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12 The guilt of Ephraim is wrapped up,
    his sin is stored away.
13 [a]The birth pangs will come for him,(A)
    but this is an unwise child,
Who, when it is time, does not present himself
    at the mouth of the womb.(B)
14 [b]Shall I deliver them from the power of Sheol?
    shall I redeem them from death?
Where are your plagues, O death!
    where is your sting, Sheol!(C)
    Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

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Footnotes

  1. 13:13 Ephraim will die along with its stored-up sin, just as a mother dies along with a child that she cannot deliver.
  2. 13:14 God calls upon “death” and “Sheol” to send their auxiliaries, “plagues” and “sting,” to punish Israel (Hb 3:5; Ps 91:6). Paul uses this text in a different way to speak about the victory over death (1 Cor 15:54–55).