1Chapter
1The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel.
Hosea’s Marriage and Children
2When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, he said this to him:
Go and marry a woman of promiscuity,
and have children of promiscuity,
for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity
by abandoning the Lord.
3So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4Then the Lord said to him: Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5On that day I will break the bow of Israel in Jezreel Valley.
6She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the Lord said to him: Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel. I will certainly take them away. 7But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the Lord their God. I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry.
8After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9Then the Lord said: Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people, and I will not be your God. 10Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And in the place where they were told: You are not my people, they will be called: Sons of the living God. 11And the Judeans and the Israelites will be gathered together. They will appoint for themselves a single ruler and go up from the land. For the day of Jezreel will be great.
3So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4Then the Lord said to him: Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5On that day I will break the bow of Israel in Jezreel Valley.
6She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the Lord said to him: Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel. I will certainly take them away. 7But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the Lord their God. I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry.
8After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9Then the Lord said: Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people, and I will not be your God. 10Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And in the place where they were told: You are not my people, they will be called: Sons of the living God. 11And the Judeans and the Israelites will be gathered together. They will appoint for themselves a single ruler and go up from the land. For the day of Jezreel will be great.
2Chapter
1Call your brothers: My People
and your sisters: Compassion.
Israel’s Adultery Rebuked
2Rebuke your mother; rebuke her.
For she is not my wife and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the promiscuous look from her face
and her adultery from between her breasts. 3Otherwise, I will strip her naked
and expose her as she was on the day of her birth.
I will make her like a desert
and like a parched land,
and I will let her die of thirst. 4I will have no compassion on her children
because they are the children of promiscuity. 5Yes, their mother is promiscuous;
she conceived them and acted shamefully.
For she thought, “I will follow my lovers,
the men who give me my food and water,
my wool and flax, my oil and drink.” 6Therefore, this is what I will do:
I will block her way with thorns;
I will enclose her with a wall,
so that she cannot find her paths. 7She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;
she will look for them but not find them.
Then she will think,
“I will go back to my former husband,
for then it was better for me than now.” 8She does not recognize
that it is I who gave her the grain,
the new wine, and the fresh oil.
I lavished silver and gold on her,
which they used for Baal. 9Therefore, I will take back my grain in its time
and my new wine in its season;
I will take away my wool and linen,
which were to cover her nakedness. 10Now I will expose her shame
in the sight of her lovers,
and no one will rescue her from my power. 11I will put an end to all her celebrations:
her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—
all her festivals. 12I will devastate her vines and fig trees.
She thinks that these are her wages
that her lovers have given her.
I will turn them into a thicket,
and the wild animals will eat them. 13And I will punish her for the days of the Baals,
to which she burned incense.
She put on her rings and her jewelry
and followed her lovers,
but she forgot me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Israel’s Adultery Forgiven
14Therefore, I am going to persuade her,
lead her to the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her. 15There I will give her vineyards back to her
and make the Valley of Achor
into a gateway of hope.
There she will respond as she did
in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt. 16In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
you will call me “my husband”
and no longer call me “my Baal.” 17For I will remove the names of the Baals
from her mouth;
they will no longer be remembered by their names. 18On that day I will make a covenant for them
with the wild animals, the birds of the sky,
and the creatures that crawl on the ground.
I will shatter bow, sword,
and weapons of war in the land
and will enable the people to rest securely. 19I will take you to be my wife forever.
I will take you to be my wife in righteousness,
justice, love, and compassion. 20I will take you to be my wife in faithfulness,
and you will know the Lord. 21On that day I will respond —
this is the Lord’s declaration.
I will respond to the sky,
and it will respond to the earth. 22The earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine, and the fresh oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel. 23I will sow her in the land for myself,
and I will have compassion
on Lo-ruhamah;
I will say to Lo-ammi:
You are my people,
and he will say, “You are my God.”
3Chapter
Waiting for Restoration
1Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”
2So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and nine bushels of barley. 3I said to her, “You are to live with me many days. You must not be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.”
4For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols. 5Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.
2So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and nine bushels of barley. 3I said to her, “You are to live with me many days. You must not be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.”
4For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols. 5Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.
4Chapter
God’s Case against Israel
1Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel,
for the Lord has a case
against the inhabitants of the land:
There is no truth, no faithful love,
and no knowledge of God in the land! 2Cursing, lying, murder, stealing,
and adultery are rampant;
one act of bloodshed follows another. 3For this reason the land mourns,
and everyone who lives in it languishes,
along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky;
even the fish of the sea disappear. 4But let no one dispute; let no one argue,
for my case is against you priests. 5You will stumble by day;
the prophet will also stumble with you by night.
