‘You people have seen what I can do to my enemies. You saw what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw that I carried you out of Egypt like an eagle and brought you here to me.
The Lord says, ‘Israel is my firstborn [35] son. And I am telling you to let my son go and worship me! If you refuse to let Israel go, then I will kill your firstborn son.’”
“I (the Lord) have abandoned my house.\par I have left my own property. {\cf2\super [101]} \par I have given the one I love (Judah)\par to her enemies.\par
You left me and did all those terrible things. And you never remembered the time when you were young. You did not remember that you were naked and kicking in blood \{when I found you\}.
“‘Then I (God) passed by. I saw you lying there, kicking in the blood. You were covered with blood but I said, “Please live!” Yes, you were covered with blood but I said, “Please live!”
And that will happen to you at Bethel. Why? Because you did so many evil things. \{When that day\} begins, the king of Israel will be fully destroyed.”
“But I have been the Lord your God since \{the time you were in\} the land of Egypt. I will make you live in tents—like during the time of the Tent of Meeting. {\cf2\super [136]}
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.”
Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod {\cf2\super [26]} died. This happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Lord said through the prophet. {\cf2\super [27]} The Lord said, “I called my son to come out of Egypt.” {\cf2\super [28]}