They have strange children
1
Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear,
O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a
snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
2
And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a
rebuker of them all.
3
I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou
committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
Ephraim, you have committed whoredom.
4
They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of
whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.
5
And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel
and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.
The spirit of whoredom is in the midst of them.
6They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but
they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
They'll seek God, but they won't find him. [1]
He's hiding from them.
7
They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten
strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
8
Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at
Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.
They have begotten strange children.
9Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel
have I made known that which shall surely be.
Ephraim will be desolate.
10The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I
will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
11
Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked
after the commandment.
The princes of Judah are like those that remove boundary markers.
I'll pour my wrath on them like water.
12Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as
rottenness.
13
When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim
to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure
you of your wound.
Therefore I'll be like a moth to Ephraim.
And unto Judah, I'll be rottenness.
14
For I will be unto Ephraim
as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of
Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall
rescue him.
15
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and
seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
I'll be like a lion to Ephraim and Judah.
I'll tear them to pieces until they acknowledge my face and seek me early.