10 At the time I found Israel, they were like fresh grapes in the desert. They were like the first figs on a fig tree at the beginning of the season. But then they came to Baal-Peor. {\cf2\super [92]} And they changed—and I had to cut them off \{(destroy them) like rotten fruit. {\cf2\super [93]} They became like the terrible things \{(false gods) that they loved.
10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree in its first season, but they went to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to that shameful thing [Baal], and they became detestable and loathsome like that which they loved.
10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig-tree at its first season: but they came to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves unto the shameful thing, and became abominable like that which they loved.
10 Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. In its first season, like the first fruit on the fig tree, I saw your ancestors. But they came to Baal-peor, and worshipped a thing of shame; they became detestable like the thing they loved.
10 I discovered Israel like grapes in the desert. Like the first fruits of the fig tree, I saw their fathers on the end of its branches. But they went in to Baal-peor, and they have been estranged by intermingling, and they have became abominable, just like the things that they chose to love.
“I can’t blame {\cf2\super [41]} your daughters for being prostitutes, {\cf2\super [42]} or your daughters-in-law for doing sexual sins. The men go and sleep with prostitutes. They go and offer sacrifices with the temple prostitutes. {\cf2\super [43]} So, those foolish people are destroying themselves.
“People of Judah, you have many idols—there are as many idols as there are towns in Judah. You have built many altars for worshiping that disgusting god Baal {\cf2\super [96]} —there are as many altars as there are streets in Jerusalem.
I am upset because I am\par like fruit that has been gathered,\par like grapes that have already been picked.\par There are no grapes left to eat.\par There are none of the early figs\par that I love.\par
There I will give her fields of grapes. I will give her Achor Valley as a doorway of hope. Then she will answer like the time she came out of the land of Egypt.”
But they turned against me and refused to listen to me. They did not throw away their horrible idols. They did not leave their filthy statues in Egypt. So I (God) decided to destroy them in Egypt—to let them feel the full force of my anger.
And offer a thank offering made with yeast. Tell everyone about the freewill offerings. {\cf2\super [52]} Israel, you love to do those things. So go and do them.” The Lord said \{this\}.
The prophets tell lies.\par The priests will not do\par what they were chosen to do. {\cf2\super [36]} \par And my people love it this way!\par But what will you people do\par when your punishment comes?”\par
That city sits on a hill\par with a rich valley around it.\par And that “Beautiful Crown of Flowers”\par is just a dying plant.\par That city will be like the first figs of summer.\par When a person sees one of those figs,\par he quickly picks it and eats it.\par
It was not enough for Ahab to do the same sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had done. So Ahab also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal. Ethbaal was the king of the people of Sidon. Then Ahab began to serve and worship Baal. [190]
Joash said, “If Gideon pulled Baal’s altar down, then let Baal argue with him.” So on that day Joash gave Gideon a new name. He called him Jerub Baal. [67]
They offered sacrifices to demons
that were not real gods.
Those were new gods
that they did not know.
Those were new gods
that your ancestors did not know.
“The Lord found Jacob (Israel) in
a desert land,
an empty, windy land.
The Lord surrounded Jacob
to watch over him.
He protected him,
like the pupil of his eye.
You will be able to look at these tassels and remember all the commands that the Lord has given you. Then you will obey the commands. You will not do wrong by forgetting about the commands and doing the things that your own bodies and eyes want.
That terrible false god Baal has eaten\par everything our fathers owned.\par This has happened since we were children.\par That terrible false god took\par our fathers’ sheep and cattle,\par and their sons and daughters.\par
One basket had very good figs in it. Those figs were like figs that ripen early in the season. But the other basket had rotten figs. They were too rotten to eat.
When the people gather a harvest, they bring all the first things to the Lord. So these things I will give to you. And every person in your family that is clean [237] may eat it.
The Israelites burned incense [203] there in all those places of worship. They did these things like the nations that the Lord forced out of the land before them. The Israelites did evil things that made the Lord angry.
Let us lie down in our shame.\par Let our shame cover us like a blanket.\par We have sinned against the Lord our God.\par We and our fathers have sinned.\par We have not obeyed the Lord our God\par