1“Hear this, O you priests, and attend, Beit Yisra’el, and give ear, O house of the king, for unto you pertains the judgment; for you have been a snare on Mitzpah, and a net spread upon Tavor. 2And they that fall away are gone deep in making slaughter; and I am rejected of them all. 3I, even I, know Efrayim, and Yisra’el is not hid from Me; for now, O Efrayim, you have committed harlotry, Yisra’el is defiled. 4Their doings will not suffer them to return unto their Elohim; for the spirit of harlotry is within them, and they know not יהוה . But5 the pride of Yisra’el shall testify to his face; and Yisra’el and Efrayim shall stumble in their iniquity, Yehudah also shall stumble with them. 6With their flocks and with their herds they shall go to seek יהוה , but they shall not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. 7They have dealt treacherously against יהוה , for they have begotten strange children; now shall the khodesh devour them with their portions.”
8“Blast the shofar in Giv’ah, and the trumpet in Ramah; sound an alarm at Beit Aven, ‘Behind you, O Binyamin!’ 9Efrayim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Yisra’el do I make known that which shall surely be. 10The princes of Yehudah are like them that remove the landmark; I will pour out My wrath upon them like water. 11Oppressed is Efrayim, crushed in his right; because he willingly walked after filth. 12Therefore am I unto Efrayim as a moth, and to Beit Yehudah as rottenness. 13And when Efrayim saw his sickness, and Yehudah his wound, Efrayim went to Ashur, and sent to King Yarev; but he is not able to heal you, neither shall he cure you of your wound. 14For I will be unto Efrayim as a lion, and as a young lion to Beit Yehudah; I, even I, will tear and go away, I will take away, and there shall be none to deliver. 15I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their guilt, and seek My face; in their trouble they will seek Me earnestly.”
אשִׁמְעוּ זֹאת הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ הַאֲזִינוּ כִּי לָכֶם הַמִּשְׁפָּט: כִּי פַח הֱיִיתֶם לְמִצְפָּה וְרֶשֶׁת פְּרוּשָׂה עַל תָּבוֹר. בוְשַׁחֲטָה שֵׂטִים הֶעְמִיקוּ; וַאֲנִי מוּסָר לְכֻלָּם. גאֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי אֶפְרַיִם וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא נִכְחַד מִמֶּנִּי: כִּי עַתָּה הִזְנֵיתָ אֶפְרַיִם נִטְמָא יִשְׂרָאֵל. דלֹא יִתְּנוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם לָשׁוּב אֶל אֱלֹהֵיהֶם: כִּי רוּחַ זְנוּנִים בְּקִרְבָּם וְאֶת יהוה לֹא יָדָעוּ. הוְעָנָה גְאוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָנָיו; וְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶפְרַיִם יִכָּשְׁלוּ בַּעֲוֹנָם כָּשַׁל גַּם יְהוּדָה עִמָּם. ובְּצֹאנָם וּבִבְקָרָם יֵלְכוּ לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת יהוה וְלֹא יִמְצָאוּ: חָלַץ מֵהֶם. זבַּיהוה בָּגָדוּ כִּי בָנִים זָרִים יָלָדוּ; עַתָּה יֹאכְלֵם חֹדֶשׁ אֶת חֶלְקֵיהֶם.
חתִּקְעוּ שׁוֹפָר בַּגִּבְעָה חֲצֹצְרָה בָּרָמָה; הָרִיעוּ בֵּית אָוֶן אַחֲרֶיךָ בִּנְיָמִין. טאֶפְרַיִם לְשַׁמָּה תִהְיֶה בְּיוֹם תּוֹכֵחָה; בְּשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הוֹדַעְתִּי נֶאֱמָנָה. יהָיוּ שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה כְּמַסִּיגֵי גְּבוּל; עֲלֵיהֶם אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ כַּמַּיִם עֶבְרָתִי. יאעָשׁוּק אֶפְרַיִם רְצוּץ מִשְׁפָּט: כִּי הוֹאִיל הָלַךְ אַחֲרֵי צָו. יבוַאֲנִי כָעָשׁ לְאֶפְרָיִם; וְכָרָקָב לְבֵית יְהוּדָה. יגוַיַּרְא אֶפְרַיִם אֶת חָלְיוֹ וִיהוּדָה אֶת מְזֹרוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶפְרַיִם אֶל אַשּׁוּר וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל מֶלֶךְ יָרֵב; וְהוּא לֹא יוּכַל לִרְפֹּא לָכֶם וְלֹא יִגְהֶה מִכֶּם מָזוֹר. ידכִּי אָנֹכִי כַשַּׁחַל לְאֶפְרַיִם וְכַכְּפִיר לְבֵית יְהוּדָה; אֲנִי אֲנִי אֶטְרֹף וְאֵלֵךְ אֶשָּׂא וְאֵין מַצִּיל. טואֵלֵךְ אָשׁוּבָה אֶל מְקוֹמִי עַד אֲשֶׁר יֶאְשְׁמוּ וּבִקְשׁוּ פָנָי: בַּצַּר לָהֶם יְשַׁחֲרֻנְנִי.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 