1Israels folk var som en frodig vinstok. Men jo mere frugt der var, des flere altre byggede de. Jo mere fremgang de fik, des flottere afgudsbilleder lavede de. 2Deres hjerter var svigefulde, og nu må de tage straffen for deres synd. Deres altre og afgudsbilleder vil blive smadret. 3De siger: „Herren har straffet os for vores mangel på gudsfrygt, så nu har vi ingen konge længere. Men det gør ingen forskel, for ingen konge kan redde os.”
4De afgav tomme løfter og svor på, at de ville holde deres aftaler, men det gjorde de bare ikke. Uretten florerede som ukrudt i en kornmark. 5Samarias indbyggere er bekymrede for guldkalven i Betel, Ondskabens Hus. Både folket og præsterne, som tilbad den, vil jamre og sørge. Den bliver nemlig taget fra dem. 6Den bliver ført bort til Assyrien og foræret til den magtfulde konge dér. Da bliver Efraim beskæmmet. Israel bliver skamfuld over at have søgt hjælp hos en statue af en afgud. 7Samaria er færdig. Dets konge vil forsvinde som en træsplint på vandet og føres bort af strømmen. 8Afgudsaltrene, hvor Israel syndede, bliver revet ned, og tidsel og tjørn gror hen over dem. Folk vil råbe til bjergene: „Skjul os!” og til højene: „Styrt sammen over os!”
9Herren siger: „Lige siden udåden ved Gibea har Israel fortsat i det samme syndige spor. I Gibea blev synderne straffet med en krig. 10Nu vil jeg straffe Israels folk for deres vedvarende synd ved at sende fremmede folkeslag imod dem.
11Efraim, du var som en tam kvie, der var glad for at tærske.10,11 En ko, der gik rundt på tærskepladsen, havde lov til at spise af kornet. Men nu lægger jeg et åg på din smukke hals og spænder dig for ploven. Juda skal pløje og Jakob bryde jorden op. 12I skal bryde ny jord og så retskafne handlinger. Derefter kan I høste velvilje. Det er på høje tid at søge mig, så jeg kan komme og lade min velsignelse regne ned over jer.
13I har dyrket falskhed og høstet uret. I har spist af løgnens frugt. I satte jeres lid til, at menneskers magt og våben kunne frelse jer. 14Derfor vil fjenden føre krig imod jer, og alle jeres fæstningsværker skal rives ned, som dengang Shalman udslettede alle i Bet-Arbel, både mænd, kvinder og børn. 15Det samme skal ske med Betel på grund af al jeres ondskab. Så snart krigen begynder, er det ude med Israels konge.
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.
