שִׁמְעוּ־זֹאת הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ הַאֲזִינוּ כִּי לָכֶם הַמִּשְׁפָּט כִּי־פַח הֱיִיתֶם לְמִצְפָּה וְרֶשֶׁת פְּרוּשָׂה עַל־תָּבוֹר

Hear this, priests, listen, heads of the house of Israel, and house of the king, hearken, as judgment is yours. Since you are the leaders, you are responsible for the current situation. You have been a trap to the Mitzpa, the name of a respectable city, a net spread over Tavor to trap its inhabitants. Your behavior caused the residents of the cities to stumble.

וְשַׁחֲטָה שֵׂטִים הֶעְמִיקוּ וַאֲנִי מוּסָר לְכֻלָּם

With the slaughter of idolatrous offerings, or by slaughtering innocent people, deviants deepened their involvement in sin, straying profoundly from the correct path, and I am a rebuke for all of them. I will punish all those criminals.

אֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי אֶפְרַיִם וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא־נִכְחַד מִמֶּנִּי כִּי עַתָּה הִזְנֵיתָ אֶפְרַיִם נִטְמָא יִשְׂרָאֵל

I know, am familiar with, Ephraim, the senior tribe of the Kingdom of Israel, which is often referred to as Ephraim, and Israel is not concealed from Me, for now you have engaged in licentiousness, Ephraim, and all Israel is defiled through your influence.

לֹא יִתְּנוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם לָשׁוּב אֶל־אֱלֹהֵיהֶם כִּי רוּחַ זְנוּנִים בְּקִרְבָּם וְאֶת־ה' לֹא יָדָעוּ

Their exploits will not allow them to return to their God. The evil deeds they have already performed block any possibility of them changing their ways, as the defiling spirit of licentiousness is within them, and therefore, the Lord they do not know.

וְעָנָה גְאוֹן־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָנָיו וְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶפְרַיִם יִכָּשְׁלוּ בַּעֲוֹנָם כָּשַׁל גַּם־יְהוּדָה עִמָּם

The pride of Israel, the king, will suffer before him, Israel. Alternatively, the king will surrender before Israel, or he will submit to the spirit of harlotry. And Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their iniquity, as their sins will be spiritual and material stumbling blocks, and Judah too will stumble with them, Israel.

בְּ צֹאנָם וּבִבְקָרָם יֵלְכוּ לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־ה' וְלֹא יִמְצָאוּ חָלַץ מֵהֶם

With offerings of their flocks and with offerings of their herds they will go to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him, for He has withdrawn and separated Himself from them.

בַּה' בָּגָדוּ כִּי־בָנִים זָרִים יָלָדוּ עַתָּה יֹאכְלֵם חֹדֶשׁ אֶת־חֶלְקֵיהֶם

They have betrayed the Lord, for they have begotten foreign children, including children from women who are not their wives; therefore, now for a month they will be devoured with their portions. They will be destroyed by a catastrophe that will last only a month.

תִּקְעוּ שׁוֹפָר בַּגִּבְעָה חֲצֹצְרָה בָּרָמָה הָרִיעוּ בֵּית אָוֶן אַחֲרֶיךָ בִּנְיָמִין

Sound a shofar in Giva, a trumpet in Rama, calling the people to battle; sound an alarm at Beit Aven, another name for Beit El (see 4:15 above): The enemy is behind you, Benjamin. These are cries of fright and confusion. The portion of Benjamin bordered Ephraim to the south.

אֶפְרַיִם לְשַׁמָּה תִהְיֶה בְּיוֹם תּוֹכֵחָה בְּשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הוֹדַעְתִּי נֶאֱמָנָה

Ephraim will be a desolation on the day of rebuke; among the other tribes of Israel I have made it known unequivocally that their fate will be similar.

הָיוּ שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה כְּמַסִּיגֵי גְּבוּל עֲלֵיהֶם אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ כַּמַּיִם עֶבְרָתִי

The princes of Judah have become like those who move boundaries. By adopting the customs of the Kingdom of Israel, it is as though the residents of Judah have infiltrated the territory of Ephraim. Consequently, upon them I will pour My ire like water; they too will be punished.

עָשׁוּק אֶפְרַיִם רְצוּץ מִשְׁפָּט כִּי הוֹאִיל הָלַךְ אַחֲרֵי־צָו

Ephraim is exploited by troubles within and without, broken in his suffering brought on by his sentence, because he willingly followed an improper and sinful order, that of Yorovam and the subsequent kings.

וַאֲנִי כָעָשׁ לְאֶפְרָיִם וְכָרָקָב לְבֵית יְהוּדָה

Therefore, I will not bring a sudden catastrophe upon Israel, but I am like a moth to Ephraim. Just as a moth destroys a garment in stages, so too, the Kingdom of Israel will gradually crumble away, becoming more and more wretched. And I will be like rot, which spreads through a garment until it is rendered unwearable, to the house of Judah. Although the prophet blames Israel first and foremost, the punishments will also affect their neighbors, who have copied their ways.

וַיַּרְא אֶפְרַיִם אֶת־חָלְיוֹ וִיהוּדָה אֶת־מְזֹרוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶפְרַיִם אֶל־אַשּׁוּר וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל־מֶלֶךְ יָרֵב וְהוּא לֹא יוּכַל לִרְפֹּא לָכֶם וְלֹא־יִגְהֶה מִכֶּם מָזוֹר

At that time, the Arameans were still Israel’s main enemy: When Ephraim saw and realized his illness, and Judah realized his ailment, the Aramean aggression, Ephraim went to Assyria and requested military aid; he sent to the rival king, the king of Assyria, for help fighting Aram. Both Israel and Aram turned to Assyria, the rising power which lay beyond Aram, in attempts to establish diplomatic ties with Assyria and rid itself of the constant threat of the other. But he, Assyria, will be unable to heal you, and he will not remove the ailment, the Aramean aggression, from you.

כִּי אָנֹכִי כַשַּׁחַל לְאֶפְרַיִם וְכַכְּפִיר לְבֵית יְהוּדָה אֲנִי אֲנִי אֶטְרֹף וְאֵלֵךְ אֶשָּׂא וְאֵין מַצִּיל

For I am like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I maul and go; I carry off the prey, and there is no savior to deliver them from My hand. It is I who will bring the troubles upon them, as a punishment. Therefore, your efforts to resolve your problems through diplomatic means will be unsuccessful.

אֵלֵךְ אָשׁוּבָה אֶל־מְקוֹמִי עַד אֲשֶׁר־יֶאְשְׁמוּ וּבִקְשׁוּ פָנָי בַּצַּר לָהֶם יְשַׁחֲרֻנְנִי

I will go away and return to My place, removing My presence from them until they are punished, meaning that God will return only when they have been punished. And they will seek out My presence and return to Me. In their distress, when they have suffered, only then they will seek Me.