“Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns,
And I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths.

“She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them;
And she will seek them, but will not find them.
Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my first husband,
For it was better for me then than now!’

Yet let no one find fault, and let none offer reproof;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.

They will go with their flocks and herds
To seek the Lord, but they will not find Him;
He has withdrawn from them.

I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season.
But they came to Baal-peor and devoted themselves to shame,
And they became as detestable as that which they loved.

Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;
He wept and sought His favor.
He found Him at Bethel
And there He spoke with us,

And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors they will find in me
No iniquity, which would be sin.”