1Israel yɛɛ bobe a ɛtrɛtrɛw;
ɔsow aba maa ne ho.
Bere a nʼaba redɔɔso no,
osisii afɔremuka bebree;
nʼasase rekɔ so yɛ yiye no
osiesie nʼabosom dum kronkron no.
2Nnaadaasɛm wɔ wɔn koma mu,
nti ɛsɛ sɛ wonya wɔn afɔdi so asotwe.
Awurade bebubu wɔn afɔremuka,
na wasɛe wɔn abosom dum kronkron no.
3Afei, wɔbɛka se, “Yenni ɔhene,
efisɛ, yɛamfa nidi amma Awurade.
Mpo sɛ na yɛwɔ ɔhene koraa a,
dɛn na anka obetumi ayɛ ama yɛn?”
4Wɔhyɛ bɔ ahorow bebree,
wɔka ntamhunu
na wɔyɛ apam ahorow;
ɛno nti mansotwe sɔresɔre
te sɛ wura a bɔre wɔ mu
a afifi asase a wɔafuntum so so.
5Nnipa a wɔte Samaria no suro ma
Bet-Awen nantwi ba ohoni no.
Ne nkurɔfo besu.
Saa ara na nʼakɔmfo nso bɛyɛ,
wɔn a wogyee wɔn ani wɔ nʼanuonyam ho no.
Efisɛ wɔafa no afi wɔn nkyɛn kɔ nnommum mu.
6Wɔde no bɛkɔ Asiria,
de akɔhyɛ ɔhene kɛse no anuonyam.
Ebegu Efraim anim ase;
na Israel ani bewu wɔ ne nnua ahoni ho.
7Samaria na ne hene bɛsen akɔ
te sɛ abaa a ɛtɛn nsu ani.
8Wɔbɛsɛe abosonnan a wodi awurukasɛm ne bɔne wɔ mu no.
Nsɔe ne nnɛnkyɛnse befifi hɔ,
na akata wɔn afɔremuka so.
Afei wɔbɛka akyerɛ mmepɔw se, “Mommɛkata yɛn so!”
na wase nkoko se, “Munnwiriw ngu yɛn so!”
9“Efi Gibea bere so, woayɛ bɔne, Israel,
na hɔ na woaka.
Na ɔko rentwiw amfa
amumɔyɛfo a wɔwɔ Gibea no so ana?
10Bere a mepɛ no, mɛtwe wɔn aso;
aman bɛboaboa wɔn ho ano atia wɔn.
Wɔde mpokyerɛ begu wɔn wɔ wɔn bɔne dodow ho.
11Efraim yɛ nantwi ba a wɔayɛn no,
a ɔpɛ awiporowbea adwuma,
enti mede konnua
bɛto ne kɔn fɛɛfɛ mu.
Mɛkyerɛ Efraim ɔkwan,
ɛsɛ sɛ Yuda funtum asase no,
na Yakob nso siesie so.
12Dua trenee aba ma wo ho,
twa ɔdɔ aba a ɛtena hɔ daa,
siesie wʼasase a womfuntumii so no;
na bere adu sɛ wohwehwɛ Awurade,
kosi sɛ ɔbɛba
abɛpete trenee agu wo so.
13Nanso woadua atirimɔden aba,
na woatwa aba bɔne.
Woadi nnaadaa aba.
Efisɛ wode wo ho ato wʼahoɔden
ne wʼakofo bebrebe no so,
14ɔko mu huuyɛ bɛsɔre atia wo nkurɔfo,
na wʼaban nyinaa bɛsɛe,
sɛnea Salman sɛee Bet Arbel ɔko da no,
da a wɔde ɛnanom ne wɔn mma hwehwee fam no.
15Saa ara na ɛbɛba wo so, Bet-El,
efisɛ wʼatirimɔdensɛm no dɔɔso.
Sɛ da no du a,
Wɔbɛsɛe Israelhene no koraa.
1Israel 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.
2Their heart is deceitful,
and now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will demolish their altars
and destroy their sacred stones.
3Then 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?”
4They make many promises,
take false oaths
and make agreements;
therefore lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5The people who live in Samaria fear
for the calf-idol of Beth Aven.10:5 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
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.
6It will be carried to Assyria
as tribute for the great king.
Ephraim will be disgraced;
Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.
7Samaria’s king will be destroyed,
swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8The high places of wickedness10:8 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see verse 5. 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.10:9 Or there a stand was taken
Will not war again overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
10When I please, I will punish them;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11Ephraim 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.
12Sow 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.
13But 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,
14the 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.
15So will it happen to you, Bethel,
because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