And I will destroy your mother. 6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I will reject you from serving as my priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I will also forget your sons.
7The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against me. I will change their honor into disgrace. 8They feed on the sin of my people; they have an appetite for their iniquity. 9The same judgment will happen to both people and priests. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord. 11Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away one’s understanding.
12My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God. 13They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. People without discernment are doomed.
7The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against me. I will change their honor into disgrace. 8They feed on the sin of my people; they have an appetite for their iniquity. 9The same judgment will happen to both people and priests. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord. 11Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away one’s understanding.
12My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God. 13They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. People without discernment are doomed.
Warnings for Israel and Judah
15Israel, if you act promiscuously,
don’t let Judah become guilty!
Do not go to Gilgal
or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven,
and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives! 16For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow.
Can the Lord now shepherd them
like a lamb in an open meadow? 17Ephraim is attached to idols;
leave him alone! 18When their drinking is over,
they turn to promiscuity.
Israel’s leaders fervently love disgrace. 19A wind with its wings will carry them off,
and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.
5Chapter
1Hear this, priests!
Pay attention, house of Israel!
Listen, royal house!
For the judgment applies to you
because you have been a snare at Mizpah
and a net spread out on Tabor. 2Rebels are deeply involved in slaughter;
I will be a punishment for all of them. 3I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from me.
For now, Ephraim,
you have acted promiscuously;
Israel is defiled. 4Their actions do not allow them
to return to their God,
for a spirit of promiscuity is among them,
and they do not know the Lord. 5Israel’s arrogance testifies against them.
Both Israel and Ephraim stumble
because of their iniquity;
even Judah will stumble with them. 6They go with their flocks and herds
to seek the Lord
but do not find him;
he has withdrawn from them. 7They betrayed the Lord;
indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children.
Now the New Moon will devour them
along with their fields.
8Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; raise the war cry in Beth-aven: Look behind you, Benjamin! 9Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment; I announce what is certain among the tribes of Israel. 10The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers; I will pour out my fury on them like water. 11Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow what is worthless. 12So I am like rot to Ephraim and like decay to the house of Judah. 13When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent a delegation to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound. 14For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart. I will carry them off, and no one can rescue them. 15I will depart and return to my place until they recognize their guilt and seek my face; they will search for me in their distress.
8Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; raise the war cry in Beth-aven: Look behind you, Benjamin! 9Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment; I announce what is certain among the tribes of Israel. 10The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers; I will pour out my fury on them like water. 11Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow what is worthless. 12So I am like rot to Ephraim and like decay to the house of Judah. 13When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent a delegation to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound. 14For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart. I will carry them off, and no one can rescue them. 15I will depart and return to my place until they recognize their guilt and seek my face; they will search for me in their distress.
6Chapter
A Call to Repentance
1Come, let’s return to the Lord.
For he has torn us,
and he will heal us;
he has wounded us,
and he will bind up our wounds. 2He will revive us after two days,
and on the third day he will raise us up
so we can live in his presence. 3Let’s strive to know the Lord.
His appearance is as sure as the dawn.
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the land.
The Lord’s First Lament
4What am I going to do with you, Ephraim?
What am I going to do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist
and like the early dew that vanishes. 5This is why I have used the prophets
to cut them down;
I have killed them with the words from my mouth.
My judgment strikes like lightning. 6For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7But they, like Adam, have violated the covenant; there they have betrayed me.
8Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with bloody footprints. 9Like raiders who wait in ambush for someone, a band of priests murders on the road to Shechem. They commit atrocities. 10I have seen something horrible in the house of Israel: Ephraim’s promiscuity is there; Israel is defiled.
11A harvest is also appointed for you, Judah. When I restore the fortunes of my people,
7But they, like Adam, have violated the covenant; there they have betrayed me.
8Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with bloody footprints. 9Like raiders who wait in ambush for someone, a band of priests murders on the road to Shechem. They commit atrocities. 10I have seen something horrible in the house of Israel: Ephraim’s promiscuity is there; Israel is defiled.
11A harvest is also appointed for you, Judah. When I restore the fortunes of my people,
7Chapter
1when I heal Israel,
the iniquity of Ephraim and the crimes of Samaria
will be exposed.
For they practice fraud;
a thief breaks in;
a raiding party pillages outside. 2But they never consider that I remember all their evil.
Now their actions are all around them;
they are right in front of my face.
Israel’s Corruption
3They please the king with their evil,
the princes with their lies.
