The Punishment for Israel's Persistent Unfaithfulness

91 'Rejoice not, O Israel, be not joyful like the peoples, For thou hast gone a-whoring from thy God, Thou hast loved a gift near all floors of corn. 2 Floor and wine-press do not delight them, And new wine doth fail in her, 3 They do not abide in the land of Jehovah, And turned back hath Ephraim 'to' Egypt, And in Asshur an unclean thing they eat. 4 They pour not out wine to Jehovah, Nor are they sweet to Him, Their sacrifices 'are' as bread of mourners to them, All eating it are unclean: For their bread 'is' for themselves, It doth not come into the house of Jehovah. 5 What do ye at the day appointed? And at the day of Jehovah's festival? 6 For, lo, they have gone because of destruction, Egypt gathereth them, Moph burieth them, The desirable things of their silver, Nettles possess them—a thorn 'is' in their tents.

7 Come in have the days of inspection, Come in have the days of recompence, Israel doth know! a fool 'is' the prophet, Mad 'is' the man of the Spirit, Because of the abundance of thine iniquity, And great 'is' the hatred. 8 Ephraim is looking 'away' from My God, The prophet! a snare of a fowler 'is' over all his ways, Hatred 'is' in the house of his God. 9 They have gone deep—have done corruptly, As 'in' the days of Gibeah, He doth remember their iniquity, He doth inspect their sins. 10 As grapes in a wilderness I found Israel, As the first-fruit in a fig-tree, at its beginning, I have seen your fathers, They—they have gone in 'to' Baal-Peor, And are separated to a shameful thing, And are become abominable like their love.

11 Ephraim 'is' as a fowl, Fly away doth their honour, without birth, And without womb, and without conception. 12 For though they nourish their sons, I have made them childless—without man, Surely also, wo to them, when I turn aside from them. 13 Ephraim! when I have looked to the rock, Is planted in comeliness, And Ephraim 'is' to bring out unto a slayer his sons. 14 Give to them, Jehovah—what dost Thou give? Give to them miscarrying womb, and dry breasts. 15 All their evil 'is' in Gilgal, Surely there I have hated them, Because of the evil of their doings, Out of My house I do drive them, I add not to love them, all their heads 'are' apostates. 16 Ephraim hath been smitten, Their root hath dried up, fruit they yield not, Yea, though they bring forth, I have put to death the desired of their womb. 17 Reject them doth my God, Because they have not hearkened to Him, And they are wanderers among nations!

101 'An empty vine 'is' Israel, Fruit he maketh like to himself, According to the abundance of his fruit, He hath multiplied for the altars, According to the goodness of his land, They have made goodly standing-pillars. 2 Their heart hath been divided, now they are guilty, He doth break down their altars, He doth destroy their standing-pillars. 3 For now they say: We have no king, Because we have not feared Jehovah, And the king—what doth he for us? 4 They have spoken words, To swear falsehood in making a covenant, And flourished as a poisonous herb hath judgment, on the furrows of a field. 5 For the calves of Beth-Aven fear do inhabitants of Samaria, Surely mourned on account of it hath its people, And its priests on account of it leap about, Because of its honour, for it hath removed from it, 6 Also it to Asshur is carried, a present to a warlike king, Shame doth Ephraim receive, And ashamed is Israel of its own counsel. 7 Cut off is Samaria! Its king 'is' as a chip on the face of the waters. 8 And destroyed have been high places of Aven, the sin of Israel. Thorn and bramble go up on their altars, And they have said to hills, Cover us, And to heights, Fall upon us.

9 From the days of Gibeah thou hast sinned, O Israel, There they have stood, Not overtake them in Gibeah doth battle, Because of sons of perverseness. 10 When I desire, then I do bind them, And gathered against them have peoples, When they bind themselves to their two iniquities. 11 And Ephraim 'is' a trained heifer—loving to thresh, And I—I have passed over on the goodness of its neck, I cause 'one' to ride Ephraim, Plough doth Judah, harrow for him doth Jacob. 12 Sow for yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to loving-kindness, Till for yourselves tillage of knowledge, To seek Jehovah, Till he come and shew righteousness to you. 13 Ye have ploughed wickedness, Perversity ye have reaped, Ye have eaten the fruit of lying, For thou hast trusted in thy way, In the abundance of thy might. 14 And rise doth a tumult among thy people, And all thy fortresses are spoiled, As the spoiling of Shalman of Beth-Arbel, In a day of battle, Mother against sons dashed in pieces. 15 Thus hath Beth-El done to you, Because of the evil of your wickedness, In the dawn cut off utterly is a king of Israel!

