1 Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
2 And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.
5 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.
6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
7 They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
8 Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.
9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
10 The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
12 Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.
14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
<html><b>for yours is the judgment</b> The judgment of torments is upon you, O house of the king, for you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net on Tabor. On these two mountains they stationed sentries so that Israel would not make the pilgrimage to the Temple.</html>
<html><b>The extent of their straying they have deepened</b> The extent of their straying they have deepened. I said that anyone who does not go up to Jerusalem on the Pilgrimage festivals transgresses a positive commandment, and they decreed that anyone who does go up to Jerusalem shall be put to death. Hence, they went deeper than I. I.e., they were more stringent than I (Sanhedrin 102a). The word שַחֲטָה, translated as ‘extent’ is an expression similar to זָהָב שָׁחוּט, “malleable gold” (I Kings 10:16) stretched and spun. Jonathan, however, renders it as an expression of slaughtering sacrifices to idols. <b>and I [will bring] chastisement to all of them</b> Lit. And I too will chastise them with torments, I will prepare chastisement for all of them.</html>
<html><b>for now you have committed harlotry, O Ephraim</b> Until Hosea son of Elah, they blamed their sins on their kings, who prevented them from going on the pilgrimages. This one arose and abolished the sentries; yet they did not go up. Therefore, they were exiled. For now you have committed harlotry, O Ephraim, and they cannot blame the king. I learned this in Seder Olam (ch. 22).</html>
<html><b>They do not abandon their deeds</b> Heb. יִתְּנוּ, lit. give. They do not abandon their evil way. Comp. (Gen. 31:7) “And God did not allow him (נְתָנוֹ)”; (Num. 21:23) “And Sihon did not permit (נָתַן)”; (Song 1:12) “abandoned (נָתַן) its fragrance.”</html>
<html><b>And the pride of Israel shall be humbled</b> Heb. וְעָנָה. Jonathan renders: And the pride of Israel shall be humbled. Comp. (Exodus 10:13) “to humble yourself (לֵעָנֹת) from before Me.” An expression of poverty and humility. <b>before them</b> Jonathan renders: and they see. And Dunash ben Livrat explained it (וְעָנָה) as an expression of testimony; when their retribution comes to them, the pride and haughtiness, which they were haughty, and transgressing My will, will testify against them and before them. [from Teshuvoth Dunash, p.79]</html>
<html><b>With their flocks and with their cattle</b> With their sacrifices. <b>He has withdrawn</b> Heb. חָלַץ, slipped away. Comp. (II Sam. 2:21) “and take to yourself his clothing (חֲלִצָתוֹ),” the clothing that you will slip off them.</html>
<html><b>for they begot strange children</b> for they intermarried among the nations. <b>a month shall consume them</b> The month of Av.</html>
<html><b>Sound a shofar</b> so that they take care to beware of the sword of the troops that will come upon them. <b>shout [in] Beth-aven</b> “After you the troop is coming, you Benjamin!” You shall shout this in Beth-aven. Jonathan, however, renders: Sound a shofar: [O prophets, raise your voices like a shofar.] The news of the sword which is coming as retribution for the iniquity of crowning Saul, who was in Gibeah, and for disobeying Samuel, who was from Ramah. And their kings caused them to turn away from following Me, such as Jeroboam and his ilk. Shout over them, “Violence and great destruction!” <b>“After you, Benjamin!”</b> Since you delayed and hesitated to go on the pilgrimages to the Temple, which is in Benjamin’s territory. <b>Because of your delay of Benjamin.</b> [explaining according to Targum Jonathan]</html>
<html><b>shall be bewildered on the day of contention</b> When I come to debate with them, they will be bewildered and will wonder, and they will have no answer in their mouth. Why? Because, among the tribes of Israel I made known a true Torah, and they transgressed it. [Another explanation:] <b>Ephraim shall be bewildered etc. among the tribes of Israel I made known a true [judgment]</b> Said Rabbi Abahu in the name of Rabbi Yose bar Chanina. On the day that the Holy One, blessed be He, debates with them in judgment, they will not be able to open their mouths, for among their tribes I made known that the judgment is a true judgment. You find that, when the ten tribes were exiled, Benjamin and Judah were not exiled, and the ten tribes were saying, Because they are the dwellers of His palace, He did not exile them. There is favoritism in this matter. God forbid, there is no favoritism, but their measure of sin was not yet full. As soon as they sinned, they were exiled. Then the ten tribes were bewildered, without an answer in their mouths, and they said, “Behold God! Behold the Mighty One! Behold the Just One! For even to those who dwell in His house He shows no favoritism.” This is to fulfill what is stated: Among the tribes of Israel I made known a true judgment. [from Lam. Rabbah, Proem 6]</html>
<html><b>like those who remove the landmark</b> As a person who attaches the landmark of his neighbor, so did they hasten to grasp the ways of Israel, their colleagues, the kings. Therefore, “upon them will I pour My wrath like water.” And, according to its apparent meaning, they were stealing fields. But it is difficult to me, since he should have written. מַסִיגֵי גְבוּל, those who remove the landmark, not כְּמַסִיגֵי like those who remove.</html>
<html><b>Ephraim is plundered</b> in the hands of the nations. <b>broken by judgment</b> Chastised with torments. Now why does he suffer with all this? Because he wished and desired and followed the new commands of the prophets of Baal.</html>
<html><b>and like decay</b> A worm which eats the wood and pulverizes it.</html>
<html><b>his pain</b> Heb. מְזֹרוֹ, an expression of illness. <b>and Ephraim went to Assyria</b> This is Hosea son of Elah, who was his vassal and then rebelled against him (II Kings 17:4). <b>and he sent</b> i.e., Judah sent. <b>to the king of Yarev</b> This refers to Ahaz, who gave a bribe to Tiglath-pileser to assist him against Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah (II Kings 16:8). <b>but he will not be able to heal you</b> from the many bands of Philistines and Arabs that attacked Ahaz, as is related in Chronicles (II 28:21): “For Ahaz divided the house of the Lord etc. and he gave it to the king of Assyria, but he did not help him.” <b>and he will not remove the pain from you</b> Heb. וְלֹא יִגְהֶה מִכֶּם מָזוֹר. And I say that it is one of the words whose radicals are transposed. This is an expression similar to (II Sam. 20:13) “When he was removed (הוֹגָה) from the highway”; (Isaiah 59:13) “sprouting and giving forth (והוֹגוֹ) from the heart”; (Prov. 25:4), “take away (הָגוֹ) the dross from the silver.”</html>
<html><b>I will carry off and no one will rescue</b> I will carry off the prey.</html>
<html><b>I will go away</b> I will withdraw from them and return to the heaven. <b>until they admit their guilt</b> i. e., until they consider themselves guilty, to confess their guilt. <b>they will seek Me</b> Heb. יִשַׁחֲרֻנְנִי.</html>