1  Israel is a luxuriant vine

that yields its fruit.

^cThe more his fruit increased,

the more ^daltars he built;

as his country improved,

he improved his pillars.

2  Their heart is false;

now they must bear their guilt.

The Lord¹ will break down their altars

and destroy their pillars.

3  For now they will say:

“We have no king,

for we do not fear the Lord;

and a king—what could he do for us?”

4  They utter mere words;

with empty^{2 e}oaths they make covenants;

so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds

in the furrows of the field.

5  The inhabitants of Samaria tremble

for the calf³ of ^fBeth-aven.

Its people mourn for it, and so do its ^gidolatrous priests—

those who rejoiced over it and over its glory—

for it has departed⁴ from them.

6  The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria

as tribute to the ^hgreat king.⁵

Ephraim shall be put to shame,

and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.⁶

7  ⁱSamaria’s king shall perish

like a twig on the face of the waters.

8  The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,

shall be destroyed.

Thorn and thistle shall grow up

on their altars,

and ^jthey shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”

and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

9  From the days of ^kGibeah, you have sinned, O Israel;

there they have continued.

Shall not the war against the unjust⁷ overtake them in Gibeah?

10  When I please, I will discipline them,

and nations shall be gathered against them

when they are bound up for their double iniquity.

11  Ephraim was a trained calf

that loved to thresh,

and I spared her fair neck;

but I will put Ephraim to the yoke;

Judah must plow;

Jacob must harrow for himself.

12  Sow for yourselves righteousness;

reap steadfast love;

^lbreak up your fallow ground,

for it is the time to seek the Lord,

that he may ^mcome and rain ⁿrighteousness upon you.

13  ^oYou have plowed iniquity;

you have reaped injustice;

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your own way

and in the multitude of your warriors,

14  therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people,

and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,

as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;

mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

15  Thus it shall be done to you, O ^pBethel,

because of your great evil.

At dawn the king of Israel

shall be utterly cut off.