Like a boomerang, they changed directions, but they did not come back to me. Their leaders bragged about their strength, but they will be killed with swords. And the people in Egypt will laugh at them.
The Israelites love sacrifices. They offer the meat and eat it. The Lord does not accept their sacrifices. He remembers their sins, and he will punish them. They will be carried away as prisoners to Egypt.
The people of Israel left because the enemy took everything from them. But Egypt will take the people themselves. Memphis will bury them. Weeds will grow over their silver treasures, and thorns will grow where the Israelites lived.
Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, so they went to Assyria for help. They told their problems to the great king, but he cannot heal you or cure your wound.
King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria came to fight against Israel while Pekah was king of Israel. Tiglath Pileser captured Ijon, Abel Bethmaacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the area of Naphtali. He took the people from these places as prisoners to Assyria.
King Pul of Assyria came to fight against Israel. Menahem gave Pul 75,000 pounds of silver so that Pul would support him and help him gain complete control of the kingdom.
The king must not get more and more horses for himself. And he must not send people to Egypt to get more horses, because the Lord has told you, ‘You must never go back that way.’
“I destroyed you as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. And those cities were completely destroyed. You were like a burned stick pulled from a fire, but still you didn’t come back to me for help.” This is what the Lord says.