¹Israel is a thriving vine; he makes his fruit like himself. As his fruit grew numerous, he multiplied the altars; as his land was good, they beautified the sacred pillars.

²Their heart is divided; now they will be held guilty. He himself will break the necks of their altars; he will devastate their sacred pillars.

³For now they will say, 'We have no king, for we did not fear Yahweh; and the king, what can he do for us?'

⁴They have spoken words, swearing in vain, cutting a covenant; and justice sprouts like a poisonous plant over the furrows of a field.

⁵The inhabitant of Samaria will be afraid for the heifers of Beth Aven; for its people mourn over it, and its pagan priests rejoice over it, over its weightiness, for it has gone into exile from it.

⁶Even it will be carried to Assyria, as tribute for king Jareb. Ephraim will take shame, and Israel will be ashamed of its own counsel.

⁷Samaria is cut off; her king is like a splinter on the face of the waters.

⁸The high places of Wickedness, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; thorn and thistle will come up over their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall on us!'

⁹Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel; there they stood. Will war not overtake them in Gibeah, concerning the sons of injustice?

¹⁰In my desire I will discipline them, and peoples will be gathered against them, when they harness them to their twofold guilt.

¹¹Ephraim was a trained heifer who loved to thresh, and I myself passed over the goodness of her neck; I will make Ephraim draw the plow; Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.

¹²Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap in keeping with loyal love; break up fallow ground for yourselves; for it is time to seek Yahweh, until he comes and rains righteousness on you.

¹³You plowed wickedness, you reaped injustice, you ate the fruit of lies; for you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men.

¹⁴And an uproar will arise among your people, and all your fortresses will be devastated, like the devastation of Shalman at Beth Arbel on the day of war: a mother dashed to pieces with her children.

¹⁵Thus he has done to you, O Bethel, because of your extreme evil. At dawn the king of Israel is utterly cut off.