1Israel era una vid frondosa
que daba fruto para sí mismo.
Pero cuanto más aumentaba su fruto,
más altares construía;
cuanto más prosperaba su país,
más hermosas hacía sus piedras sagradas.
2Su corazón es engañoso,
pero tendrá que cargar con su culpa.
El Señor destrozará sus altares
y devastará sus piedras sagradas.
3Tal vez dirán: «No hemos temido al Señor
y por eso no tenemos rey.
Pero aun si lo tuviéramos,
¿qué podría hacer por nosotros?».
4Hacen muchas promesas;
juran con falsedad
y hacen tratos;
por eso florecen los pleitos
como la mala yerba en el campo.
5Temen los moradores de Samaria
por el ternero que adoran en Bet Avén.10:5 Véase nota en 4:15.
El pueblo del becerro hará duelo por él
y también los sacerdotes idólatras,
los que se regocijaron por su esplendor,
porque se lo llevarán al destierro.
6El becerro será llevado a Asiria
como tributo para el gran rey.
Efraín quedará humillado;
Israel se avergonzará de sus planes.
7Samaria y su rey desaparecerán
como rama arrastrada por el agua.
8Serán destruidos sus altares paganos,
lugares de pecado de Israel.
Cardos y espinos crecerán sobre sus altares.
Entonces dirán a las montañas: «¡Cúbrannos!»,
y a las colinas: «¡Caigan sobre nosotros!».
9«Tú, Israel, has venido pecando desde los días de Guibeá
y allí te has mantenido.
¿No alcanzará la guerra a los malvados en Guibeá?
10Cuando yo quiera, los castigaré;
entonces las naciones se juntarán contra ellos
para aprisionarlos por su doble maldad.
11Efraín es una ternera adiestrada
a la que le gusta trillar;
pues bien, yo pondré el yugo sobre su hermoso cuello.
Haré que Efraín lleve el yugo,
Judá tendrá que arar
y Jacob preparará la tierra».
12¡Siembren para ustedes justicia!
¡Cosechen el fruto del amor inagotable
y abran surcos en terrenos no labrados!
¡Ya es tiempo de buscar al Señor!,
hasta que él venga y les envíe lluvias de justicia.
13Pero ustedes sembraron maldad,
cosecharon crímenes
y comieron el fruto de la mentira,
porque confiaron en sus carros
y en la multitud de sus guerreros.
14Un estruendo de guerra se levantará contra su pueblo
y todas sus fortalezas serán devastadas,
como devastó Salmán a Bet Arbel en el día de la batalla,
cuando las madres fueron destrozadas junto con sus hijos.
15Esto es lo que les sucederá a ustedes, Betel,
a causa de su extrema maldad.
Pues el rey de Israel será destruido por completo
en cuanto amanezca.
1Israel was like a spreading vine.
They produced fruit for themselves.
As they grew more fruit,
they built more altars.
As their land became richer,
they made more beautiful the sacred stones they worshiped.
2Their hearts are dishonest.
So now they must pay for their sins.
The Lord will tear down their altars.
He’ll destroy their sacred stones.
3Then they’ll say, “We don’t have a king.
That’s because we didn’t have
any respect for the Lord.
But suppose we did have a king.
What could he do for us?”
4They make a lot of promises.
They make agreements among themselves.
They make promises they don’t mean to keep.
So court cases spring up
like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5The people who live in Samaria are filled with fear.
They are afraid for their god that looks like a calf.
They’re afraid it will be carried off from Beth Aven, that evil town.
They will mourn over it.
So will the priests who led them to worship it.
The priests were full of joy
because their statue was so glorious.
But it will be captured
and taken far away from them.
6It will be carried off to Assyria.
The people of Ephraim will be forced
to give it to the great king.
They will be dishonored.
Israel will be ashamed
of its agreements with other nations.
7Samaria’s king will be destroyed.
He will be like a twig swept away by a river.
8The high places where Israel worshiped other gods
will be destroyed.
That’s where they sinned against the Lord.
Thorns and weeds will grow up there.
They will cover the altars.
Then the people will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
They’ll say to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9The Lord says,
“Israel, you have done evil things
ever since your people sinned at Gibeah long ago.
And you are still doing what is evil.
War will come again
to those who sinned at Gibeah.
10I will punish them when I want to.
Nations will gather together to fight against them.
They will put them in chains
because they have committed so many sins.
11Ephraim was like a well-trained young cow.
It loved to thresh grain.
So I will put a yoke
on its pretty neck.
I will make Ephraim do hard work.
Judah also must plow.
So all the people of Jacob
must break up the ground.
12Your hearts are as hard as a field
that has not been plowed.
If you change your ways,
you will produce good crops.
So plant the seeds of doing what is right.
Then you will harvest the fruit of your faithful love.
It is time to seek the Lord.
When you do, he will come
and shower his blessings on you.
13But you have planted the seeds of doing what is wrong.
So you have harvested the fruit of your evil conduct.
You have had to eat the fruit of your lies.
You have trusted in your own strength.
You have depended on your many soldiers.
14But the roar of battle will come against you.
All your forts will be completely destroyed.
It will happen just as Shalman
destroyed Beth Arbel in a battle.
Mothers and their children
were smashed on the ground.
15People of Bethel, that will happen to you.
You have committed far too many sins.
When the time comes for me to punish you,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.”