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yes, by me, your only helper.
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10 Now where is your king?
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Let him save you!
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Where are all the leaders of the land,
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the king and the officials you demanded of me?
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11 In my anger I gave you kings,
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and in my fury I took them away.
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12 “Ephraim’s guilt has been collected,
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and his sin has been stored up for punishment.
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13 Pain has come to the people
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like the pain of childbirth,
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but they are like a child
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who resists being born.
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The moment of birth has arrived,
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but they stay in the womb!
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14 “Should I ransom them from the grave?
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Should I redeem them from death?
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O death, bring on your terrors!
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O grave, bring on your plagues!
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For I will not take pity on them.
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15 Ephraim was the most fruitful of all his brothers,
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but the east wind—a blast from the Lord—
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will arise in the desert.
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All their flowing springs will run dry,
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and all their wells will disappear.
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Every precious thing they own
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will be plundered and carried away.
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16 The people of Samaria
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must bear the consequences of their guilt
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because they rebelled against their God.
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They will be killed by an invading army,
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their little ones dashed to death against the ground,
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their pregnant women ripped open by swords.” |