But I said, How shall I put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, an attractive heritage among the multitudes of nations? and I said, You shall call me, My father; and shall not turn away from me.
And you had now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and you had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
How shall I pardon you for this? your children have forsaken me, and sworn by those who are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and crowded into the harlots’ houses.
How shall I give you up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver you, Israel? how shall I make you like Admah? how shall I treat you like Zeboim? my heart is overturned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud, and like the early dew that passes away, like the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind away from the floor, and like the smoke out of the chimney.
When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief comes in, and the troop of robbers plunders outside.
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.