Ephraimwill becomea desolationin the dayof rebuke;Among the tribesof IsraelI declarewhat is sure.
"Behold,He tearsdown,and it cannotbe rebuilt;He imprisonsa man,and there can be norelease.
They saidto him, "ThussaysHezekiah,'Thisdayis a dayof distress,rebukeand rejection;for childrenhave cometo birth,and thereis nostrengthto deliver.
Declaringthe endfrom the beginning,And from ancienttimesthings whichhave not been done,Saying,My purposewill be established,And I will accomplishallMy goodpleasure';
"I declaredthe formerthingslongagoAnd they wentforthfrom My mouth,and I proclaimedthem. SuddenlyI acted,and they cameto pass.
Therefore I declared[them] to you longago,Beforethey tookplaceI proclaimed[them] to you, So that you would not say,My idolhas donethem, And my gravenimageand my moltenimagehave commandedthem.'
"For beforethe boywill know[enough] to refuseeviland choosegood,the landwhosetwokingsyou dreadwill be forsaken.
Therefore I am like a mothto EphraimAnd like rottennessto the houseof Judah.
For I [will be] like a lionto EphraimAnd like a younglionto the houseof Judah.I, even I, will tearto pieces and goaway, I will carryaway, and therewill be noneto deliver.
Whenthey go,I will spreadMy netoverthem; I will bringthem downlike the birdsof the sky.I will chastisethem in accordance with the proclamationto their assembly.
Israelis swallowedup; They are nowamong the nationsLike a vesselin which noonedelights.
The daysof punishmenthave come,The daysof retributionhave come;Let Israelknow[this]! The prophetis a fool,The inspiredmanis demented,Becauseof the grossnessof your iniquity,And [because] your hostilityis [so] great.
Surelythe LordGODdoesnothingUnlessHe revealsHis secretcounselTo His servantsthe prophets.
"Therefore,thussaysthe LORD,Your wifewill becomea harlotin the city,your sonsand your daughterswill fallby the sword,your landwill be parceledup by a [measuring] lineand you yourselfwill dieupon uncleansoil.Moreover, Israelwill certainlygofrom its landinto exile.'"
"The highplacesof Isaacwill be desolatedAnd the sanctuariesof Israellaidwaste.Then I will riseup againstthe houseof Jeroboamwith the sword."
"So alsoI will make[you] sick,strikingyou down,Desolating[you] becauseof your sins.
"But did not My wordsand My statutes,whichI commandedMy servantsthe prophets,overtakeyour fathers?Then they repentedand said,As the LORDof hostspurposedto doto us in accordance with our waysand our deeds,soHe has dealtwith us.'"'"
"But these thingsI have spokento you, sothat whentheir hourcomes,you may rememberthat I toldyou of them. These thingsI did not sayto you at the beginning,becauseI was with you.