God Yearns for His Wayward People

111 Because Israel 'is' a youth, and I love him, Out of Egypt I have called for My Son. 2 They have called to them rightly, They have gone from before them, To lords they do sacrifice, And to graven images they make perfume. 3 And I have caused Ephraim to go on foot, Taking them by their arms, And they have not known that I strengthened them. 4 With cords of man I do draw them, With thick cords of love, And I am to them as a raiser up of a yoke on their jaws, And I incline unto him—I feed 'him'. 5 He turneth not back unto the land of Egypt, And Asshur—he 'is' his king, For they have refused to return. 6 Grievous hath been the sword in his cities, And it hath ended his bars, and consumed—from their own counsels. 7 And My people are hanging in suspense, about My returning, And unto the Most High they do call, Together they exalt not.

8 How do I give thee up, O Ephraim? Do I deliver thee up, O Israel? How do I make thee as Admah? Do I set thee as Zeboim? Turned in Me is My heart, kindled together have been My repentings. 9 I do not the fierceness of My anger, I turn not back to destroy Ephraim, For God I 'am', and not a man. In thy midst the Holy One, and I enter not in enmity, 10 After Jehovah they go—as a lion He roareth, When He doth roar, then tremble do the sons from the west. 11 They tremble as a sparrow out of Egypt, And as a dove out of the land of Asshur, And I have caused them to dwell in their own houses, An affirmation of Jehovah. 12 Compassed Me with feigning hath Ephraim, And with deceit the house of Israel. And Judah again is ruling with God, And with the Holy Ones 'is' faithful!

The Message to Sardis

31 And to the messenger of the assembly in Sardis write: These things saith he who is having the Seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I have known thy works, and that thou hast the name that thou dost live, and thou art dead; 2 become watching, and strengthen the rest of the things that are about to die, for I have not found thy works fulfilled before God. 3 'Remember, then, how thou hast received, and heard, and be keeping, and reform: if, then, thou mayest not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief, and thou mayest not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis who did not defile their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, because they are worthy. 5 He who is overcoming—this one—shall be arrayed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the scroll of the life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before His messengers. 6 He who is having an ear—let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies.

The Message to Philadelphia

7 'And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia write: These things saith he who is holy, he who is true, he who is having the key of David, he who is opening and no one doth shut, and he shutteth and no one doth open! 8 I have known thy works; lo, I have set before thee a door—opened, and no one is able to shut it, because thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny my name; 9 lo, I make of the synagogue of the Adversary those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not, but do lie; lo, I will make them that they may come and bow before thy feet, and may know that I loved thee. 10 'Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to try those dwelling upon the earth. 11 Lo, I come quickly, be holding fast that which thou hast, that no one may receive thy crown. 12 He who is overcoming—I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, and without he may not go any more, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, that doth come down out of the heaven from my God—also my new name. 13 He who is having an ear—let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies.

The Message to Laodicea

14 'And to the messenger of the assembly of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the witness—the faithful and true—the chief of the creation of God; 15 I have known thy works, that neither cold art thou nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So—because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit thee out of my mouth; 17 because thou sayest—I am rich, and have grown rich, and have need of nothing, and hast not known that thou art the wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, 18 I counsel thee to buy from me gold fired by fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white garments that thou mayest be arrayed, and the shame of thy nakedness may not be manifest, and with eye-salve anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. 19 'As many as I love, I do convict and chasten; be zealous, then, and reform; 20 lo, I have stood at the door, and I knock; if any one may hear my voice, and may open the door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 He who is overcoming—I will give to him to sit with me in my throne, as I also did overcome and did sit down with my Father in His throne. 22 He who is having an ear—let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies.'