1»When the tribe of Ephraim spoke, people trembled. The people of Ephraim were important in Israel. Then they became guilty of worshiping Baal, so they must die. 2»They sin more and more. They make idols from silver for themselves. These idols are skillfully made. All of them are the work of craftsmen. People say this about the Israelites: They offer sacrifices and kiss calf-shaped idols. 3»That is why they will be like fog in the morning and like morning dew that disappears quickly. They will be like straw blown away from threshing floors. They will be like smoke rising from chimneys. 4»I AM JEHOVAH YOUR GOD. I brought you out of Egypt. You have known no god besides me. There is no savior except me. 5»I took care of you in the desert, in a dry land. 6»When I fed you, you were full. When you were full, you became arrogant. That is why you forgot me. 7»So I will be like a lion. Like a leopard I will wait by the road to ambush you. 8»Like a bear that has lost her cubs, I will attack you. I will rip you open. Like a lion I will devour you. Like a wild animal I will tear you apart. 9»You are destroying yourself, Israel. You are against me, your helper. 10»Where, now, is your king, the one who is supposed to save you? Where in all your cities are your judges? You said: Give us kings and officials! 11»I gave you a king when I was angry, and I took him away when I was furious. 12»Ephraim's wickedness is on record. The record of the people's sins is safely stored away. 13»They have the opportunity to live again, but they are not smart enough to take it. They are like a baby who is about to be born but will not come out of its mother's womb. 14»I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death! O death, where are your stings plagues? O grave, where is your destruction devastation? Compassion will be concealed from my eyes. (1 Co 15:54-57) 15»The people of Ephraim have become important among their relatives. However, Jehovahs scorching wind will come from the east. It will blow out of the desert. Then their springs will run dry, and their wells will dry up. The wind will destroy every precious thing in their storehouses. 16»The people of Samaria are guilty as charged because they rebelled against their God. They will be killed in war, their children will be smashed to death, and their pregnant women will be ripped open.«