References (163)
He named the second Ephraim: "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." [The name Ephraim means "double fruit."]
[God's order is first Manasseh, then Ephraim. First we must "forget" and get over what has been, the betrayal, the false accusations, the prison, and the unjust treatment before we can bear fruit. Instead of seeking revenge, we must forgive our brothers and give birth to "Manasseh," see .]
To Joseph in the land of Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born by his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On [].
[In the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the tradition is that the firstborn becomes the next head of the family. As the eldest son, he inherits the name, status, and property of his father. It is not unusual for God to surprise us, as we have already seen several examples of in Genesis. In this passage, Joseph follows tradition and places Manasseh, his firstborn, on the right side to receive the greatest blessing. Jacob then crosses his arms and blesses Ephraim with his right hand. Joseph assumes it is a mistake, but Jacob knows exactly what he is doing.]
After all this, someone came to Joseph and said, "Look, your father is sick." So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him.
[Jacob continues speaking to Joseph:] Now your two sons are mine, those who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in the land of Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh, just as Reuben and Simeon are and shall be mine.
Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him.
Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head—who was the younger—and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, he disapproved (it was evil in his eyes), so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
He blessed them that day and said, "By you Israel shall bless, saying, 'God (Elohim) shall make you like Ephraim and Manasseh. '" So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
Joseph saw [his second son] Ephraim's sons to the third generation; even Manasseh's son, Machir [Joseph's grandson], became the father of children [who were laid] on Joseph's knees.
[Manasseh was Joseph's firstborn, whose son was named Machir, see ; . "Laying on Joseph's knees" alludes to the custom of placing the newborn child on the knees, first of the father, who by receiving it acknowledged the child as his own, and then of the mother, see . Joseph adopted his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, which means that they shared in his blessing and inheritance, see also .]
From the sons of Joseph:
from Ephraim, Elishama, son of Ammihod;
from Manasseh, Gamliel, son of Pedazur.
The sons of Joseph,
of the sons of Ephraim, their generations, according to their families, according to the houses of their fathers, by the number of names, every male separately, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war,
this was the number of those of the tribe of Ephraim, they were 40,500.
On the west side
shall be those in the camp who belong to the banner of Ephraim according to their divisions.
The leader of the sons of Ephraim is Elishama, son of Ammihud,
All who were counted in the camp of Ephraim were 108,100
according to their divisions.
They shall go out (march) as number three [following the first six tribes and the Levites].
On the 7th day, Elishama, son of Ammihod, leader of the sons of Ephraim, offered
And under their banner (standard) the camp of the sons of Ephraim marched in their order of battle, and over his army was Elishama, son of Ammihod.
From the tribe of Ephraim, Hosea [Joshua], son of Nun. [Moses gives him a new name, see .]
The sons of Joseph by their families: Manasseh and Ephraim.
These are the sons of Ephraim by their families:
Of Shotelach, the family of the Shotelachs,
of Becher, the family of the Bechers,
of Tachan, the family of the Tachanites.
These are the families of the sons of Ephraim, those who were counted of them, 32,500.
[First count: 40,500, a decrease of 8,000.]
These are the sons of Joseph according to their families. [Verses 27 and 37b form an inclusio with Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.]
And from the tribe of Ephraim's sons, a leader,
Qemoel, son of Shiftan.
His firstborn, he is majestic, his horns are the horns of a wild ox, with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them to the ends of the earth, they are the ten thousand of Ephraim and the thousand of Manasseh."
[Ephraim is the younger, but is mentioned first. Manasseh is the larger tribe, but Ephraim has an army ten times larger.]
and all of Naphtali [Galilee in the north]
and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh [in the central northern part]
and all the land of Judah as far as the sea in the west [southern central part to the Mediterranean Sea]
The sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And they gave no part to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in with open country around them for their cattle and small livestock.
