The Lord says,“ Worshiping other gods is like worshiping the wind. It is like planting worthless seeds. Assyria is like a windstorm. That is all my people will harvest. There are no heads of grain on the stems that will come up. So they will not produce any flour. Even if they did produce grain, the Assyrians would eat all of it up.

他们所种的是风，所收的是暴风；所种的不成禾稼，就是发苗也不结实；即便结实，外邦人必吞吃。

他们所栽种的是风，所收割的是暴风；禾稼不长穗，无以制成面粉；即便制成，外邦人也必吞吃它。

他们所栽种的是风，所收割的是暴风；禾稼不长穗，无以制成面粉；即便制成，外邦人也必吞吃它。

他们种的是风，收的是暴风。他们的庄稼长不出穗子，结不出籽粒，就是有收成，也要被外族人吃掉。

他们播种的是风，收成的是暴风。生出来的苗没有麦穗，不能做成面粉；即或做成面粉，也必被别国的人吞吃。

他們所種的是風，所收的是暴風；所種的不成禾稼，就是發苗也不結實；即便結實，外邦人必吞吃。

他們所栽種的是風，所收割的是暴風；禾稼不長穗，無以製成麵粉；即便製成，外邦人也必吞吃它。

他們所栽種的是風，所收割的是暴風；禾稼不長穗，無以製成麵粉；即便製成，外邦人也必吞吃它。

他們種的是風，收的是暴風。他們的莊稼長不出穗子，結不出籽粒，就是有收成，也要被外族人吃掉。

他們播種的是風，收成的是暴風。生出來的苗沒有麥穗，不能做成麵粉；即或做成麵粉，也必被別國的人吞吃。

因為他們種的是風，收成的必是暴風；發生的苗成不了禾稼，也磨不出麵粉；即使磨得出，外族人也必吞喫。

彼眾所播者風、所穫者颶風、無有禾稼、其莖不實、即實、亦為外人所吞、

彼所播者風、所穫者颶風、其所植者、不秀不實、即其有秋、必為異邦人所食、

彼所播者風、所穫者暴風、所種者不長、即長不實、即實異邦人食之、

“ They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up.

For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.

“ They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it.

Indeed, they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if they did, foreigners would swallow it up.

For they sow wind And they harvest a storm. The standing grain has no kernels; It yields no grain. If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it.

“ They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up.

For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: he hath no standing grain; the blade shall yield no meal; if so be it yield, strangers shall swallow it up.

Indeed, they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if they did, foreigners would swallow it up.

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

They sow the wind, and so they will reap the whirlwind! The stalk does not have any standing grain; it will not produce any flour. Even if it were to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it all up.

For they sow the wind, and they will reap the whirlwind. He has no standing grain. The stalk will yield no head. If it does yield, strangers will swallow it up.

Anyone who plants evil gathers a harvest of trouble. Their power to treat others badly will be destroyed.

Don’t be fooled. You can’t outsmart God. A man gathers a crop from what he plants.

Here’s what I’ve observed. People gather a crop from what they plant. If they plant evil and trouble, that’s what they will harvest.

The Lord is slow to get angry. But he is very powerful. The Lord will not let guilty people go without punishing them. When he marches out, he stirs up winds and storms. Clouds are the dust kicked up by his feet.

People from other lands make them weaker and weaker. But they don’t realize it. Their hair is becoming gray. But they don’t even notice it.

The Lord will judge them with fire. His chariots are coming like a windstorm. He will pour out his burning anger on his enemies. It will blaze out like flames of fire.

Here’s something else that is very evil. Everyone is born, and everyone dies. And what do they get for their work? Nothing. It’s like working for the wind.

“ So I will take away my grain when it gets ripe. I’ll take my fresh wine when it’s ready. I’ll take back my wool and my linen. I gave them to her to cover her naked body.

A nation you don’t know anything about will eat what you work to produce on your land. You will only be treated badly as long as you live.

Your hearts are as hard as a field that has not been plowed. If you change your ways, you will produce good crops. So plant the seeds of doing what is right. Then you will harvest the fruit of your faithful love. It is time to seek the Lord. When you do, he will come and shower his blessings on you.But you have planted the seeds of doing what is wrong. So you have harvested the fruit of your evil conduct. You have had to eat the fruit of your lies. You have trusted in your own strength. You have depended on your many soldiers.

The plants might start to grow on the day you set them out. The vines might begin to bud on the morning you plant them. But even if they do, there won’t be any harvest. Instead, there will be sickness and pain that won’t go away.

Then Tiglath- Pileser marched into the land of Israel. He was king of Assyria. Menahem gave him 38 tons of silver to get his help. He wanted to make his control over the kingdom stronger.

People will plant wheat. But all they will gather is thorns. They will wear themselves out. But they will not have anything to show for it. I am very angry with them. So they will be ashamed of the crop they gather.”

So the Lord was very angry with Israel. For a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael, the king of Aram. The Lord also kept them under the power of his son Ben- Hadad.Then Jehoahaz asked the Lord for help. The Lord listened to him. The Lord saw how badly the king of Aram was treating Israel.The Lord provided someone to save Israel. And they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes, just as they had before.But the people didn’t turn away from the sins of the royal house of Jeroboam. He had caused Israel to commit those same sins. The people continued to commit them. And the pole used to worship the female god named Asherah remained standing in Samaria.The army of Jehoahaz had almost nothing left. All it had was 50 horsemen, 10 chariots and 10,000 soldiers on foot. The king of Aram had destroyed the rest of them. He had made them like dust at threshing time.

Each year the people planted their crops. When they did, the Midianites came into the country and attacked it. So did the Amalekites and other tribes from the east.They camped on the land. They destroyed the crops all the way to Gaza. They didn’t spare any living thing for Israel. They didn’t spare sheep or cattle or donkeys.The Midianites came up with their livestock and tents. They came like huge numbers of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels. They came into the land to destroy it.The Midianites made the Israelites very poor. So they cried out to the Lord for help.

During the rule of Pekah, the king of Israel, Tiglath- Pileser marched into the land again. He was king of Assyria. He captured the towns of Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He also captured the lands of Gilead and Galilee. That included the whole territory of Naphtali. He took the people away from their own land. He sent them off to Assyria.