14. “Should I ransom them from the grave?Should I redeem them from death?O death, bring on your terrors!O grave, bring on your plagues!For I will not take pity on them.
15. Ephraim was the most fruitful of all his brothers,but the east wind—a blast from the lord—will arise in the desert.All their flowing springs will run dry,and all their wells will disappear.Every precious thing they ownwill be plundered and carried away.
16. The people of Samariamust bear the consequences of their guiltbecause they rebelled against their God.They will be killed by an invading army,their little ones dashed to death against the ground,their pregnant women ripped open by swords.”