Ephriam had sinned unto death. The worship of idols, and such evils. Looking at his brother, we see the sort of evil that God will not allow forever.
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Manasseh, son of King Hezekiah, and mother Hephzibah, began his reign at age 12. He reigned 55 years, the longest of any Hebrew King, but it was an evil reign. He
rebuilt the heathen altars that his father Hezekiah had destroyed - the
altars of Baal. He even built
pagan altars in both courts of the Temple of the Lord, for worshiping the sun, moon and stars.
And Manasseh
sacrificed his own children as burnt offerings in the valley of Hinnom. He
consulted spirit mediums, fortune tellers and sorcerers. He angered the Lord by encouraging every sort of evil (2 Chronicles 33:4-6). He also
murdered large numbers of innocent people (2 Kings 21:16).
Manasseh (son of Joseph)
When a nation reached that level of wickedness, God allowed enemy nations to destroy them, and that does involve the sort of thing mentioned in the verse you cite.