And Joseph's sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
And the border of the sons of Ephraim according to their families was this. The border of the inheritance on the east was Atrot-Adar to Beit-Choron the upper,
From Tappoach the border goes west to the brook Kana, and from there it goes out to the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim according to their families,
along with the cities that were set apart for the sons of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, and the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day and became servants to do the heavy work.
Tappoach land belonged to Manasseh, but Tappoach on the border of Manasseh belonged to the sons of Ephraim.
And the border went down to the brook of Kanah south of the brook, with cities belonging to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, but the border of Manasseh is on the north side of the brook and goes from there to the sea [the Mediterranean Sea].
Southward is Ephraim, and northward is Manasseh, and the sea is his border, and it extends to Asher on the north and to Issachar on the east.
And Joshua said to them, "If you are a great people, then go up to the forest and cut down for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too crowded for you." [The hill country of Ephraim stretched from Bethel, north of Jerusalem, up to the plain of Jezreel.]
And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, "You are a great people and have great power (strength); you shall not have only one lot,
As the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded [], they gave him [Joshua] the city he requested—Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built a city and lived in it.
So they set apart [three cities west of the Jordan River:]
Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and
Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and
Kiriath-Arba, which is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.
And the rest of the sons of Kohath received by lot for their families from the tribe of Ephraim and from the tribe of Dan and from the half-tribe of Manasseh—10 cities.
And the families of the sons of Kohath, the Levites, the rest of the sons of Kohath, received their cities by lot from the tribe of Ephraim.
And they gave them Shechem with its open country in the hill country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for a manslayer, and Gezer [halfway between Joppa and Jerusalem] with its open country,
And they buried him at the border of his inheritance in Timnath-Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
And Eleazar, Aaron's son, died, and they buried him on the hill of his son Phinehas, which had been given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.
And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer [a city halfway between Joppa and Jerusalem], but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
And they buried him at the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres [also called Timnath Serah, see ; ] in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.
And it came to pass, when he came [home], that he blew a shofar in the mountains of Ephraim [to gather them for battle]. Then the sons of Israel came down with him from the hill country, and he was before them [Ehud took the lead].
She sat under Deborah's palm trees
(date palms – Hebr. tomer) between Ramah
[meaning: "height"] and
Bethel [meaning: "house of God"] in the hill country of
Ephraim [1-2 miles north of Jerusalem], and the sons of Israel came up to her for legal decisions.
[Deborah's dual role as prophetess and judge is reflected linguistically in the fact that things are described in pairs. The text mentions two heights: Ramah (the birthplace of the prophet, judge, and priest Samuel) and Bethel (where Jacob wrestled with God). Ephraim means "double fruitful," and the word for date palm, tomer, shares its root with Tamar, who bore twins to Judah ().]Out of Ephraim came those whose roots are in Amalek,
after you Benjamin among your people,
out of Machir came princes, and out of Zebulun
those who wielded the scepter.
[There are no biological roots between Amalek and Ephraim; this refers to Joshua's defeat of Amalek. Joshua is an Ephraimite, and Amalek was the first enemy to fight against Israel in Rephidim after the exodus.]
And Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim [which stretched from Bethel, north of Jerusalem, up to the plain of Jezreel—the area later called Samaria], saying, "Come down against Midian, and take the waters before them as far as Beit-Bara and even the Jordan." And all the men of Ephraim gathered together and took the waters as far as Beth-barah and even the Jordan.
And the men of Ephraim said to him, "Why did you treat us this way? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight the Midianites?" And they quarreled seriously with him.
And he said to them, "What have I done compared to you? Is not the gathering of Ephraim [the gleaning of grapes] better than the vintage of Abiezer?
And after Avimelech, Tola [meaning worm or scarlet], the son of Puah, arose to save Israel, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.
And the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was in great distress.
And the men of Ephraim gathered together and went to Zaphon, and they said to Jephthah, "Why did you go over and fight against the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down over you."
And Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim, and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim because they said, "You Gileadites are fugitives from Ephraim in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh."