4All of them commit adultery; they are like an oven heated by a baker who stops stirring the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. 5On the day of our king, the princes are sick with the heat of wine — there is a conspiracy with traitors. 6For they—their hearts like an oven— draw him into their oven. Their anger smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7All of them are as hot as an oven, and they consume their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls on me. 8Ephraim has allowed himself to get mixed up with the nations. Ephraim is unturned bread baked on a griddle. 9Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, 10Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the Lord their God, and for all this, they do not seek him.
11So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove; they call to Egypt, and they go to Assyria. 12As they are going, I will spread my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly.
4All of them commit adultery; they are like an oven heated by a baker who stops stirring the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. 5On the day of our king, the princes are sick with the heat of wine — there is a conspiracy with traitors. 6For they—their hearts like an oven— draw him into their oven. Their anger smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7All of them are as hot as an oven, and they consume their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls on me. 8Ephraim has allowed himself to get mixed up with the nations. Ephraim is unturned bread baked on a griddle. 9Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, 10Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the Lord their God, and for all this, they do not seek him.
11So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove; they call to Egypt, and they go to Assyria. 12As they are going, I will spread my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly.
The Lord’s Second Lament
13Woe to them, for they fled from me;
destruction to them, for they rebelled against me!
Though I want to redeem them,
they speak lies against me. 14They do not cry to me from their hearts;
rather, they wail on their beds.
They slash themselves for grain and new wine;
they turn away from me. 15I trained and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil against me. 16They turn, but not to what is above;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent tongue.
They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt.
8Chapter
Israel’s False Hopes
1Put the ram’s horn to your mouth!
One like an eagle comes
against the house of the Lord,
because they transgress my covenant
and rebel against my law. 2Israel cries out to me,
“My God, we know you!” 3Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.
4They have installed kings, but not through me. They have appointed leaders, but without my approval. They make their silver and gold into idols for themselves for their own destruction. 5Your calf-idol is rejected, Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? 6For this thing is from Israel— a craftsman made it, and it is not God. The calf of Samaria will be smashed to bits!
7Indeed, they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if they did, foreigners would swallow it up. 8Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like discarded pottery. 9For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey going off on its own. Ephraim has paid for love. 10Even though they hire lovers among the nations, I will now round them up, and they will begin to decrease in number under the burden of the king and leaders. 11When Ephraim multiplied his altars for sin, they became his altars for sinning. 12Though I were to write out for him ten thousand points of my instruction, they would be regarded as something strange. 13Though they offer sacrificial gifts and eat the flesh, the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their guilt and punish their sins; they will return to Egypt. 14Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has also multiplied fortified cities. I will send fire on their cities, and it will consume their citadels.
4They have installed kings, but not through me. They have appointed leaders, but without my approval. They make their silver and gold into idols for themselves for their own destruction. 5Your calf-idol is rejected, Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? 6For this thing is from Israel— a craftsman made it, and it is not God. The calf of Samaria will be smashed to bits!
7Indeed, they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if they did, foreigners would swallow it up. 8Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like discarded pottery. 9For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey going off on its own. Ephraim has paid for love. 10Even though they hire lovers among the nations, I will now round them up, and they will begin to decrease in number under the burden of the king and leaders. 11When Ephraim multiplied his altars for sin, they became his altars for sinning. 12Though I were to write out for him ten thousand points of my instruction, they would be regarded as something strange. 13Though they offer sacrificial gifts and eat the flesh, the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their guilt and punish their sins; they will return to Egypt. 14Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has also multiplied fortified cities. I will send fire on their cities, and it will consume their citadels.
9Chapter
The Coming Exile
1Israel, do not rejoice jubilantly as the nations do,
for you have acted promiscuously, leaving your God.
You love the wages of a prostitute
on every grain-threshing floor. 2Threshing floor and wine vat will not sustain them,
and the new wine will fail them. 3They will not stay in the land of the Lord.
Instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt,
and they will eat unclean food in Assyria. 4They will not pour out
their wine offerings to the Lord,
and their sacrifices will not please him.
Their food will be like the bread of mourners;
all who eat it become defiled.
For their bread will be for their appetites alone;
it will not enter the house of the Lord. 5What will you do on a festival day,
on the day of the Lord’s feast? 6For even if they flee from devastation,
Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them.
Thistles will take possession of their precious silver;
thorns will invade their tents. 7The days of punishment have come;
the days of retribution have come.
Let Israel recognize it!
The prophet is a fool,
and the inspired man is insane,
because of the magnitude
of your iniquity and hostility. 8Ephraim’s watchman is with my God.
