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Ezekiel 21

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ He has rejected your [pagan] calf, O Samaria, saying, "My wrath burns against them." How long will they be incapable of innocence?

² For even this [loathsome calf] is from Israel. A craftsman made it, so it is not God; Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces and go up in flames.

³ For they sow the wind [in evil] And they reap the whirlwind [in disaster]. The standing grain has no growth; It yields no grain. If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it up.

⁴ Israel is [as if] swallowed up [by enemies]; They are now among the nations Like a vessel [of cheap, coarse pottery] that is useless.

⁵ For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey wandering alone and taking her own way; Ephraim has hired lovers (pagan allies).

⁶ Yes, even though [with presents] they hire allies among the nations, Now I will gather them up; And [in a little while] they will begin[1] to grow weak and diminish Because of the burden imposed by the king of princes [the king of Assyria].

⁷ For Ephraim has constructed many altars for sin; They are altars intended for sinning [which multiply his guilt].

⁸ I wrote for him the ten thousand precepts of My law, But they are regarded as a strange thing [which does not concern him].

⁹ As for My sacrificial offerings, They sacrifice the meat [as a mere formality] and eat it, But the LORD is not pleased with them and does not accept them. Now He will remember and take into account their wickedness and guilt, And punish them for their sins. They will return [in captivity] to [another] Egypt [that is, Assyria].

¹⁰ For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces [and pagan temples], And Judah has built many fortified cities; But I will send a fire upon their cities so that it may consume their palaces and fortresses.

¹¹ Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation as do the [pagan] peoples, For you have played the prostitute, turning away from your God. You have loved prostitutes' earnings on every threshing floor [attributing the harvest to the Baals instead of to God].

¹² The threshing floor and the wine press will no longer feed them, And the new wine will fail them [because they failed to honor the God who provides].

¹³ They will not remain in the land of the LORD, But Ephraim will return to [another] Egypt [in bondage] And they will eat [ceremonially] unclean food in Assyria.

¹⁴ They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the LORD; Their sacrifices will not please Him. Their bread will be like mourners' bread [eaten at funerals]; All who eat it will be [ceremonially] unclean, For their bread will be for themselves; It will not enter the house of the LORD [to be consecrated].

¹⁵ What will you do on the day of the appointed festival And on the day of the feast of the LORD [when you are in exile]?

¹⁶ For behold, they will go away because of devastation and destruction; Egypt will gather them up, Memphis will bury them. Weeds will take over their treasures of silver; Thorns will grow in their tents.

¹⁷ The days of punishment have come; The days of retribution are at hand; Let Israel know this! The prophet is [considered] a fool; The man [of God] who is inspired is [treated as if] demented, Because of the abundance of your wickedness and guilt, And because your deep antagonism [toward God and the prophets] is so great.

¹⁸ Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a [true] prophet [to warn the nation]; But the snare of a bird catcher was laid in all his paths. And there is only deep hostility in the house of his God (the land of Israel).

¹⁹ They have deeply corrupted (perverted) themselves As in the days of Gibeah. The LORD will remember their wickedness and guilt; He will punish their sins.

²⁰ I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness [an unexpected and refreshing delight]; I saw your fathers (ancestors) as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree in its first season, But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to shamefulness [the worship of Baal], And [because of their spiritual and physical adultery] they became as detestable and loathsome as the thing they loved.

²¹ As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird; No birth, no pregnancy, and [because of their impurity] no conception.

²² Even though they bring up their children, Yet I will bereave them until not one is left. Indeed, woe (judgment is coming) to them when I look away and withdraw [My blessing] from them!

²³ Ephraim, as I have seen, Is planted in a pleasant [and prosperous] meadow like Tyre; But Ephraim will bring out his children to the executioner [for slaughter].

²⁴ Give them [the punishment they deserve], O LORD! What will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

²⁵ All their wickedness [says the LORD] is focused in Gilgal; Indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their [idolatrous] practices I will drive them out of My house (the land of Israel)! I will love them no longer; All their princes are rebels.

²⁶ Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up, They will bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will slay the precious children of their womb.

²⁷ My God will reject them and cast them away Because they did not listen to Him; And they will be wanderers (fugitives) among the nations.

²⁸ Israel is a luxuriant and prolific vine; He produces fruit for himself. The more his fruit, The more altars he made [to Baal]; The richer his land, The better he made the [idolatrous] pillars.

²⁹ Their heart is divided (faithless); Now they must bear their guilt and punishment. The LORD will break down [the horns of] their altars; He will destroy their idolatrous pillars.

³⁰ Surely now they will say [in despair], "We have no [true] king, For we do not revere the LORD; And as for the king, what can he do for us [to rescue us]?"

³¹ They have spoken empty (disingenuous) words, Swearing falsely to make covenants [they intend to break]; Therefore, judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

³² The people of Samaria will fear and tremble For the [idolatrous] calf of[1] Beth-aven (House of Wickedness). Indeed, its people will mourn over it And its idolatrous priests will cry out and wail over it, Over its glory, because the glory [of their calf god] has departed from it.

