10:11 Ephraim was a well-trained heifer who loved to thresh grain;
I myself put a fine yoke 1 on her neck.
I will harness Ephraim.
Let Judah plow! 2
Let Jacob break up 3 the unplowed ground for himself!
10:12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap unfailing love.
Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves,
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes and showers deliverance 4 on you.
10:14 The roar of battle will rise against your people;
all your fortresses will be devastated,
just as Shalman devastated 5 Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
13:16 (14:1) 6 Samaria will be held guilty, 7
because she rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword,
their infants will be dashed to the ground –
their 8 pregnant women will be ripped open.
1 tc The MT is unintelligible: עַל־טוּב (’al-tuv, “upon a fine [thing]”?). Cf. KJV “I passed over upon her fair neck”; NRSV “I spared her fair neck.” The BHS editors suggest the revocalization עֹל־טוּב (’ol-tuv, “a fine yoke”), followed by many modern English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT). The noun עֹל (’ol, “yoke”) also appears in 11:4 in a metaphor which compares Israel to a young heifer as well.
2 tn Or “Judah will plow” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV, CEV “Judah must plow.”
3 tn Or “Jacob will break up.”
4 tn Or “righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “justice.”
5 tn Heb “as the devastation of Shalman.” The genitive noun שַׁלְמַן (shalman, “Shalman”) functions as a subjective genitive: “as Shalman devastated [Beth Arbel].”
6 sn Beginning with 13:16, the verse numbers through 14:9 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 13:16 ET = 14:1 HT, 14:1 ET = 14:2 HT, etc., through 14:9 ET = 14:10 HT. Thus ch. 14 in the Hebrew Bible has 10 verses.
7 tn Or “must bear its guilt” (NIV similar); NLT “must bear the consequences of their guilt”; CEV “will be punished.”
8 tn Heb “his.” This is a collective singular, as recognized by almost all English versions.