1. How prosperous Israel is—a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit.But the richer the people get,the more pagan altars they build.The more bountiful their harvests,the more beautiful their sacred pillars.
2. The hearts of the people are fickle;they are guilty and must be punished.The lord will break down their altarsand smash their sacred pillars.
3. Then they will say, “We have no kingbecause we didn’t fear the lord.But even if we had a king,what could he do for us anyway?”
4. They spout empty wordsand make covenants they don’t intend to keep.So injustice springs up among themlike poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.
5. The people of Samaria tremble in fearfor their calf idol at Beth-aven,and they mourn for it.Though its priests rejoice over it,its glory will be stripped away.
6. This idol will be carted away to Assyria,a gift to the great king there.Ephraim will be ridiculed and Israel will be shamed,because its people have trusted in this idol.
7. Samaria and its king will be cut off;they will float away like driftwood on an ocean wave.