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he brought forth fruit for himself.
The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built;
the more his land prospered,
the more he adorned his sacred pillars.
2 Their hearts are devious,
and now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars
and destroy their sacred pillars.
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
because we did not fear the Lord.
But if we did have a king,
what could he do for us anyhow?”
4 They utter mere words;
with empty oaths
they make covenants;
therefore lawsuits break out
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria will tremble
for the calf-idol of Beth-aven.
Its people will mourn over it;
its idolatrous priests will wail for it,
for its glory will depart from them
and disappear into exile.
6 The calf will be carried off to Assyria
as tribute for the great king.
Ephraim will be disgraced;
Israel will be ashamed
of the counsel from its wooden idols.
7 Samaria’s king will disappear
like foam on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,
will be destroyed.
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, O Israel;
there they have remained.
Will not war against evildoers
overtake them in Gibeah?
10 I will punish them when I please;
nations will be gathered against them
when I bind them for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh,
but I will put a yoke
on her fair neck.
I will make Ephraim wear a harness;
Judah must plough,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness,
and reap faithful love;
break up your unploughed ground.
It is time to seek the Lord,
until He comes
and showers righteousness upon you.
13 You have ploughed wickedness,
you have reaped iniquity,
you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own strength
and on your many warriors,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
and all your fortresses will be destroyed,
like Shalman’s destruction of Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to pieces along with their children.
15 Thus it will be done to you, O Bethel,
because your wickedness is great.
At dawn the king of Israel
will be completely destroyed.