And the men of Gilead took the fords of the Jordan [] against Ephraim, and it came to pass that when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, "Let us go over," the men of Gilead said to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No,"
then they said to him, "Say, I beg you, Shibboleth" [meaning: river/stream], and he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce it correctly [cf. ], then they seized him and struck him down at the fords of the Jordan. And at that time, 42,000 fell from Ephraim. [This is a terrible civil war.]
And Avdon, the son of Hallel, the Pirathonite, died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
[The Book of Judges ends with two separate stories ( and ). Both begin in the same way: "And it came to pass" (Hebr. vajehi), see . Each story contains a statement: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what he thought was right" ( and ). The first part is also repeated in and and frames this entire morally dark period in Israel's history. Here we understand that it is not an earthly king who is referred to; the people had rejected the Lord as their king, see . No chronological order is given, but some observations can be made:
In the first story in chapters 17-18, there are details that connect to the seventh judge, Samson (1,100 pieces of silver, see ; and his hometown of Zorah, see ; ). Samson is the crescendo of the betrayal that the Danites began earlier when they abandoned Joshua's mission and moved north. The event probably takes place before Samson is a judge.
In the second story in chapters 19-21, the only person named is the priest Phinehas, whose father is Eleazar, who was a contemporary of Joshua (; ). This links the story to the time just after the entry into the land.
Even in a chiastic pattern, which is often found in this book, it would be natural for the story to go back in time in this way, with first a story that provides the background to Samson, and then the time just at the entry into Joshua's time.] [The first story recounts how Moses' own grandchildren and descendants set up an entire system of idolatry in Dan. The story has seven episodes, the last three of which are related and become increasingly worse. The first household god is set up by an individual, while the second is set up by an entire tribe!]
And it came to pass that there was a man in the hill country of
Ephraim whose name was Micah
(Hebr. Michajho) [meaning: 'Who is like Yahweh?'].
[The hill country of Ephraim stretched from Bethel, north of Jerusalem, up to the plain of Jezreel. Here lay Shiloh, where the tabernacle stood. The name Micah is spelled Michajho in verses 1 and 4, later in and the rest of the chapter the shorter Hebrew form Micha is used. Both names mean "Who is like Yahweh?" The story mentions 1,100 pieces of silver, the same amount that each of the Philistine kings offered Delilah to betray Samson, see .] And the man left the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he could find. [The phrase is ambiguous; was he looking for food, a place to settle, a job, or a place that God would show him?] And he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to Mic.'s house, to shape his path. [The last phrase is also unusual.]
And the sons of Dan sent from their families five men from among them, men who were soldiers, from Zorah [Samson's birthplace and the place where he was also buried, see ; ] and from Eshtaol [it was in the area between these cities in the Lowlands that the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon Samson, see ] to search (scout, spy on) the land and to explore it, and they said to them, "Go and explore the land."
And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Mic., and lodged there.
And they passed from there through the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Mic.
[The second story in the conclusion of the Book of Judges now begins. The only person named is Phinehas (). The fact that he is the son of Eleazar, who was a contemporary of Joshua (), means that this story takes place early in the period of the judges, one generation after Joshua. The phrase that recurs four times, "In those days there was no king in Israel" (; ; ), is found here, but with a slightly changed word order, where "king" comes before "was" here.]
And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that a man, a Levite, was staying on the other (far) side of the mountains of Ephraim. He took a woman, a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
[No person is named, which makes the story more general and applicable. The main character is a Levite—the tribe that had a mission of spiritual leadership. It is not the same person as in the previous story. There are both similarities and contrasts:
The Levite was traveling in the hill country, the same area where another Levite in the previous story had found a home (). The direction is reversed – in chapter , a Levite traveled from Bethlehem to the hill country of Ephraim, while here another Levite travels in the opposite direction down to Bethlehem. Both stories are about hospitality – in , Micah gives the Levite the title "father" but treats him as his own son. Here, the Levite is a father's son-in-law. The woman is introduced as a concubine, which immediately makes the reader suspect something sinister based on previous events in , which ended tragically in .]
