1 كُلَّما حاوَلْتُ أنْ أشفيَ شعبَ إِسرائيلَ انكشَفَ إثمُ بَيتِ أفرايمَ ومَساوِئُ أهلِ السَّامِرةِ، هُم يَغدِرونَ بَعضُهُم بِبَعضٍ، فمِنهُمُ السَّارِقُ في الدَّاخِلِ واللِّصُّ الّذي يَسلُبُ في الخارِجِ. 2 يقولونَ في قُلوبِهِم: «لا أتذَكَّرُ كُلَّ مَساوِئِهِم»، وها أعمالُهُم تُحيطُ بِهِم، وصارَت أمامَ وجهي.
مؤامرة في القصر
3 يُسَرُّ المَلِكُ بِسوئِهِم، والرُّؤَساءُ بِــغَدْرِهِم. 4 كُلُّهُم يَتَّقِدونَ بُغضا كالتَّنُّورِ، لا يكُفُّ الخبَّازُ عَنْ إيقادِهِ مُنذُ أنْ يَعجِنَ الدَّقيقَ إلى أنْ يَختَمِرَ. 5 في يومِ عيدِ مَلِكِنا يَمرَضُ الرُّؤَساءُ مِنْ حُمَيَّا الخمرِ، والمَلِكُ يَمُدُّ يَدَهُ معَ السَّاخِرينَ. 6 قُلوبُهُم تَتَّقِدُ بِالكَيدِ كالتَّنُّورِ، وغضَبُهُم يَخمُدُ اللَّيلَ كُلَّهُ ويتَأجَّجُ في الصَّباحِ كنارٍِ مُلتَهِبةٍ. 7 كُلُّهُم حامونَ كالتَّنُّورِ ويأكُلونَ قُضاتَهُم. مُلوكُهُم جميعا يَسقُطونَ ولا أحدَ فيهِم يدعو إليَّ.
بنو إسرائيل وسائر الشعوب
8 اختَلَطَ بَيتُ أفرايمَ في الشُّعوبِ. صاروا رغيفا مُبَلَّلا لا يُقَلَّبُ. 9 يأكُلُ الأجنبـيُّ قُوتَهُم ولا يَعلَمونَ. يُصابونَ بِالشَّيـبِ ولا يعرفونَ. 10 في كِبرياءِ بَني إِسرائيلَ فَناؤُهُم. لا يَرجِعونَ إلى الرّبِّ إلهِهِم ولا يَطلُبونَهُ.
11 صارَ بـيتُ أفرايمَ كحمامَةٍ طائِشةٍ لا لُبَّ لهُم. يوما يَستَنجِدونَ بِمِصْرَ ويوما يَتَّجِهونَ صَوبَ أشُّورَ. 12 أينَما اتَّجَهوا أَبسِطُ شرَكي علَيْهِم وأصطادُهُم كطيورِ السَّماءِ. هكذا أُؤَدِّبُهُم على شَرِّ أعمالِهِم.
13 ويلٌ لهُم لأنَّهُم شرَدوا عنِّي. سحْقا لهُم لأنَّهُم تَعالَوْا عليَّ. أفْتَديهِم فيَتكلَّمونَ عليَّ بِالكَذِبِ. 14 لا يَصرُخونَ إليَّ مِنْ قُلوبِهِم، بل في مَضاجِعِهِم يُوَلوِلونَ. لأجلِ القمحِ والخمرِ يَجورونَ عليَّ ويثورونَ. 15 قوَّيتُ سَواعِدَهُم فَفكَّروا عليَّ بِالسُّوءِ. 16 يَرجِعونَ لكنْ لا إليَّ. صاروا مِثلَ قَوسٍ مَرميَّةٍ. سيَسقُطُ رُؤساؤُهُم بِالسَّيفِ، فألسِنَتُهُم تَنطِقُ بِالأكاذيـبِ. يَصيرونَ هُزأةً في أرضِ مِصْرَ.
1 When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. 2 And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face. 3 They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies. 4 They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened. 5 In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners. 6 For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire. 7 They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
8 Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned. 9 Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. 10 And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.
11 ¶ Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. 12 When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. 13 Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. 14 And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. 15 Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. 16 They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.