The Punishment for Israel's Apostasy

51 'Hear this, O priests, and attend, O house of Israel, And, O house of the king, give ear, For the judgment 'is' for you, For, a snare ye have been on Mizpah, And a net spread out on Tabor. 2 And to slaughter sinners have gone deep, And I 'am' a fetter to them all. 3 I have known Ephraim, And Israel hath not been hid from me, For now thou hast gone a-whoring, Ephraim, Defiled is Israel. 4 They give not up their habitual doings, To turn back unto their God, For a spirit of whoredoms 'is' in their midst, And Jehovah they have not known. 5 And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And Israel and Ephraim stumble by their iniquity, Stumbled also hath Judah with them. 6 With their flock and with their herd, They go to seek Jehovah, and do not find, He hath withdrawn from them. 7 Against Jehovah they dealt treacherously, For strange sons they have begotten, Now consume them doth a month 'with' their portions.

8 Blow ye a cornet in Gibeah, a trumpet in Ramah, Shout, O Beth-Aven, after thee, O Benjamin. 9 Ephraim is for a desolation in a day of reproof, Among the tribes of Israel I have made known a sure thing. 10 Princes of Judah have been as those removing a border, On them I do pour out as water My wrath. 11 Oppressed is Ephraim, broken in judgment, When he pleased he went after the command. 12 And I 'am' as a moth to Ephraim, And as a rotten thing to the house of Judah. 13 And see doth Ephraim his sickness, and Judah his wound, And Ephraim goeth unto Asshur, And sendeth unto a warlike king, And he is not able to give healing to you, Nor doth he remove from you a scar. 14 For I 'am' as a lion to Ephraim, And as a young lion to the house of Judah, I—I tear and go, I bear away, and there is no deliverer.

The Insincerity of Israel's Repentance

15 I go—I turn back unto My place, Till that they are desolate, and have sought My face. In their distress they do seek Me speedily!'

61 'Come, and we turn back unto Jehovah, For He hath torn, and He doth heal us, He doth smite, and He bindeth us up. 2 He doth revive us after two days, In the third day He doth raise us up, And we live before Him. 3 And we know—we pursue to know Jehovah, As the dawn prepared is His going forth, And He cometh in as a shower to us, As gathered rain—sprinkling earth.'

4 What do I do to thee, O Ephraim? What do I do to thee, O Judah? Your goodness 'is' as a cloud of the morning, And as dew rising early—going. 5 Therefore I have hewed by prophets, I have slain them by sayings of My mouth, And My judgments to the light goeth forth. 6 For kindness I desired, and not sacrifice, And a knowledge of God above burnt-offerings. 7 And they, as Adam, transgressed a covenant, There they dealt treacherously against me. 8 Gilead 'is' a city of workers of iniquity, Slippery from blood. 9 And as bands do wait for a man, A company of priests do murder—the way to Shechem, For wickedness they have done. 10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing, There 'is' the whoredom of Ephraim—defiled is Israel. 11 Also, O Judah, appointed is a harvest to thee, In My turning back 'to' the captivity of My people!

Israel's Iniquity and Rebellion

71 'When I give healing to Israel, Then revealed is the iniquity of Ephraim, And the wickedness of Samaria, For they have wrought falsehood, And a thief doth come in, Stript off hath a troop in the street, 2 And they do not say to their heart, 'That' all their evil I have remembered, Now compassed them have their doings, Over-against My face they have been. 3 With their wickedness they make glad a king, And with their lies—princes. 4 All of them 'are' adulterers, Like a burning oven of a baker, He ceaseth from stirring up after kneading the dough, till its leavening. 5 A day of our king! Princes have polluted themselves 'with' the poison of wine, He hath drawn out his hand with scorners. 6 For they have drawn near, As an oven 'is' their heart, In their lying in wait all the night sleep doth their baker, Morning! he is burning as a flaming fire. 7 All of them are warm as an oven, And they have devoured their judges, All their kings have fallen, There is none calling unto Me among them.

8 Ephraim! among peoples he mixeth himself, Ephraim hath been a cake unturned. 9 Devoured have strangers his power, And he hath not known, Also old age hath sprinkled 'itself' on him, And he hath not known. 10 And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And they have not turned back unto Jehovah their God, Nor have they sought Him for all this. 11 And Ephraim is as a simple dove without heart, Egypt they called on—'to' Asshur they have gone. 12 When they go I spread over them My net, As the fowl of the heavens I bring them down, I chastise them as their company hath heard. 13 Wo to them, for they wandered from Me, Destruction to them, for they transgressed against Me, And I—I ransom them, and they have spoken lies against Me, 14 And have not cried unto Me with their heart, but howl on their beds, For corn and new wine they assemble themselves, They turn aside against Me. 15 And I instructed—I strengthened their arms, And concerning Me they think evil! 16 They turn back—not to the Most High, They have been as a deceitful bow, Fall by sword do their princes, From the insolence of their tongue, This 'is' their derision in the land of Egypt!

