1 »The people of Israel were like a grapevine that used to produce grapes. The more prosperous they were, the more altars they built. The more productive their land was, the more beautiful they made the sacred stone pillars they worship.

2 »The peoples hearts are deceitful. They must suffer for their sins. Jehovah will break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars.

3 »These people will soon say: ‘We have no king because we did not respect Jehovah. What could a king do for us anyway?’

4 »They utter empty words and make false promises and useless treaties. Justice has become injustice, growing like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

5 »The people who live in the city of Samaria will be afraid and will mourn the loss of the gold bull at Bethaven. They and the priests who serve the idol will weep over it. They will wail when it is stripped of its golden splendor.

6 »The idol will be carried off to Assyria as tribute to the great emperor. The people of Israel will be disgraced and put to shame because of the advice they followed.

7 »They and their king will be carried off, like a chip of wood on water.

8 »The hilltop shrines of Bethaven, where the people of Israel worship idols, will be destroyed. Thorns and weeds will grow up over their altars. The people will call out to the mountains: ‘Hide us! And to the hills, cover us!’

9 Jehovah says: »The people of Israel have not stopped sinning against me since the time of their sin at Gibeah. So at Gibeah war will catch up with them.

10 »I will attack this sinful people and punish them. Nations will join together against them, and they will be punished for their many sins.

11 »Ephraim was once like a well-trained young cow, ready and willing to thresh grain. But I will put a yoke on her beautiful neck and harness her for harder work. I made Judah pull the plow and Jacob pull the harrow.

12 »I said: Plow new ground for yourselves, plant righteousness, and reap the blessings that your devotion to me will produce. It is time for you to turn to me, Jehovah, and I will come and pour out righteousness on you.

13 »But instead you plowed evil and harvested unrighteousness. You have eaten the fruit produced by your lies. This is because you trusted in your way and in the large number of your soldiers.

14 Tumult will come to your people and all your fortresses will be destroyed. It will be like the day when King Shalman destroyed the city of Betharbel house of Arbel in battle and mothers and their children were crushed to death.

15 »That is what will happen to you, people of Bethel, because of the terrible evil that you have done. As soon as the battle begins, the king of Israel will die.«