Yet the prophet encounters a bird trap
on all his pathways.
Hostility is in the house of his God! 9They have deeply corrupted themselves
as in the days of Gibeah.
He will remember their iniquity;
he will punish their sins.
Ephraim Bereaved of Offspring
10I discovered Israel
like grapes in the wilderness.
I saw your ancestors
like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season.
But they went to Baal-peor,
consecrated themselves to Shame,
and became abhorrent,
like the thing they loved. 11Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird:
no birth, no pregnancy, no conception. 12Even if they raise children,
I will bereave them of each one.
Yes, woe to them when I depart from them! 13I have seen Ephraim like Tyre,
planted in a meadow,
so Ephraim will bring out his children
to the executioner. 14Give them, Lord—
What should you give?
Give them a womb that miscarries
and breasts that are dry!
15All their evil appears at Gilgal, for there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my house because of their evil, wicked actions. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious. 16Ephraim is struck down; their roots are withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will kill the precious offspring of their wombs. 17My God will reject them because they have not listened to him; they will become wanderers among the nations.
15All their evil appears at Gilgal, for there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my house because of their evil, wicked actions. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious. 16Ephraim is struck down; their roots are withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will kill the precious offspring of their wombs. 17My God will reject them because they have not listened to him; they will become wanderers among the nations.
10Chapter
The Vine and the Calf
1Israel is a lush vine;
it yields fruit for itself.
The more his fruit increased,
the more he increased the altars.
The better his land produced,
the better they made the sacred pillars. 2Their hearts are devious;
now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars
and demolish their sacred pillars. 3In fact, they are now saying,
“We have no king!
For we do not fear the Lord.
What can a king do for us?” 4They speak mere words,
taking false oaths while making covenants.
So lawsuits break out
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
5The residents of Samaria will have anxiety over the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it; the people will mourn over it, over its glory. It will certainly go into exile. 6The calf itself will be taken to Assyria as an offering to the great king. Ephraim will experience shame; Israel will be ashamed of its counsel. 7Samaria’s king will disappear like foam on the surface of the water. 8The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; thorns and thistles will grow over their altars. They will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
5The residents of Samaria will have anxiety over the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it; the people will mourn over it, over its glory. It will certainly go into exile. 6The calf itself will be taken to Assyria as an offering to the great king. Ephraim will experience shame; Israel will be ashamed of its counsel. 7Samaria’s king will disappear like foam on the surface of the water. 8The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; thorns and thistles will grow over their altars. They will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
Israel’s Defeat because of Sin
9Israel, you have sinned
since the days of Gibeah;
they have taken their stand there.
Will not war against the unjust
overtake them in Gibeah? 10I will discipline them at my discretion;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bondage
for their double iniquity.
11Ephraim is a well-trained calf that loves to thresh, but I will place a yoke on her fine neck. I will harness Ephraim; Judah will plow; Jacob will do the final plowing. 12Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.
13You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in your large number of soldiers, 14the roar of battle will rise against your people, and all your fortifications will be demolished in a day of war, like Shalman’s destruction of Beth-arbel. Mothers will be dashed to pieces along with their children. 15So it will be done to you, Bethel, because of your extreme evil. At dawn the king of Israel will be totally destroyed.
11Ephraim is a well-trained calf that loves to thresh, but I will place a yoke on her fine neck. I will harness Ephraim; Judah will plow; Jacob will do the final plowing. 12Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.
13You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in your large number of soldiers, 14the roar of battle will rise against your people, and all your fortifications will be demolished in a day of war, like Shalman’s destruction of Beth-arbel. Mothers will be dashed to pieces along with their children. 15So it will be done to you, Bethel, because of your extreme evil. At dawn the king of Israel will be totally destroyed.
11Chapter
The Lord’s Love for Israel
1When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son. 2Israel called to the Egyptians
even as Israel was leaving them.
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols. 3It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the hand,
but they never knew that I healed them. 4I led them with human cords,
with ropes of love.
To them I was like one
who eases the yoke from their jaws;
I bent down to give them food. 5Israel will not return to the land of Egypt
and Assyria will be his king,
because they refused to repent. 6A sword will whirl through his cities;
it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates,
because of their schemes. 7My people are bent on turning from me.
Though they call to him on high,
he will not exalt them at all.
8How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; my compassion is stirred! 9I will not vent the full fury of my anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage. 10They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. 11They will be roused like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes. This is the Lord’s declaration.
12Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel, with deceit. Judah still wanders with God and is faithful to the holy ones.