And behold, in the evening, an old man came in from his work in the field. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were the sons of Benjamin.
And he said to him, "We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the other side of the mountains of Ephraim, from whence I am, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the Lord (Yahweh), but no man takes (invites) me into his house.
There was a man from Ramathaim-Zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah [meaning: "God has created"],
the son of Jeroham,
the son of Eliho [Eliel, see ],
the son of Tohu [Toah, see ],
the son of Zoph,
an Ephraimite.
[Ramatajim means "two hills" and Ramatajim-Tsofim is believed to be Arimathea, 25 km west of Shiloh. Later it is mentioned that Samuel's hometown is Rama, see .]
And he went [northwest] through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the territory of Shalisha [Baal-Shalisha], but did not find them. Then he passed through the territory of Shaalim [the territory of the foxes], but they were not there, and he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but did not find them.
And all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also pursued them in the battle.
and made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
And the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.
The matter is not so. But a man from the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bichri, has lifted his hand against the king, against David. Give him to us, and we will leave the city." The woman said to Joab, "Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall."
And these are their names:
Hurs son – in the hill country of Ephraim;
And Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there, and he went from there and built Penuel.
[Shechem was a strategic junction where several roads met between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Peniel was the place by the river Jabbok, on the east side of the Jordan River, where Jacob wrestled with God. The city existed in the time of Gideon (, ), but now Jehoram is rebuilding it. The city is identified with Tell ed-Dhahab.]
And he said, "Everything is fine. My master has sent me and said, 'Look, now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent [34 kg] of silver and two changes of clothing.
And Jehoash, king of Israel, took Amaziah, king of Judah, Jehoash's son, Ahaziah's son, at Beit-Shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate [on the north side of Jerusalem] to the Corner Gate [on the west side], 400 cubits [180 meters].
Some families among the descendants of Kohath received cities within their territory from the tribe of Ephraim:
they were given the city of refuge Shechem [present-day Nablus in Samaria, see ] with pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with pasture lands,
The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, his son Bered, his son Tahath, his son Eledah, his son Tahath,
Then their father Ephraim mourned for a long time, and his brothers came to comfort him.
Some of the children of Judah, some of the children of Benjamin, and some of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem, namely:
from the sons of Ephraim, 2,800 brave warriors, renowned men in their families,
The seventh, who served during the seventh month [Tishri – Sept/Oct], was
Heles the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim. In his division there were 24,000.
The eleventh, who served during the eleventh month [Shvat – Jan/Feb], was Benayahu the Pirgatonite, one of the sons of Ephraim. There were 24,000 in his division.
for the children of Ephraim, Hoshea, son of Azaziah,
for one half of the tribe of Manasseh, Joel, son of Pedaiah,
Abijah went up to Mount Zemarim in the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!
When Asa heard these words and this prophecy from the prophet Oded [his son Azariah], he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He reestablished the altar of the Lord that stood before the Lord's tabernacle.
[It was Azariah, the son of Oded, who spoke the prophecy, see . The fact that the Hebrew text has Oded here may be a patronymic, where the father's name is used for the son. This spelling is not unusual. Jesus is called "the son of David" in and Moses is used for "the sons of Moses," see . The Greek translation Septuagint replaces Oded with Azariah, the Latin translation Vulgate and the Syrian translation add and translate "Azariah, son of Oded".]
And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the strangers from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who lived among them. Many from Israel had joined him when they saw that the Lord (Yahweh), his God (Elohim), was with him.
He placed soldiers in all the fortified cities of Judah and troops in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
Jehoshaphat now lived in Jerusalem, but he went out again among the people, from Beer-Sheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord (Yahweh), the God of their fathers.
But a man of God came to him and said, "O king! Do not let the army of Israel go out with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, nor with any of the children of Ephraim.
Then Amasja dismissed the crowd that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. But they were very angry with Judah and returned home in great wrath.
And Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, was captured [792 BC] at Beit-Shemesh by Joash, king of Israel. When he had brought him to Jerusalem, he broke down a section of the wall of Jerusalem, from the Ephraim Gate to the Ponem Gate, 400 cubits [about 200 meters, probably the northern and most vulnerable side].
And Zikri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the king's son, Asrikam, the commander of the palace, and Elkanah, the king's closest man.
Some of the leaders of the children of Ephraim, namely Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, Hezekiah (Hebr. Jechizqijah), the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, then stood up and went against those who came from the war
Hezekiah sent messengers to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the house of the Lord (Yahweh) in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel.
The messengers went from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun. But they laughed at them and mocked them.
There was a large part of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, who had not purified themselves but ate the Passover lamb in a manner other than that prescribed. But Hezekiah had prayed for them and said, "May the Lord (Yahweh), the good one, forgive everyone
When all this was finished, all the Israelites who had been there went out to the cities of Judah and broke down the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh until they had destroyed them. Then all the children of Israel returned to their cities, each to his own inheritance.
He searched the houses throughout the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali.
They went to Hilkiah the high priest (Hebr. Chilqijaho) and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites who guarded the threshold had collected from Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the rest of Israel, as well as from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
So the people went out and gathered branches and made booths, each on his roof and in his courtyards, as well as in the courtyards of the house of God and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Ephraim Gate [in the northern part of the western wall].
then over the
Ephraim Gate, the Old Gate, and the
Fish Gate [in the north, where fish from places such as Tyre were imported, see ; ; ] and through
Chananel's Tower ("Tower of God's Favor" – Hebr. migdal chananel) and "The Tower of the Hundred"
(Meah Tower – Hebr. migdal ha-meat) [], all the way to the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at the Prison Gate.
Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
The sons of Ephraim [the northern kingdom of Israel] were like archers with bows
but they turned back on the day of battle [they were cowardly and did not dare/want to fight when it mattered].
[May refer to or .]
Moreover, he abhorred (rejected) Joseph's tent
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
[Chorus]
God (Elohim), establish us
and let your face shine [; ; ]
and we shall be saved (rescued).
Moab [enemies east of the Dead Sea, see ] is my washbasin [in which I wash my feet],
over Edom [enemy south of the Dead Sea] I throw my shoe [like a servant],
over Philistia I shout in victory.
And it was told to the house of David [King Ahaz and his entire royal household], saying, "Aram has encamped in Ephraim." Then his [Ahaz's] heart, like the hearts of his people, began to tremble, as the trees of the forest tremble when the wind blows.
For Aram has planned to harm you, together with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying,
For Damascus is the head of Aram, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Before 65 years have passed, Ephraim will be broken down and will no longer be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you do not believe, you will not see it."
The Lord (Yahweh) will bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon the house of your fathers, such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, the king from Assyria.
And all the people shall know (be intimately acquainted with),
even the inhabitants of Ephraim and Samaria,
who say with pride and arrogance in their hearts:
Manasseh [eats] Ephraim and Ephraim [eats] Manasseh,
and together [they turn] against Judah.
[Chorus:]
For all this, his anger is not turned away
but he still stretches out his hand.
Then the jealousy (hatred) of Ephraim shall depart
and the enemies of Judah shall be cut off.
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
The fortresses shall disappear from Ephraim
and the kingdom from Damascus,
and the remnant of Aram shall be like the glory of the sons of Israel,
declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Sebaot).
[Now follows a section with six woes, see ; , ; ; ; . The last two chapters (34-35) are thematically related to the message that began in chapter 28. Just as the first two sections of the book (1-12 and 13-27) end with victory and joy, this section ends in the same way.]
Woe to the proud crown of Ephraim's drunkard,
his glorious beauty is a fading flower
on the head of the fertile valley [the city of Samaria in the northern kingdom]
with those who are struck by wine.
Underfoot shall be trampled the proud crown
of Ephraim's drunkards,
A voice (listen) tells from Dan
and disaster is heard from the mountains of Ephraim.
And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, the whole seed of Ephraim.
