"Listen to me, you priests! Pay attention, people of Israel! Listen, you members of the royal family! Here is my decision against you. You have been like a trap at Mizpah. You have been like a net spread out on Mount Tabor.
People of Ephraim, I know all about you. What you are doing is not hidden from me. Now you have joined yourselves to other gods. You have made yourselves 'unclean.'
"You can't return to me because you have done so many evil things. In your hearts you long to act like prostitutes. You do not recognize me as the Lord.
People of Ephraim, you will be completely destroyed when it is time for me to punish you. You can be sure it will happen. I am announcing it among your tribes.
Ephraim, you will soon be crushed. The Assyrians will stomp all over you. It will happen because you have made up your minds to chase after other gods.
"Ephraim, you saw how sick you were. Judah, you saw that you were wounded. Ephraim, you turned to Assyria for help. You sent gifts to the great King Tiglath-Pileser. But he is not able to make you well. He can't heal your wounds.
Ephraim, I will be like a lion to you. Judah, I will attack you like a powerful lion. I will tear you to pieces. I will drag you off. Then I will leave you. No one will be able to save you.
I will go back to my home in heaven. I will stay there until you admit you have sinned. Then you will turn to me. You will suffer so much that you will really want me to help you."