Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff {that} is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? {how} shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? {how} shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. {offended: he relapseth, or, falleth into sin}

Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

Shall I not visit for these {things}? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. {from me: Heb. from after me} {a goodly...: Heb. an heritage of glory, or, beauty} {pleasant...: Heb. land of desire}

And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. {feignedly: Heb. in falsehood}

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name: {now: Heb. to day} {which...: Heb. whereupon my name is called}

How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by {them that are} no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, {and} the troop of robbers spoileth without. {wickedness: Heb. evils} {spoileth: Heb. strippeth}

They on the rock {are they}, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. {offended: he relapseth, or, falleth into sin}

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? {how} shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? {how} shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff {that} is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.

My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. {in the visions...: Heb. in the seeing of God}

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, {and} the troop of robbers spoileth without. {wickedness: Heb. evils} {spoileth: Heb. strippeth}

These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds {they are} without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted {themselves}; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.

His glory {is like} the firstling of his bullock, and his horns {are like} the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they {are} the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they {are} the thousands of Manasseh. {unicorns: Heb. an unicorn}

And the glorious beauty, which {is} on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, {and} as the hasty fruit before the summer; which {when} he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. {eateth: Heb. swalloweth}

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.

I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, {and} Israel is defiled.

Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:

They return, {but} not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this {shall be} their derision in the land of Egypt.

Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud. {my soul: Heb. my principal one}

And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that {pertained} to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, {even} to serve the LORD their God. {And} all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers. {present: Heb. found} {from...: Heb. from after}

So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.

And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence {him} when they see him.

They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.

And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent {him} away empty.