The people of Ephraim tell me nothing but lies. Israel has not been honest with me. And Judah continues to wander away from God. They have deserted the faithful Holy One.

“以法莲用谎话，以色列家用诡计围绕我；犹大却靠神掌权，向圣者有忠心。”

以法莲用谎言围绕我，以色列家用诡计环绕我；犹大却仍与上帝同行，向圣者忠心。

以法莲用谎言围绕我，以色列家用诡计环绕我；犹大却仍与神同行，向圣者忠心。

耶和华说：“以法莲用谎话包围我，以色列家用诡诈环绕我；犹大依然背离圣洁、信实的上帝。

以法莲用虚谎，以色列家用诡诈包围着我；犹大还是与神对抗，就是对抗那可信可靠的至圣者。”（本节在《马索拉文本》为12:1）

以法蓮用謊話，以色列家用詭計圍繞我；猶大卻靠神掌權，向聖者有忠心。

以法蓮用謊言圍繞我，以色列家用詭計環繞我；猶大卻仍與上帝同行，向聖者忠心。

以法蓮用謊言圍繞我，以色列家用詭計環繞我；猶大卻仍與神同行，向聖者忠心。

耶和華說：「以法蓮用謊話包圍我，以色列家用詭詐環繞我；猶大依然背離聖潔、信實的上帝。

以法蓮用虛謊，以色列家用詭詐包圍著我；猶大還是與神對抗，就是對抗那可信可靠的至聖者。”（本節在《馬索拉文本》為12:1）

以法蓮用謊話圍繞着我，以色列家用詭詐包圍着我；猶大對上帝還是刁頑，對可信可靠的至聖者還是任性。

以法蓮以欺誑環我、以色列家以詭譎繞我、猶大對於上帝、即信實之聖者、則貳其心、

我至聖之主、誠愨是懷、以法蓮、以色列事余、中藏詐偽、猶大族歸我、常有貳心。

以法蓮與以色列族、遍我四周言誑行詐、猶大尚恃天主有國、猶向聖主有忠心、猶大尚恃天主有國猶向聖主有忠心或作猶大向天主向真誠之聖主飄流無定

Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One.

Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.

Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit, but Judah still obeys God and is faithful to the Holy One.

Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel, with deceit. Judah still wanders with God and is faithful to the holy ones.

Ephraim surrounds Me with lies And the house of Israel with deceit; Judah is still unruly against God, Even against the Holy One who is faithful.

“ Ephraim has encircled Me with lies, And the house of Israel with deceit; But Judah still walks with God, Even with the Holy One who is faithful.

Ephraim compasseth me about with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the Holy One.

Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel, with deceit. Judah still wanders with God and is faithful to the holy ones.

Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.

( 12: 1) Ephraim has surrounded me with lies; the house of Israel has surrounded me with deceit. But Judah still roams about with God; he remains faithful to the Holy One.

Ephraim surrounds me with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit. Judah still strays from God, and is unfaithful to the Holy One.

You are like a trader who uses dishonest scales. You love to cheat others.

The Lord says,“ These people worship me only with their words. They honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me. Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules that they have been taught.

Or don’t you know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? Since this is true, aren’t you able to judge small cases?

Hezekiah removed the high places. He smashed the sacred stones. He cut down the poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made. Up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. They called it Nehushtan.Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like Hezekiah among all the kings of Judah. There was no king like him either before him or after him.Hezekiah remained faithful to the Lord. He didn’t stop serving him. He obeyed the commands the Lord had given Moses.The Lord was with Hezekiah. Because of that, Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He refused to remain under the control of the king of Assyria. He didn’t serve him.

The people of Ephraim look to others for help. It’s like chasing the wind. The wind they keep chasing is hot and dry. They tell more and more lies. They are always hurting others. They make a peace treaty with Assyria. They send olive oil to Egypt to get help.

But they didn’t mean it when they praised him. They lied to him when they spoke.

You have made them members of a royal family. You have made them priests to serve our God. They will rule on the earth.”

Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother’s name was Abijah. She was the daughter of Zechariah.Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as King David had done.In the first month of Hezekiah’s first year as king, he opened the doors of the Lord’ s temple. He repaired them.He brought the priests and Levites in. He gathered them together in the open area on the east side of the temple.He said,“ Levites, listen to me! Set yourselves apart to the Lord. Set apart the temple of the Lord. He’s the God of your people who lived long ago. Remove anything‘ unclean’ from the temple.Our people weren’t faithful. They did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God. They deserted him. They turned their faces away from the place where he lives. They turned their backs on him.They also shut the doors of the temple porch. They put the lamps out. They didn’t burn incense at the temple. They didn’t sacrifice burnt offerings there to the God of Israel.So the Lord has become angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them look so bad that everyone is shocked when they see them. They laugh at them. You can see it with your own eyes.That’s why our fathers have been killed by swords. That’s why our sons and daughters and wives have become prisoners.So I’m planning to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel. Then he’ll stop being angry with us.My sons, don’t fail to obey the Lord. He has chosen you to stand in front of him and work for him. He wants you to serve him and burn incense to him.”Here are the Levites who went to work. Mahath and Joel were from the family line of Kohath. Mahath was the son of Amasai. Joel was the son of Azariah. Kish and Azariah were from the family line of Merari. Kish was the son of Abdi. Azariah was the son of Jehallelel. Joah and Eden were from the family line of Gershon. Joah was the son of Zimmah. Eden was the son of Joah.Shimri and Jeiel were from the family line of Elizaphan. Zechariah and Mattaniah were from the family line of Asaph.Jehiel and Shimei were from the family line of Heman. Shemaiah and Uzziel were from the family line of Jeduthun.All these Levites gathered the other Levites together. They set themselves apart to the Lord. Then they went in to purify the Lord’ s temple. That’s what the king had ordered them to do. They did what the Lord told them to.The priests went into the Lord’ s temple to make it pure. They brought out to the temple courtyard everything that was“ unclean.” They had found“ unclean” things in the Lord’ s temple. The Levites took them and carried them out to the Kidron Valley.On the first day of the first month they began to set everything in the temple apart to the Lord. By the eighth day of the month they reached the Lord’ s porch. For eight more days they set the Lord’ s temple itself apart to him. They finished on the 16th day of the first month.Then they went to King Hezekiah. They reported,“ We’ve purified the whole temple of the Lord. That includes the altar for burnt offerings and all its tools. It also includes the table for the holy bread and all its objects.We’ve prepared all the things King Ahaz had removed. We’ve set them apart to the Lord. Ahaz had removed them while he was king. He wasn’t faithful to the Lord. Those things are now in front of the Lord’ s altar.”Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered together the city officials. They all went up to the Lord’ s temple.They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats with them. They sacrificed the animals as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the temple and for Judah. The king commanded the priests to offer them on the Lord’ s altar. The priests were from the family line of Aaron.They killed the bulls. Then they splashed the blood against the altar. Next they killed the rams and splashed the blood against the altar. Then they killed the lambs and splashed the blood against the altar.The goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the whole community. They placed their hands on them.Then the priests killed the goats. They put the blood on the altar as a sin offering. It paid for the sin of the whole nation of Israel. The king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for the whole nation.Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord’ s temple. They had cymbals, harps and lyres. They did everything in the way King David, his prophet Gad, and Nathan the prophet had required. The Lord had given commands about all these things through his prophets.So the Levites stood ready with David’s musical instruments. And the priests had their trumpets ready.Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. The offering began. Singing to the Lord also began. The singing was accompanied by the trumpets and by the instruments of David. He had been king of Israel.The whole community bowed down. They worshiped the Lord. At the same time the musicians played their musical instruments. The priests blew their trumpets. All of that continued until the burnt offering had been sacrificed.So the offerings were finished. King Hezekiah got down on his knees. He worshiped the Lord. So did everyone who was with him.The king and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord. They used the words of David and Asaph the prophet. They sang praises with joy. They bowed down and worshiped the Lord.Then Hezekiah said,“ You have set yourselves apart to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to his temple.” So the whole community brought sacrifices and thank offerings. Everyone who wanted to brought burnt offerings.The whole community brought 70 bulls, 100 rams and 200 male lambs. They brought all of them as burnt offerings to the Lord.

I am the Most High God. But they do not turn to me. They are like a bow that does not shoot straight. Their leaders will be killed by swords. They will die because they have spoken too proudly. The people of Egypt will make fun of them.”

“ 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.’

He has made us members of his royal family. He has made us priests who serve his God and Father. Glory and power belong to Jesus Christ for ever and ever! Amen.

Then the man said,“ Your name will not be Jacob anymore. Instead, it will be Israel. You have wrestled with God and with people. And you have won.”

That’s as foolish as eating ashes! The mind of someone like that has led him astray. He can’t save himself. He can’t bring himself to say,“ This thing I’m holding in my right hand isn’t really a god at all.”

The rich people among you harm others. You are always telling lies. You try to fool others by what you say.

‘ Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will give that person the right to sit with me on my throne. In the same way, I had victory. Then I sat down with my Father on his throne.

Your hands and fingers are stained with blood. You are guilty of committing murder. Your mouth has told lies. Your tongue says evil things.People aren’t fair when they present cases in court. They aren’t honest when they state their case. They depend on weak arguments. They tell lies. They plan to make trouble. Then they carry it out.

People curse one another. They tell lies and commit murder. They steal and commit adultery. They break all my laws. They keep spilling the blood of other people.