Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.

She will follow after her lovers, but she won't overtake them; and she will seek them, but won't find them. Then she will say, 'I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.'

Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will deliver her out of my hand.

I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; for now, Ephraim, you have played the prostitute. Israel is defiled.

They are unfaithful to the LORD; for they have borne illegitimate children. Now the new moon will devour them with their fields.

They do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. Now their own deeds have engulfed them. They are before my face.

Israel is swallowed up. Now they are among the nations like a worthless thing.

But although they sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them; and they begin to waste away because of the oppression of the king of mighty ones.

As for the sacrifices of my offerings, they sacrifice flesh and eat it; But the LORD doesn't accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins. They will return to Egypt.

Their heart is divided. Now they will be found guilty. He will demolish their altars. He will destroy their sacred stones.

Surely now they will say, "We have no king; for we do not fear the LORD; and the king, what can he do for us?"

Now they sin more and more, and have made themselves molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, 'They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calves.'

Where is your king now, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges, of whom you said, 'Give me a king and princes?'