1 “I will heal Israel! Then people will know that Ephraim sinned. They will know about Samaria’s lies. They will know about the thieves who come and go in that town.
2 They don’t believe that I will remember their crimes. The bad things they did are all around. I can see their sins clearly.
3 Their evil makes their king happy. Their false gods please their leaders.
4 A baker presses dough to make bread. He puts the bread in the oven. He does not make the fire hotter while the bread is rising. But the people of Israel are not like that. They are always making their fire hotter.