5 Hear
ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear,
O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been
a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor. 2 And
the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker
of them all. 3 I
know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou
committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled. 4 They
will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of
whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD. 5 And
the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and
Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them. 6 They
shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but
they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. 7 They
have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange
children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
8 Blow ye the
cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after
thee, O Benjamin. 9 Ephraim
shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have
I made known that which shall surely be. 10 The
princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will
pour out my wrath upon them like water. 11 Ephraim
is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the
commandment. 12 Therefore
will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. 13 When
Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to
the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure
you of your wound. 14 For
I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah:
I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue
him. 15 I will
go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek
my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.