7The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,

and it falls upon Israel;

8And all the people know it—

Ephraim and those who dwell in Samaria—

those who say in arrogance and pride of heart,

9“Bricks have fallen,

but we will rebuild with cut stone;

Sycamores have been felled,

but we will replace them with cedars.”f

10So the Lord raises up their foes against them

and stirs up their enemies to action—

11Aram* from the east and the Philistines from the west—

they devour Israel with open mouth.

For all this, his wrath is not turned back,

and his hand is still outstretched!

12The people do not turn back to the one who struck them,

nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.

13So the Lord cuts off from Israel head and tail,

palm branch and reed in one day.g

14(The elder and the noble are the head,

the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.)h

15Those who lead this people lead them astray,

and those who are led are swallowed up.i

16That is why the Lord does not spare their young men,

and their orphans and widows he does not pity;

For they are totally impious and wicked,

and every mouth speaks folly.

For all this, his wrath is not turned back,

his hand is still outstretched!

17For wickedness burns like fire,

devouring brier and thorn;

It kindles the forest thickets,

which go up in columns of smoke.j

18At the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land quakes,

and the people are like fuel for fire;

no one spares his brother.k

19They hack on the right, but remain hungry;

they devour on the left, but are not filled.

Each devours the flesh of the neighbor;

20Manasseh devours Ephraim,* and Ephraim Manasseh,

together they turn on Judah.

For all this, his wrath is not turned back,

his hand is still outstretched!