43  You delivered me from strife with the people;

you made me the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.

5  Her foes have become the ^ehead;

her enemies prosper,

because the Lord has afflicted her

for the multitude of her transgressions;

^fher children have gone away,

captives before the foe.

8  For the head of Syria is Damascus,

and the head of Damascus is Rezin.

And within sixty-five years

^mEphraim will be shattered from being a people.

9  And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,

and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.

If you¹ are not firm in ⁿfaith,

you will not be firm at all.’”

14  So the Lord cut off from Israel ^khead and tail,

palm branch and reed in one day—

15  the elder and honored man is the head,

and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;

16  for those who ^lguide this people have been leading them astray,

and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.

7  For thus says the Lord:

“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,

and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;

proclaim, give praise, and say,

‘O Lord, save your people,

the remnant of Israel.’