8How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; my compassion is stirred! 9I will not vent the full fury of my anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage. 10They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. 11They will be roused like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes. This is the Lord’s declaration.
12Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel, with deceit. Judah still wanders with God and is faithful to the holy ones.
12Chapter
God’s Case against Jacob’s Heirs
1Ephraim chases the wind
and pursues the east wind.
He continually multiplies lies and violence.
He makes a covenant with Assyria,
and olive oil is carried to Egypt.
2The Lord also has a dispute with Judah. He is about to punish Jacob according to his conduct; he will repay him based on his actions. 3In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God. 4Jacob struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him. 5The Lord is the God of Armies; the Lord is his name. 6But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice, and always put your hope in God.
7A merchant loves to extort with dishonest scales in his hands. 8But Ephraim thinks, “How rich I have become; I made it all myself. In all my earnings, no one can find any iniquity in me that I can be punished for!”
2The Lord also has a dispute with Judah. He is about to punish Jacob according to his conduct; he will repay him based on his actions. 3In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God. 4Jacob struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him. 5The Lord is the God of Armies; the Lord is his name. 6But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice, and always put your hope in God.
7A merchant loves to extort with dishonest scales in his hands. 8But Ephraim thinks, “How rich I have become; I made it all myself. In all my earnings, no one can find any iniquity in me that I can be punished for!”
Judgment on Apostate Israel
9I have been the Lord your God
ever since the land of Egypt.
I will make you live in tents again,
as in the festival days. 10I will speak through the prophets
and grant many visions;
I will give parables through the prophets. 11Since Gilead is full of evil,
they will certainly come to nothing.
They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal;
even their altars will be like piles of rocks
on the furrows of a field.
Further Indictment of Jacob’s Heirs
12Jacob fled to the territory of Aram.
Israel worked to earn a wife;
he tended flocks for a wife. 13The Lord brought Israel from Egypt by a prophet,
and Israel was tended by a prophet.
14Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and repay him for his contempt.
14Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and repay him for his contempt.
13Chapter
1When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he was exalted in Israel.
But he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
2Now they continue to sin and make themselves a cast image, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say about them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves.” 3Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, or like smoke from a window.
2Now they continue to sin and make themselves a cast image, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say about them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves.” 3Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, or like smoke from a window.
Death and Resurrection
4I have been the Lord your God
ever since the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and no Savior exists besides me. 5I knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought. 6When they had pasture,
they became satisfied;
they were satisfied,
and their hearts became proud.
Therefore they forgot me. 7So I will be like a lion to them;
I will lurk like a leopard on the path. 8I will attack them
like a bear robbed of her cubs
and tear open the rib cage over their hearts.
I will devour them there like a lioness,
like a wild beast that would rip them open. 9I will destroy you, Israel;
you have no help but me.
10Where now is your king, that he may save you in all your cities, and the rulers you demanded, saying, “Give me a king and leaders”? 11I give you a king in my anger and take away a king in my wrath. 12Ephraim’s guilt is preserved; his sin is stored up. 13Labor pains come on him. He is not a wise son; when the time comes, he will not be born.
14I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death. Death, where are your barbs? Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
10Where now is your king, that he may save you in all your cities, and the rulers you demanded, saying, “Give me a king and leaders”? 11I give you a king in my anger and take away a king in my wrath. 12Ephraim’s guilt is preserved; his sin is stored up. 13Labor pains come on him. He is not a wise son; when the time comes, he will not be born.
14I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death. Death, where are your barbs? Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
The Coming Judgment
15Although he flourishes among his brothers,
an east wind will come,
a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert.
His water source will fail,
and his spring will run dry.
The wind will plunder the treasury
of every precious item.
16Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their children will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.
16Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their children will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.
14Chapter
A Plea to Repent
1Israel, return to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled in your iniquity. 2Take words of repentance with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him, “Forgive all our iniquity
and accept what is good,
so that we may repay you
with praise from our lips. 3Assyria will not save us,
we will not ride on horses,
and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods!’
to the work of our hands.
For the fatherless receives compassion in you.”
A Promise of Restoration
4I will heal their apostasy;
I will freely love them,
for my anger will have turned from him. 5I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like the lily
and take root like the cedars of Lebanon. 6His new branches will spread,
and his splendor will be like the olive tree,
his fragrance, like the forest of Lebanon. 7The people will return and live beneath his shade.
They will grow grain
and blossom like the vine.
His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from me.
9Let whoever is wise understand these things, and whoever is insightful recognize them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
8Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from me.
9Let whoever is wise understand these things, and whoever is insightful recognize them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
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