Ephraim is condemned for following false idols and making alliances with Assyria and Egypt, and as a result, God's judgment will come upon them. Despite their prosperity, Ephraim remains deceitful and refuses to acknowledge their sin. God reminds them of their history, including Jacob's encounter with an angel and their deliverance from Egypt, and urges them to return to Him. However, Ephraim's continued idolatry and bitterness will ultimately lead to their downfall.
1 Ephraim feeds on wind and follows burning heat; all day long he multiplies lies and desolation. And he has entered into a pact with the Assyrians, and he has carried oil into Egypt 2 Therefore, the judgment of the Lord is with Judah and a visitation is upon Jacob. He will repay him according to his ways and according to his inventions 3 In the womb, he supplanted his brother; for in his good fortune, he had been guided by an angel 4 And he prevailed over an angel, for he had been strengthened. He wept and petitioned him. He found him in Bethel, and there he has spoken to us 5 And the Lord God of hosts, the Lord is his memorial 6 And so, you should convert to your God. Keep mercy and judgment, and have hope in your God always 7 Canaan, in his hand is a deceitful balance, he has chosen false accusations 8 And Ephraim has said, "Nevertheless, I have become rich; I have found an idol for myself. All of my labors will not reveal to me the iniquity that I have committed. 9 And I, the Lord your God from the land of Egypt, nevertheless will cause you to dwell in tabernacles, just as during the days of the feast 10 And I have spoken through the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and I have used parables through the hands of the prophets 11 If Gilead is an idol, then they have been sacrificing cattle in Gilgal to no purpose. For even their altars are like clutter on the soil of the field 12 Jacob fled into the region of Syria, and Israel served like a wife, and was served by a wife 13 Yet by a prophet the Lord led Israel out of Egypt, and he was served by a prophet 14 Ephraim has provoked me to wrath with his bitterness, and his blood will overcome him, and his Lord will requite him for his shamefulness