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"Contend with your mother, 1contend, For she is 2not my wife, and I am not her husband; And let her putaway her 3harlotry from her face And her adultery from between her breasts,
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Or I will strip her 4naked And expose her as on the 5day when she was born. I will also 6make her like a wilderness, Make her like desertland And slay her with 7thirst.
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"Also, I will havenocompassion on her children, Because they are 8children of harlotry.
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"For their mother has 9played the harlot; She who conceived them has actedshamefully. For she said, '10I will goafter my lovers, Who 11give me my bread and my water, My wool and my flax, my 12oil and my drink.'
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"Therefore, behold, I will 13hedge up her way with 14thorns, And I will build a wall against her so that she cannotfind her 15paths.
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"She will 16pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; And she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, '17I will goback to my 18firsthusband, For it was 19better for me thenthannow!'
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"For she does 20not know that it was 21I who gave her the grain, the newwine and the oil, And lavished on her silver and gold, Which they used for Baal.
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"Therefore, I will 22takeback My grain at harvest time And My newwine in its season. I will also takeaway My wool and My flax Given to cover her nakedness.
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"And then I will 23uncover her lewdness In the sight of her lovers, And noone will rescue her out of My hand.
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"I will also 24put an end to all her gaiety, Her 25feasts, her 26newmoons, her sabbaths And all her festalassemblies.
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"I will 27destroy her vines and figtrees, Of which she said, 'These are my wagesWhich my lovers have given me.' And I will 28make them a forest, And the 29beasts of the field will devour them.
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"I will punish her for the 30days of the BaalsWhen she used to 31offersacrifices to them And 32adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, And follow* her lovers, so that she 33forgot Me," declares the LORD.