And though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, which can neither be measured nor told: yet in the place where it is said unto them, 'Ye be not my people': even there shall it be thus reported of them, 'They be the children of the living God.'

Tell your brethren, that they are my people; and your sistren, that they have obtained mercy.

I shall have no pity also upon her children, for they be the children of fornication.

And she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold: which they bestowed upon Baal.

and the earth shall help the corn, wine, and oil, and they shall help Jezreel.

Then said the LORD to me, "Go yet thy way and vow an adulterous woman, whom thy neighbour loveth as the LORD doth the children of Israel: howbeit, they have respect to strange gods, and love the wine cans."

But afterward shall the children of Israel convert, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king: and in the latter days they shall worship the LORD, and his loving-kindness.

Therefore shall the land be in a miserable cause, and all they that dwell therein, shall mourn. The beasts in the field, the fowls in the air, and the fishes in the sea shall die.

My people perish, because they have no knowledge. Seeing then that thou hast refused understanding, therefore will I refuse thee also: so that thou shalt no more be my priest. And forsomuch as thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

The more they increased in multitude, the more they sinned against me, therefore will I change their honour into shame.

They eat up the sins of my people, and courage them in their wickedness.

They shall eat, and not have enough: they have used whoredom, therefore shall they not prosper: and why? They have forsaken the LORD, and not regarded him.

My people ask counsel at their stocks, their staff must tell them. For a whorish mind hath deceived them, so that they commit fornication against their God.

They make sacrifices upon the high mountains, and burn their incense upon the hills, yea among the oaks, groves and bushes, for there are good shadows. Therefore your daughters are become harlots, and your spouses have broken their wedlock.

Their drunkenness hath put them back, and brought them to whoredom. Their rulers love rewards; "Bring," say they, to their own shame.

A wind shall take hold of their feathers, and they shall be confounded in their offerings.

They kill sacrifices by heaps, to beguile the people therewith: therefore will I punish them all.

They are not minded to turn unto their God, for they have an whorish heart, so that they cannot know the LORD.

They shall come with their sheep and bullocks to seek the LORD, but they shall not find him, for he is gone from them.

As for the LORD, they have refused him, and brought up bastard children: a month therefore shall devour them with their portions.

Ephraim is oppressed, and can have no right of the law. For why? They follow the doctrines of men.

I will go, and return to my place, till they wax faint, and seek me.

In their adversity they shall seek me, and say, "Come, let us turn again to the LORD: for he hath smitten us, and he shall heal us;

But even like as Adam did, so have they broken my covenant, and set me at naught.

The multitude of the priests is like a heap of thieves, murderers and bloodthirsty: for they have wrought abomination.

When I undertake to make Israel whole, then the ungraciousness of Ephraim and the wickedness of Samaria cometh to light: then go they about with lies. At home, they be thieves: and without they fall to robbing.

They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. They go about with their own inventions, but I see them well enough.

They make the king and the princes, to have pleasure in their wickedness and lies.

Even so goeth it this day with our kings and princes, for they begin to be wood drunken through wine: they use familiarity with such as deceive them.

They with the imagination of their heart are like an oven, their sleep is all night like the sleep of a baker, in the morning is he as hot as the flame of fire:

they are altogether as hot as an oven. They have devoured their own judges, all their kings are fallen: yet is there none of them that calleth upon me.

And the pride of Israel is cast down before their face, yet will they not turn to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.

Ephraim is like a dove, that is beguiled, and hath no heart. Now call they upon the Egyptians, now go they to the Assyrians:

but while they be going here and there, I shall spread my net over them, and draw them down as the fowls of the air. And according as they have been warned, so will I punish them.

Woe be unto them, for they have forsaken me. They must be destroyed, for they have set me at naught. I am he that have redeemed them, and yet they dissemble with me.

They call not upon me with their hearts, but lie howling upon their beds. Whereas they come together, it is but for meat and drink, and me will they not obey.

I have taught them, and defended their army, yet do they imagine mischief against me.

They turn themselves, but not aright, and are become as a broken bow. Their princes shall be slain with the sword for the malice of their tongues, such blasphemies have they learned in the land of Egypt.

Set the horn to thy mouth, and blow: get thee swiftly as an Eagle into the house of the LORD: for they have broken my covenant, and transgressed my law.

They have ordained kings, but not through me: they have made princes, and I must not know of it. Of their silver and gold have they made them images, to bring themselves to destruction.

Thy calf, O Samaria, shall be taken away, for my wrathful indignation is gone forth against thee. How long will it be, before they can be cleansed?

They have sown wind, therefore shall they reap a whirlwind. Their seed shall bear no corn, there shall no meal be made of their increase: though they reap, yet shall strangers devour it up.

Since they went up to the Assyrians, they are become like a wild ass in the desert. Ephraim giveth rewards to get lovers.