#	AMP
1	He has rejected your [pagan] calf, O Samaria, saying, "My wrath burns against them." How long will they be incapable of innocence?
2	For even this [loathsome calf] is from Israel. A craftsman made it, so it is not God; Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces and go up in flames.
3	For they sow the wind [in evil] And they reap the whirlwind [in disaster]. The standing grain has no growth; It yields no grain. If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it up.
4	Israel is [as if] swallowed up [by enemies]; They are now among the nations Like a vessel [of cheap, coarse pottery] that is useless.
5	For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey wandering alone and taking her own way; Ephraim has hired lovers (pagan allies).
6	Yes, even though [with presents] they hire allies among the nations, Now I will gather them up; And [in a little while] they will begin[1] to grow weak and diminish Because of the burden imposed by the king of princes [the king of Assyria].
7	For Ephraim has constructed many altars for sin; They are altars intended for sinning [which multiply his guilt].
8	I wrote for him the ten thousand precepts of My law, But they are regarded as a strange thing [which does not concern him].
9	As for My sacrificial offerings, They sacrifice the meat [as a mere formality] and eat it, But the LORD is not pleased with them and does not accept them. Now He will remember and take into account their wickedness and guilt, And punish them for their sins. They will return [in captivity] to [another] Egypt [that is, Assyria].
10	For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces [and pagan temples], And Judah has built many fortified cities; But I will send a fire upon their cities so that it may consume their palaces and fortresses.
11	Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation as do the [pagan] peoples, For you have played the prostitute, turning away from your God. You have loved prostitutes' earnings on every threshing floor [attributing the harvest to the Baals instead of to God].
12	The threshing floor and the wine press will no longer feed them, And the new wine will fail them [because they failed to honor the God who provides].
13	They will not remain in the land of the LORD, But Ephraim will return to [another] Egypt [in bondage] And they will eat [ceremonially] unclean food in Assyria.
14	They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the LORD; Their sacrifices will not please Him. Their bread will be like mourners' bread [eaten at funerals]; All who eat it will be [ceremonially] unclean, For their bread will be for themselves; It will not enter the house of the LORD [to be consecrated].
15	What will you do on the day of the appointed festival And on the day of the feast of the LORD [when you are in exile]?
16	For behold, they will go away because of devastation and destruction; Egypt will gather them up, Memphis will bury them. Weeds will take over their treasures of silver; Thorns will grow in their tents.
17	The days of punishment have come; The days of retribution are at hand; Let Israel know this! The prophet is [considered] a fool; The man [of God] who is inspired is [treated as if] demented, Because of the abundance of your wickedness and guilt, And because your deep antagonism [toward God and the prophets] is so great.
18	Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a [true] prophet [to warn the nation]; But the snare of a bird catcher was laid in all his paths. And there is only deep hostility in the house of his God (the land of Israel).
19	They have deeply corrupted (perverted) themselves As in the days of Gibeah. The LORD will remember their wickedness and guilt; He will punish their sins.
20	I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness [an unexpected and refreshing delight]; I saw your fathers (ancestors) as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree in its first season, But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to shamefulness [the worship of Baal], And [because of their spiritual and physical adultery] they became as detestable and loathsome as the thing they loved.
21	As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird; No birth, no pregnancy, and [because of their impurity] no conception.
22	Even though they bring up their children, Yet I will bereave them until not one is left. Indeed, woe (judgment is coming) to them when I look away and withdraw [My blessing] from them!
23	Ephraim, as I have seen, Is planted in a pleasant [and prosperous] meadow like Tyre; But Ephraim will bring out his children to the executioner [for slaughter].
24	Give them [the punishment they deserve], O LORD! What will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
25	All their wickedness [says the LORD] is focused in Gilgal; Indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their [idolatrous] practices I will drive them out of My house (the land of Israel)! I will love them no longer; All their princes are rebels.
26	Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up, They will bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will slay the precious children of their womb.
27	My God will reject them and cast them away Because they did not listen to Him; And they will be wanderers (fugitives) among the nations.
28	Israel is a luxuriant and prolific vine; He produces fruit for himself. The more his fruit, The more altars he made [to Baal]; The richer his land, The better he made the [idolatrous] pillars.
29	Their heart is divided (faithless); Now they must bear their guilt and punishment. The LORD will break down [the horns of] their altars; He will destroy their idolatrous pillars.
30	Surely now they will say [in despair], "We have no [true] king, For we do not revere the LORD; And as for the king, what can he do for us [to rescue us]?"
31	They have spoken empty (disingenuous) words, Swearing falsely to make covenants [they intend to break]; Therefore, judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
32	The people of Samaria will fear and tremble For the [idolatrous] calf of[1] Beth-aven (House of Wickedness). Indeed, its people will mourn over it And its idolatrous priests will cry out and wail over it, Over its glory, because the glory [of their calf god] has departed from it.

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Ezekiel 21

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