Elijah came to all the people. He said, “When will you people decide who to follow? If the Lord is the true God, then you should follow him. But if Baal [200] is the true God, then you should follow him!”
Hosea 7:8 - Easy To Read Version “Ephraim {\cf2\super [71]} mixes with the nations.\par Ephraim is like a cake\par that was not cooked on both sides.\par Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples [courting the favor of first one country, then another]; Ephraim is a cake not turned. American Standard Version (1901) Ephraim, he mixeth himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Common English Bible Ephraim mixes himself among the people; Ephraim is like flatbread that is cooked on only one side. Catholic Public Domain Version Ephraim himself has been mingled with the nations. Ephraim has become like bread, baked under ashes, that has not been turned over. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Ephraim himself is mixed among the nations: Ephraim is become as bread baked under the ashes, that is not turned. |
Elijah came to all the people. He said, “When will you people decide who to follow? If the Lord is the true God, then you should follow him. But if Baal [200] is the true God, then you should follow him!”
After we finished all these things, the leaders of the people of Israel came to me. They said, “Ezra, the people of Israel have not kept themselves separate from the other people living around us. And the priests and the Levites have not kept themselves separate. The people of Israel are being influenced by the very bad things done by the Canaanite people, the Hittite people, the Perizzite people, the Jebusite people, the Ammonite people, the Moabite people, the people from Egypt, and the Amorite people.
So, people of Israel, don’t let your children marry their children. Don’t join those people! Don’t want the things they have! Obey my commands so you will be strong and enjoy the good things of the land. And then you can keep this land and give it to your children.”
They mixed with the other people,\par and did what those people were doing.\par
Ephraim saw his sickness,\par and Judah saw his wound.\par So they went to Assyria for help.\par They told their problems to the great king.\par But that king can’t heal you.\par He can’t cure your wound.\par
They have not been faithful to the Lord. Their children are from some stranger. And now, he will destroy them and their land again.” {\cf2\super [56]}
Strangers destroy Ephraim’s strength.\par But Ephraim does not know it.\par Gray hairs {\cf2\super [72]} are also sprinkled on Ephraim.\par But Ephraim does not know it.\par
The Israelites will not stay in the Lord’s land. Ephraim will return to Egypt. In Assyria they will eat food that they should not eat.
go on their roofs {\cf2\super [2]} to worship the stars. {\cf2\super [3]} People will forget about those false priests. Some people say they worship me. Those people promised to worship me, but now they worship the false god Milcom. {\cf2\super [4]} So I will remove those people from that place.
The people of Judah cheated other people. People in Jerusalem and Israel did terrible things! God loves the temple. {\cf2\super [13]} But the people in Judah didn’t respect the Lord’s holy temple. The people of Judah began to worship that foreign goddess!
“No person can serve two masters at the same time. He will hate one master and love the other master. Or he will follow one master and refuse to follow the other master. So you cannot serve God and Money {\cf2\super [81]} at the same time.