You won’t gain anything by going to Egypt to drink water from the Nile River. You won’t gain anything by going to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates River.
“How can you say that you haven’t dishonored yourselves and haven’t followed other gods—the Baals? Look how you’ve behaved in the valley. Acknowledge what you’ve done. You are like a young camel that swiftly runs here and there.
“This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to get advice from me: ‘Pharaoh’s army has come out to help you. But it will go back to Egypt, its own land.
The people of Ephraim try to catch the wind and try to chase the east wind all day. They are very violent and destructive. They make treaties with Assyria and take olive oil to Egypt.
“When Ephraim saw that he was sick and when Judah saw his own wounds, Ephraim went to Assyria to ask the great king for help. But the king couldn’t cure them or heal their wounds.