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Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah

Hear this, O priests!
Give heed, O house of Israel!
Hearken, O house of the king!
    For the judgment pertains to you;
for you have been a snare at Mizpah,
    and a net spread upon Tabor.
And they have made deep the pit of Shittim;[a]
    but I will chastise all of them.

I know E′phraim,
    and Israel is not hid from me;
for now, O E′phraim, you have played the harlot,
    Israel is defiled.
Their deeds do not permit them
    to return to their God.
For the spirit of harlotry is within them,
    and they know not the Lord.

The pride of Israel testifies to his face;
    E′phraim[b] shall stumble in his guilt;
    Judah also shall stumble with them.
With their flocks and herds they shall go
    to seek the Lord,
but they will not find him;
    he has withdrawn from them.
They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord;
    for they have borne alien children.
    Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields.

Blow the horn in Gib′e-ah,
    the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound the alarm at Beth-a′ven;
    tremble,[c] O Benjamin!
E′phraim shall become a desolation
    in the day of punishment;
among the tribes of Israel
    I declare what is sure.
10 The princes of Judah have become
    like those who remove the landmark;
upon them I will pour out
    my wrath like water.
11 E′phraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
    because he was determined to go after vanity.[d]
12 Therefore I am like a moth to E′phraim,
    and like dry rot to the house of Judah.

13 When E′phraim saw his sickness,
    and Judah his wound,
then E′phraim went to Assyria,
    and sent to the great king.[e]
But he is not able to cure you
    or heal your wound.
14 For I will be like a lion to E′phraim,
    and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I, even I, will rend and go away,
    I will carry off, and none shall rescue.

15 I will return again to my place,
    until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
    and in their distress they seek me, saying,

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 5:2 Cn: Heb uncertain
  2. Hosea 5:5 Heb Israel and Ephraim
  3. Hosea 5:8 Cn Compare Gk: Heb after you
  4. Hosea 5:11 Gk: Heb a command
  5. Hosea 5:13 Cn: Heb a king that will contend

Judgment Against Israel

“Hear this, you priests!
    Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
    This judgment(A) is against you:
You have been a snare(B) at Mizpah,
    a net(C) spread out on Tabor.
The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.(D)
    I will discipline all of them.(E)
I know all about Ephraim;
    Israel is not hidden(F) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
    Israel is corrupt.(G)

“Their deeds do not permit them
    to return(H) to their God.
A spirit of prostitution(I) is in their heart;
    they do not acknowledge(J) the Lord.
Israel’s arrogance testifies(K) against them;
    the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(L) in their sin;
    Judah also stumbles with them.(M)
When they go with their flocks and herds
    to seek the Lord,(N)
they will not find him;
    he has withdrawn(O) himself from them.
They are unfaithful(P) to the Lord;
    they give birth to illegitimate(Q) children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,(R)
    he will devour[a](S) their fields.

“Sound the trumpet(T) in Gibeah,(U)
    the horn in Ramah.(V)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven[b];(W)
    lead on, Benjamin.
Ephraim will be laid waste(X)
    on the day of reckoning.(Y)
Among the tribes of Israel
    I proclaim what is certain.(Z)
10 Judah’s leaders are like those
    who move boundary stones.(AA)
I will pour out my wrath(AB) on them
    like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
    trampled in judgment,
    intent on pursuing idols.[c](AC)
12 I am like a moth(AD) to Ephraim,
    like rot(AE) to the people of Judah.

13 “When Ephraim(AF) saw his sickness,
    and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria,(AG)
    and sent to the great king for help.(AH)
But he is not able to cure(AI) you,
    not able to heal your sores.(AJ)
14 For I will be like a lion(AK) to Ephraim,
    like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces(AL) and go away;
    I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.(AM)
15 Then I will return to my lair(AN)
    until they have borne their guilt(AO)
    and seek my face(AP)
in their misery(AQ)
    they will earnestly seek me.(AR)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 5:7 Or Now their New Moon feasts / will devour them and
  2. Hosea 5:8 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
  3. Hosea 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.