8 My master sent a message against Yakov,

≈ and it dealt with Yisrael,

9 and all the people will know it—

Efrayim and those who live in Samarya.

With a proud and arrogant heart they’ll say,

10 “The bricks have fallen, but we’ll rebuild with beautiful chiselled stone.

≈ The sycamores are felled, but we’ll replace them with expensive cedar.”

11 But Yahweh will send King Retsin against them as an adversary,

and will stir up their enemies—

12 the Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west,

and they’ll be a big mouth that’ll gobble Yisrael up.

Even then, Yahweh’s anger won’t subside.

≈ He’ll still be taking action against them.

13 The people still won’t return to the one who struck them,

≈ and they won’t strive to know army commander Yahweh

14 so he’ll cut off Yisrael’s head and tail—

high palm branches and low reeds, all on the same day.

15 Yisrael’s leaders are that head,

and the lying prophets are that tail.

16 These people’s guides have led them the wrong way,

so the ones being guided were destroyed.

17 Therefore, my master won’t be happy about their young men,

nor will he have compassion for their fatherless and their widows,

because everyone one of them is godless and does evil things,

and every mouth speaks out foolish things.

With all that going on, his anger never goes away,

and he continues to take action against them

18 because wickedness burns like fire.

It burns up the thistles and thorns,

and it spreads to the trees in the forest

as smoke swirls up into the air.

19 Army commander Yahweh’s anger causes the entire land to be scorched,

and then the people become the fuel for the fire

as each man doesn’t even spare his own brother.

20 They devoured on the right but were still hungry.

They ate on the left, but it didn’t fill them up,

so everyone ate the flesh on their own arms.

21 Menashsheh fought Efrayim, then Efrayim found Menashsheh,

then they fought together against Yehudah.

Even through all that, his anger didn’t subside,

and he continues to take action against them.

10 Those who make wicked laws won’t end well,

≈ nor will administrators who write troublesome edicts,

2 suppressing the rights of the needy,

≈ and robbing the poor among my people of justice,

making widows become plunder,

≈ and preying on the fatherless.

3 Then what will you all do for the judgement day,

≈ and for the destruction coming from far away?

Who will you all flee to for help then,

and where will you leave your wealth?

4 All they can do is to crouch among the prisoners,

or fall among the killed.

In all these things, Yahweh’s anger doesn’t subside,

and he continues to take action against them.