For he ¹  knows deceitful ²  men; when he sees evil, will he not ³  consider it? ⁴ 

“If this is not so, who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?” ¹ 

Not so with the wicked! Instead ¹  they are like wind-driven chaff. ² 

What the righteous say ¹  is like ²  the best ³  silver, but what the wicked think ⁴  is of little value. ⁵ 

Ephraim will be oppressed, ¹  crushed ²  under judgment, ³  because he was determined to pursue worthless idols. ⁴ 

Israel will be swallowed up among the nations; they will be like a worthless piece of pottery.

From you, O Nineveh, ¹  one has marched forth who plots evil against the Lord, a wicked military strategist. ² 

In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad ¹  tree bears bad fruit.

But some wicked men ¹  said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and did not even bring him a gift. But Saul said nothing about it. ² 

The worthless idols will be completely eliminated. ¹ 

נ (Nun) Your prophets saw visions for you that were worthless lies. ¹  They failed to expose your sin so as to restore your fortunes. ²  They saw oracles for you that were worthless ³  lies.

But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless ¹  basic forces? ²  Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? ³ 

Don’t consider your servant a wicked woman, ¹  for until now I have spoken from my deep pain and anguish.”

You men, ¹  how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? ²  How long ³  will you love what is worthless ⁴  and search for what is deceptive? ⁵  (Selah)

The one who works his land will be satisfied with food, ¹  but whoever chases daydreams ²  will have his fill ³  of poverty.

“Son of man, the house of Israel has become slag to me. All of them are like bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace; ¹  they are the worthless slag of silver.

They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

But all the evil and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Since they didn’t go with us, ¹  we won’t give them any of the loot we retrieved! They may take only their wives and children. Let them lead them away and be gone!”

Then the Lord said to me, “Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! ¹  I did not send them. I did not commission them. ²  I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, ³  and the delusions of their own mind.

Because of this, the Lord said, ¹  “You must repent of such words and thoughts! If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving me. ²  If you say what is worthwhile instead of what is worthless, I will again allow you to be my spokesman. ³  They must become as you have been. You must not become like them. ⁴