The Rebuke of Israel's Idolatry

81 'Unto thy mouth—a trumpet, As an eagle against the house of Jehovah, Because they transgressed My covenant, And against My law they have rebelled. 2 To Me they cry, 'My God, we—Israel—have known Thee.' 3 Cast off good hath Israel, an enemy pursueth him. 4 They have made kings, and not by Me, They have made princes, and I have not known, Their silver and their gold they have made to them idols, So that they are cut off. 5 Cast off hath thy calf, O Samaria, Burned hath Mine anger against them, Till when are they not capable of purity? 6 For even it 'is' of Israel; an artificer made it, And it 'is' not God, For the calf of Samaria is fragments! 7 For wind they sow, and a hurricane they reap, Stalk it hath none—a shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield—strangers do swallow it up.

8 Israel hath been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight. 9 For they—they have gone up 'to' Asshur, A wild ass alone by himself 'is' Ephraim, They have hired lovers! 10 Also though they hire among nations, Now I gather them, and they are pained a little, From the burden of a king of princes. 11 Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin. 12 I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned. 13 The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They—'to' Egypt they turn back. 14 And forget doth Israel his Maker, and buildeth temples, And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it hath consumed their palaces!

The Message to Ephesus

21 'To the messenger of the Ephesian assembly write: These things saith he who is holding the seven stars in his right hand, who is walking in the midst of the seven lamp-stands—the golden: 2 I have known thy works, and thy labour, and thy endurance, and that thou art not able to bear evil ones, and that thou hast tried those saying themselves to be apostles and are not, and hast found them liars, 3 and thou didst bear, and hast endurance, and because of my name hast toiled, and hast not been weary. 4 'But I have against thee: That thy first love thou didst leave! 5 remember, then, whence thou hast fallen, and reform, and the first works do; and if not, I come to thee quickly, and will remove thy lamp-stand from its place—if thou mayest not reform; 6 but this thou hast, that thou dost hate the works of the Nicolaitans, that I also hate. 7 He who is having an ear—let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies: To him who is overcoming—I will give to him to eat of the tree of life that is in the midst of the paradise of God.

The Message to Smyrna

8 'And to the messenger of the assembly of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, who did become dead and did live; 9 I have known thy works, and tribulation, and poverty—yet thou art rich—and the evil-speaking of those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not, but 'are' a synagogue of the Adversary. 10 'Be not afraid of the things that thou art about to suffer; lo, the devil is about to cast of you to prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days; become thou faithful unto death, and I will give to thee the crown of the life. 11 He who is having an ear—let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies: He who is overcoming may not be injured of the second death.

The Message to Pergamos

12 'And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos write: These things saith he who is having the sharp two-edged sword: 13 I have known thy works, and where thou dost dwell—where the throne of the Adversary 'is'—and thou dost hold fast my name, and thou didst not deny my faith, even in the days in which Antipas 'was' my faithful witness, who was put to death beside you, where the Adversary doth dwell. 14 'But I have against thee a few things: That thou hast there those holding the teaching of Balaam, who did teach Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom; 15 so hast thou, even thou, those holding the teaching of the Nicolaitans—which thing I hate. 16 'Reform! and if not, I come to thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who is having an ear—let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies: To him who is overcoming, I will give to him to eat from the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, that no one knew except him who is receiving 'it'.

The Message to Thyatira

18 'And to the messenger of the assembly of Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who is having his eyes as a flame of fire, and his feet like to fine brass; 19 I have known thy works, and love, and ministration, and faith, and thy endurance, and thy works—and the last 'are' more than the first. 20 'But I have against thee a few things: That thou dost suffer the woman Jezebel, who is calling herself a prophetess, to teach, and to lead astray, my servants to commit whoredom, and idol-sacrifices to eat; 21 and I did give to her a time that she might reform from her whoredom, and she did not reform; 22 lo, I will cast her into a couch, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation—if they may not repent of their works, 23 and her children I will kill in death, and know shall all the assemblies that I am he who is searching reins and hearts; and I will give to you—to each—according to your works. 24 'And to you I say, and to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as have not this teaching, and who did not know the depths of the Adversary, as they say; I will not put upon you other burden; 25 but that which ye have—hold ye, till I may come; 26 and he who is overcoming, and who is keeping unto the end my works, I will give to him authority over the nations, 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron—as the vessels of the potter they shall be broken—as I also have received from my Father; 28 and I will give to him the morning star. 29 He who is having an ear—let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies.