I gave Israel their letter of divorce. I sent them away because they were unfaithful to me so many times. But I saw that their sister nation Judah did not have any respect for me. They were not faithful to me either. They also went out and committed adultery with other gods.

背道的以色列行淫，我为这缘故给她休书休她；我看见她奸诈的妹妹犹大，还不惧怕，也去行淫。

我看见背道的以色列行淫，我为这缘故给她休书休了她，她奸诈的妹妹犹大还不惧怕，也去行淫。

我看见背道的以色列行淫，我为这缘故给她休书休了她，她奸诈的妹妹犹大还不惧怕，也去行淫。

因为以色列不忠贞，我给她休书，把她休掉。她不忠的妹妹犹大却不害怕，竟也去淫乱。

因背道的以色列犯了淫乱，我就给她休书，把她休了。我看见她诡诈的妹妹犹大还是不惧怕，照样行淫。

背道的以色列行淫，我為這緣故給她休書休她；我看見她奸詐的妹妹猶大，還不懼怕，也去行淫。

我看見背道的以色列行淫，我為這緣故給她休書休了她，她奸詐的妹妹猶大還不懼怕，也去行淫。

我看見背道的以色列行淫，我為這緣故給她休書休了她，她奸詐的妹妹猶大還不懼怕，也去行淫。

因為以色列不忠貞，我給她休書，把她休掉。她不忠的妹妹猶大卻不害怕，竟也去淫亂。

因背道的以色列犯了淫亂，我就給她休書，把她休了。我看見她詭詐的妹妹猶大還是不懼怕，照樣行淫。

她看見為了轉離正道的以色列犯了姦淫的緣故，我把她離出去，並且將離婚書給了她；然而她奸詐的妹妹猶大還不懼怕；她也去行淫。

悖逆之以色列、因其宣淫、為我所出、與以離書、其詭譎之妹猶大、仍不畏懼、往而行淫、我見之矣、

以色列族既背我、狥欲而行、我棄之、與以離書、其姊妹猶大族、屢欺侮予、毫無畏葸、狥欲而行、我鑒察之、彼狥欲特甚、崇拜木石、污衊斯邦、厥後佯為歸誠、心不誠慤。○

背叛之以色列、因行淫為我所逐、予以離書、其妹悖逆之猶大仍不畏懼、亦復行淫、我悉鑒察、

I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.

She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore.

She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution.

I observed that it was because unfaithful Israel had committed adultery that I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce. Nevertheless, her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid but also went and prostituted herself.

And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a certificate of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and prostituted herself also.

Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.

And I saw, when, for this very cause that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorcement, yet treacherous Judah her sister feared not; but she also went and played the harlot.

I observed that it was because unfaithful Israel had committed adultery that I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce. Nevertheless, her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid but also went and prostituted herself.

And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

She also saw that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods. Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this, she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods.

I saw when, for this very cause, that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce, yet treacherous Judah, her sister, had no fear; but she also went and played the prostitute.

Suppose a man marries a woman. But later he decides he doesn’t like her. He finds something shameful about her. So he gives her a letter of divorce and sends her away from his house.

“ Suppose a man divorces his wife. What if she then marries another man? Should her first husband return to her again? If he does, won’t the land become completely‘ unclean’? People of Israel, you have lived like a prostitute. You have loved many other gods. So do you think you can return to me now?” announces the Lord.

The Lord says to the people in Jerusalem,“ Do you think I divorced your people who lived before you? Is that why I sent them away? If it is, show me the letter of divorce. I did not sell you into slavery to pay someone I owe. You were sold because you sinned against me. Your people were sent away because of their lawless acts.

Finally, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. It was in the ninth year of Hoshea. The king of Assyria took the Israelites away from their own land. He sent them off to Assyria. He made some of them live in Halah. He made others live in Gozan on the Habor River. And he made others live in the towns of the Medes.All of this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. He had brought them up out of Egypt. He had brought them out from under the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But they worshiped other gods.The Lord had driven out other nations to make room for Israel. But they followed the evil practices of those nations. They also followed the practices that the kings of Israel had started.The Israelites did things in secret against the Lord their God. What they did wasn’t right. They built high places for worship in all their towns. They built them at lookout towers. They also built them at cities that had high walls around them.They set up sacred stones. And they set up poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. They did that on every high hill and under every green tree.The Lord had driven out nations to make room for Israel. But the Israelites burned incense at every high place, just as those nations had done. The Israelites did evil things that made the Lord very angry.They worshiped statues of gods. They did it even though the Lord had said,“ Do not do that.”The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers. He said,“ Turn from your evil ways. Keep my commands and rules. Obey every part of my Law. I commanded your people who lived long ago to obey it. And I gave it to you through my servants the prophets.”But the people wouldn’t listen. They were as stubborn as their people of long ago had been. Those people didn’t trust in the Lord their God.They refused to obey his rules. They broke the covenant he had made with them. They didn’t pay any attention to the rules he had warned them to keep. They worshiped worthless statues of gods. Then they themselves became worthless. They followed the example of the nations around them. They did it even though the Lord had ordered them not to. He had said,“ Do not do as they do.”They turned away from all the commands of the Lord their God. They made two statues of gods for themselves. The statues were shaped like calves. They made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. They bowed down to all the stars. And they worshiped the god named Baal.They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced all kinds of evil magic. They gave up following God’s rules. They did only what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. All these things made him very angry.So the Lord was very angry with Israel. He removed them from his land. Only the tribe of Judah was left.And even Judah didn’t obey the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had started.

“ So I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers. She longed for them.

“ Tell your mother she is wrong. Tell her she is wrong. She isn’t acting like a wife to me anymore. She no longer treats me as her husband. Tell her to stop looking and acting like a prostitute. Tell her not to let her lovers lie on her breasts anymore.If she doesn’t stop it, I will strip her naked. I’ll make her as bare as she was on the day she was born. I’ll make her like a desert. She will become like dry land. And I’ll let her die of thirst.

“ Israel, you are not faithful to me. But I do not want Judah to become guilty too.“ My people, do not go to Gilgal to offer sacrifices. Do not go up to Bethel to worship other gods. When you make a promise, do not say,‘ You can be sure that the Lord is alive.’The people of Israel are stubborn. They are as stubborn as a young cow. So how can I take care of them like lambs in a meadow?The people of Ephraim have joined themselves to other gods. And nothing can be done to help them.

But her second husband doesn’t like her either. So he gives her a letter of divorce and sends her away from his house. Or perhaps he dies.

“ Her sister Oholibah saw it. But her evil desire for sexual sin was worse than her sister’s.She too longed for the men of Assyria. They included governors and commanders. They included soldiers who wore fancy uniforms. They also included men who rode horses. All of them were young and handsome.I saw that she too made herself impure. So both sisters did the same evil things.“ But Oholibah went even further with her sexual sins. She saw pictures of men drawn on a wall. They were figures of Babylonians drawn in red.They had belts around their waists. They wore flowing turbans on their heads. All of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers. They were from the land of the Chaldeans.As soon as she saw the pictures, she longed for the men. So she sent messengers to them in Babylon.Then the Babylonians came to her. They went to bed with her. They had sex with her. They made her impure when they had sex with her. After they did it, she became sick of them. So she turned away from them.She acted like a prostitute who had no shame at all. She openly showed her naked body. I became sick of what she was doing. So I turned away from her. I had also turned away from her sister.But Oholibah offered her body to her lovers again and again. She remembered the days when she was a young prostitute in Egypt.There she had longed for her lovers. Their private parts seemed as big as those of donkeys. And their flow of semen appeared to be as much as that of horses.So you wanted to return to the days when you were young. You longed for the time when you first became impure in Egypt. That was when you allowed your breasts to be kissed. And you permitted your young breasts to be touched.”

The Lord says,“ My people did many evil things in Gilgal. That is why I hated them there. They committed many sins. So I will drive them out of my land. I will not love them anymore. All their leaders refuse to obey me.Ephraim is like a worthless plant. Its roots are dried up. It does not produce any fruit. Suppose Ephraim’s people have children. Then I will kill the children they love so much.”My God will turn his back on his people. They have not obeyed him. So they will wander among other nations.

Shalmaneser marched to Samaria and surrounded it. It was in the fourth year of King Hezekiah. That was the seventh year of Hoshea, the king of Israel. Hoshea was the son of Elah. Shalmaneser was king of Assyria.At the end of three years the army of Assyria captured Samaria. That happened in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s rule. It was the ninth year of the rule of Hoshea, the king of Israel.The king of Assyria took the people of Israel away from their own land. He sent them off to Assyria. He made some of them live in Halah. He made others live in Gozan on the Habor River. And he made others live in the towns of the Medes.

So the people of Israel will live for a long time without a king or prince. They won’t have sacrifices or sacred stones. They won’t have sacred linen aprons or statues of family gods.

You lived exactly the way they did. You copied their evil practices. I hate those practices. Everything you did was so sinful that you soon became even worse than they were.