He feedson ashes;a deceivedhearthas turnedhim aside.And he cannotdeliverhimself,norsay,"Is there not a liein my righthand?"
"Should a wisemananswerwith windyknowledgeAnd fillhimselfwith the eastwind?
"Let him not trustin emptiness,deceivinghimself; For emptinesswill be his reward.
For I have eatenasheslike breadAnd mingledmy drinkwith weeping
Their idolsare silverand gold,The workof man'shands.
Rescueme and deliverme out of the handof aliens,WhosemouthspeaksdeceitAnd whose righthandis a righthandof falsehood.
Whosemouthsspeakdeceit,And whose righthandis a righthandof falsehood.
The mindof the intelligentseeksknowledge,But the mouthof foolsfeedson folly.
"You feltsecurein your wickednessand said,Nooneseesme,' Your wisdomand your knowledge,they have deludedyou; For you have saidin your heart,I am, and thereis noonebesidesme.'
"Of whomwere you worriedand fearfulWhenyou lied,and did not rememberMe Norgive[Me] a thought?Was I not silenteven for a longtimeSo you do not fearMe?
Transgressingand denyingthe LORD,And turningawayfrom our God,Speakingoppressionand revolt,Conceiving[in] and utteringfrom the heartlyingwords.
O LORD,my strengthand my stronghold,And my refugein the dayof distress,To You the nationswill comeFrom the endsof the earthand say,"Our fathershave inheritednothingbut falsehood,Futilityand thingsof noprofit."
Ephraimfeedson wind,And pursuesthe eastwindcontinually;He multipliesliesand violence.Moreover, he makesa covenantwith Assyria,And oilis carriedto Egypt.
My peopleconsulttheir woodenidol, and their [diviner's] wandinformsthem; For a spiritof harlotryhas led[them] astray,And they have playedthe harlot,[departing] from their God.
"Whatprofitis the idolwhenits makerhas carvedit, [Or] an image,a teacherof falsehood?For [its] makertrustsin his [own] handiworkWhen he fashionsspeechlessidols.
"And he would have gladlyfilledhis stomachwith the podsthat the swinewere eating,and no onewas giving[anything] to him.
For they exchangedthe truthof Godfor a lie,and worshipedand servedthe creaturerather thanthe Creator,whois blessedforever.Amen.
And justas they did not see fitto acknowledgeGodany longer, Godgave them overto a depravedmind,to dothosethings which are not proper,
by meansof the hypocrisyof liarssearedin their ownconscienceas with a branding iron,
Ifwe are faithless,He remainsfaithful,for He cannotdenyHimself.
But evilmenand impostorswill proceed[from bad] to worse,deceivingand being deceived.
And the greatdragonwas throwndown, the serpentof oldwho is calledthe deviland Satan,who deceivesthe wholeworld;he was throwndown to the earth,and his angelswere throwndown with him.
And he deceivesthosewho dwellon the earthbecauseof the signswhichit was givenhim to performin the presenceof the beast,tellingthosewho dwellon the earthto makean imageto the beastwhohadthe woundof the swordand has come to life.
and the lightof a lampwill not shinein you anylonger;and the voiceof the bridegroomand bridewill not be heardin you any longer;for your merchantswere the great menof the earth,becauseallthe nationswere deceivedby your sorcery.
and he threwhim into the abyss,and shut[it] and sealed[it] overhim, sothat he would not deceivethe nationsany longer,untilthe thousandyearswere completed;afterthese thingshe mustbe releasedfor a shorttime.