A day is coming
when the watchmen on the mountains of Ephraim will call out:
Come, let us go up to Zion
up to the Lord our God (Yahweh Elohim).
They will come back weeping [in repentance for past sins],
and I will bring them back in prayer for mercy (undeserved love).
I will lead them along streams of water [],
on a smooth path where they will not stumble.
I will do this because I am a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
I have truly heard Ephraim lamenting:
You have disciplined me, and I am disciplined,
like an untamed calf [],
turn me back so that I may be converted,
for you are the Lord my God (Yahweh Elohim).
Is Ephraim a beloved son to me?
Is he a child rocked on my knee?
For as often as I speak of him,
I still remember him honestly,
therefore my inner being [the strings of my heart vibrate] longs for him,
I will surely have mercy on him,
declares (says, proclaims) the Lord (Yahweh).
I will bring Israel back to its pasture,
and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan,
and his soul will be satisfied
in the mountains of Ephraim and in Gilead.
Son of man, take a wooden rod and write on it [as was done before, see ]:
"For Judah and all the Israelites who belong to him." [The Southern Kingdom – the tribe of Judah together with some northern tribes (Benjamin, Levi, and parts of Simeon).] Then take another wooden rod and write on it:
"For Joseph, Ephraim, and all the Israelites who belong to him." [The Northern Kingdom – represented by Joseph or Ephraim () together with Manasseh.]
Speak to them: "Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh, the supreme almighty God, who despite his greatness is still present among his people): Behold, I will take the rod of Joseph that is in the hand of Ephraim and all the Israelites who belong to him, and I will put it on the rod of Judah, and make them one rod—they shall be one in my hand."
Next to Manasseh's territory, Ephraim shall have a lot from the east side to the west.
Next to Ephraim's territory, Reuben shall have a lot from the east side to the west.
Ephraim [the leader of the ten northern tribes of the northern kingdom – Israel] is united with idols,
leave him alone.
I know (am intimately acquainted with) Ephraim [the leading tribe of the ten in the Northern Kingdom]
and Israel [the actions of the other nine northern tribes] is not hidden from me.
For Ephraim, you have committed adultery,
Israel is defiled.
But the pride of Israel will testify against him,
and Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their sin.
Judah will also stumble with them.
Ephraim will be destroyed on the day of punishment.
Among the tribes of Israel, I will make the truth known (let everyone know what will really happen).
Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in his judgment,
because he willingly walks after uncleanness.
Therefore, I am to Ephraim like Mal
and like rottenness to the house of Judah.
And when Ephraim saw his sickness
and Judah his wound,
Ephraim went to Assyria and sent for King Jarev [Jarev means "challenger"; the expression can also be interpreted as a title malki rav – "the great king"],
but he cannot heal you, nor will he cure your injury.
I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a young lion to the house of Judah,
I will tear them to pieces and go away,
I will carry them off and no one will rescue them.
What shall I do (take) with you, Ephraim [the northern kingdom – Israel]?
What shall I do (take) with you, Judah [the southern kingdom]?
Your mercy (loving care, faithful love) is like the morning mist [which quickly dissipates],
like dew that quickly disappears [when the sun burns it away, see ].
In the house of Israel, I have seen terrible things; their prostitution is in Ephraim; Israel is defiled.
When I heal Israel,
then the sin of Ephraim will be exposed and the wickedness of Samaria,
for they have acted deceitfully
and thieves break in
and robbers raid without warning.
Ephraim has mixed himself with the peoples. Ephraim has become an unleavened cake. [Like a cake that has only been baked on one side.]
And Ephraim has become like a helpless dove
without understanding,
they call upon Egypt,
they go to Assyria.
For they have gone to Assyria
like a lone wild ass for itself,
Ephraim has bought (paid a prostitute's wages – Hebr. tanah) lovers.
Ephraim [the leader of the ten northern tribes of the northern kingdom – Israel] has multiplied altars for sin,
the altars have become a sin to him.