Therefore are they scattered among the Heathen; There will I gather them up. They shall soon be weary of the burden of king and princes.

Though I show them my law never so much, they count it but strange doctrine.

Whereas they do sacrifice, offering the flesh and eating it, the LORD will have no pleasure therein: but will remember their wickedness, and punish their sins. Israel turneth again into Egypt:

they have forgotten him that made them, they build churches, and Judah maketh many strong cities: therefore will I send a fire into their cities, and it shall consume their places.

Therefore shall they no more enjoy the corn floors and winepresses, and their sweet wine shall fail them.

They will not dwell in the LORD's land, but Ephraim turneth again into Egypt, and eateth unclean things among the Assyrians.

They pour out no wine for a drink offering unto the LORD, neither give they him their slain offerings: but they be unto them as mourner's meats, wherein all they that eat them are defiled. For the bread that they have such lust unto, shall not come into the house of the LORD.

Lo, they shall get them away for the destruction. Egypt shall receive them, and Memphis shall bury them. The nettles shall overgrow their pleasant goods, and burrs shall be in their tabernacles.

They be gone too far, and have destroyed themselves, like as they did afore time at Gibeah. Therefore their wickedness shall be remembered, and their sins punished.

I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness, and saw their fathers as the first figs in the top of the fig tree. But they are gone to Baalpeor, and run away from me to that shameful Idol, and are become as abominable as their lovers.

Ephraim flyeth like a bird, so shall their glory also: Insomuch that they shall neither beget, conceive nor bear children.

And though they bring up any, yet will I make them childless among men. Yea, woe shall come to them, when I depart from them.

Ephraim is hewn down, their root is dried up, so that they shall bring no more fruit: yea and though they bring forth any, yet will I slay even the best beloved fruit of their body.

My God shall cast them away, for they have not been obedient unto him, therefore shall they go astray among the Heathen.

Israel was a goodly vine, but he hath brought forth unprofitable fruit: yea, the more fruit he had the more altars he made; the more good I did to their land, the more friendship showed they to their Images.

Their heart is divided, therefore will they be destroyed. The LORD shall break down their Images, he shall destroy their altars.

Then shall they say, "We have no king. For why? We have not feared the LORD. And what shall then the king do to us?"

They commune together, and swear vain oaths: they be confederate together, therefore groweth their punishment, as the weeds in the furrows of the land.

They that dwell in Samaria have worshiped the calf of Bethaven: therefore shall the people mourn over them, yea and the priests also, that in their wealthiness rejoiced with them. And why? It shall pass away from them.

The high places of Aven, where Israel do sin, shall be cast down: thistles and thorns shall grow upon their altars. Then shall they say to the mountains, "Cover us," and to the hills, "Fall upon us."

O Israel, thou hast sinned as Gibeah did afore time, where they remained: should not the battle then come upon the wicked children, as well as upon the Gibeonites?

that they might sow unto righteousness, and reap the fruits of well doing: that they might plow up their fresh land and seek the LORD, till he came, and learned them righteousness.

But now they have plowed them wickedness, therefore shall they reap sin, and eat the fruit of lies. Seeing thou puttest thy confidence in thine own ways, and leanest to the multitude of thy worthies:

But the more they were called, the more they went back, offering unto Idols, and censing Images.

I learned Ephraim to go, and bare them in mine arms, but they regarded not me that would have helped them.

that they should not go again into Egypt. And now is Assyria their king: for they would not turn unto me.

Therefore shall the sword begin in their cities, the store that they have laid up shall be destroyed and eaten up: and that because of their own imaginations.

My people hath no lust to turn unto me, their prophets lay the yoke upon them, but they ease them not of their burden.

The LORD roareth like a lion, that they may follow him. Yea, as a lion roareth he, that they may be afraid like the children of the sea:

that they may be scattered away from Egypt, as men scare birds: and frayed away, as doves used to be, from the Assyrians' land: and that because I would have them tarry at home, sayeth the LORD.

Ephraim keepeth the air, and followeth after the east wind: he is ever increasing lies and destruction. They be confederate with the Assyrians, their oil is carried into Egypt.

But at Gilead is the abomination, they are fallen to vanity. At Gilgal they have slain oxen: and as many heaps of stones as they had in their land furrows, so many altars have they made.

And now they sin more and more. Of their silver, they make them molten Images, like the idols of the Heathen, and yet all is nothing but the work of the craftsmen. Notwithstanding they preach of the same: whoso will kiss the calves, offereth to men.

Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that early passeth away, and like as dust that the wind taketh away from the floor, and as smoke that goeth out of the chimney.

But when they were well fed and had enough, they waxed proud, and forgot me.

As for Samaria, they shall be made waste. And why? They are disobedient unto their God. They shall perish with the sword, their children shall be slain, and their women great with child shall be ripped up.

They that shall turn and sit in his shadow, shall live with corn, and flourish as vines. His renown shall be as the wine of Lebanon.