Yahweh’s Anger against Arrogance

• 8 The Lord has sent out a word against Jacob, and it fell on Israel.
• 9 And all of the people knew it, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria
• in pride and arrogance of heart, saying,
  • 10 “ The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stone. The sycamore-fig trees were felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”
  • 11 So Yahweh strengthened the adversaries of Rezin[fn] against him, and he provoked his enemies—
  • 12 Aram from the east and Philistines[fn] from the west—
• and they devoured Israel with the whole mouth.
• He has not turned away his anger in all of this,
  • and his hand is still stretched out.
  • 13 And the people did not turn to the one who struck it,[fn] and they did not seek Yahweh of hosts.
  • 14 So Yahweh cut off head and tail from Israel, palm branch and reed in one day.
  • 15 Elders[fn] and the respectable[fn] are the head, and prophets[fn] who teach lies[fn] are the tail.
  • 16 And the leaders of this people were misleading them, and those who were led were confused.
  • 17 Therefore the Lord did not rejoice over its young men, and he did not have compassion on its orphans and widows,
• for everyone was godless and an evildoer,
  • and every mouth was speaking folly.
• In all of this his anger did not turn away,
  • and still his hand is stretched out.
  • 18 For wickedness burned like fire; it consumed brier and thorn.
• And it kindled the thickets of the forest,
  • and they swirled upward in a column of smoke.
  • 19 The land was burned through the wrath of Yahweh of hosts, and the people became like fire fuel.
• People had no compassion toward each other .[fn]
  • 20 They devoured on the right but still were hungry and devoured on the left but they were not satisfied.
• Each one devoured the flesh of his arm,
  • Manasseh devoured Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
    • together they were against Judah.
• In all of this his anger has not turned away,
  • and still his hand is stretched out.