They shall not dwell in the land of the Lord (Yahweh),
but Ephraim shall return to Egypt
and they shall eat unclean food [] in Assyria.
Ephraim is a watchman with my God (Elohim),
the prophet is a bird catcher's snare on all his [Ephraim's] ways.
Enmity in the house of his God (Elohim).
The glory of Ephraim shall fly away like a bird,
there shall be no birth
and no one with children and no conception.
Ephraim is like
Tyre which I have seen planted in a pleasant place,
but
Ephraim will bear his children
to a slaughterer.
[First as child sacrifices to the idol Baal, then to Assyria, see .] Ephraim is beaten,
their root is dried up,
they shall bear no fruit,
even if they give birth,
I [the Lord] will smite their beloved fruit of life.
It [the cast idol calf in Bethel] too shall be carried away to Assyria,
as a gift to King Jarev.
Ephraim shall receive shame
and Israel shall be ashamed of its own counsel.
And Ephraim is a heifer that loves to thresh
and I have passed over her neck [put a yoke upon it].
I will make Ephraim a rider,
Judah shall plow,
Jacob shall break his clods.
Yet it was I who guided Ephraim [the northern kingdom—as a father teaches his son to walk],
and I who took them in my arms,
but they did not acknowledge
that I had healed them.
How can I abandon (let go of) you, Ephraim?
How can I leave you, Israel?
How can I make you like [the city of] Admah?
How can I make you like [the city of] Zeboiim? [Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela were cities mentioned together with Sodom and Gomorrah, see ]
My heart turns within me (my feelings surge; I change my decision),
all my compassion is aroused (literally: 'my mercy is kindled').
I will not execute my fierce anger,
I will not return to destroy Ephraim,
for I am God (El) and not man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.
Ephraim surrounds me with denial (hypocrisy – Hebr. kachash)
and the house of Israel with deceit (Hebr. mirmah)
and Judah is constantly unfaithful to (wants to break away from; stray from; be homeless from – Hebr. rod) God (El)
yes, to the Holy One, the faithful one (he who stands firm – Hebr. aman).
Ephraim pursues the wind and follows the east wind,
all day long he multiplies lies and destruction,
and they make a covenant with Assyria
and oil is carried to Egypt.
And Ephraim says,
"I have truly become rich, I have found my prosperity,
in all my work they shall find no transgression that is sin in me."
Ephraim has truly provoked (angered),
therefore his blood shall be poured out upon him,
his reward shall his Lord (Adon) give back to him.
[Verses 1-3 are the central part of the last section of Hosea, chapters 11-14.]
When Ephraim spoke, people trembled,
he exalted himself in Israel
but was found guilty through Baal and he died.
The iniquity of Ephraim is gathered up,
his sins are stored up.
[The book ends with a proverb-like expression. Compare with ; ; ]
Who is wise?
Let him understand these [expressions in this book].
Who is discerning?
Let him become familiar with them.
The ways of the Lord (Yahweh) are right,
and the righteous walk in them,
but the sinners stumble.
Those in the south (Negev) shall
occupy the mountains of Esau
and those from the lowlands of the Philistines
shall occupy the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria
and Benjamin shall occupy Gilead.
I will remove (destroy) all war chariots from Ephraim [the largest of Israel's northern tribes, often referring to the whole land of Israel],
and war horses from Jerusalem,
and bows (weapons of war) shall be cut off (completely disappear).
Then he shall speak peace (blessing, wholeness in all areas – Hebr. shalom) to the nations.
His dominion shall extend from sea to sea [from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea],
and from the river [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth. [He shall rule over the whole world.]
I will bend Judah as my bow
and fill it with Ephraim [like an arrow—ready to be shot].
I will stir up your sons, Zion [Jerusalem],
against your sons, Greece (Javan),
I will swing you like a warrior's sword.
And those in Ephraim will be like mighty men,
and their hearts will rejoice as with wine.
Their children will see it and rejoice,
their hearts will rejoice in the Lord (Yahweh).
