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God’s Unrelenting Judgment on Israel

13 When Ephraim spoke, trembling,
    he was exalted in Israel.
    But he incurred guilt through Baal worship and he died.
And now they continue sinning
    and have made a cast image for themselves,
idols of their silver, according to their understanding;
    all of them the work of craftsmen.
They say of them,
    “Those who sacrifice[a]
    are kissing calves!”
Therefore they will be like the morning cloud,
    or like the early dew that passes away,
    like chaff blown off the threshing floor,
    or like the smoke from a chimney.

Yet I am the Lord your God
    ever since the land of Egypt.
You know no God but Me,
    and there is no savior besides Me.
I knew[b] you in the wilderness,
    in the land of great drought.
When they had pasture, they were satisfied.
    They were satisfied, and their heart was exalted;
    therefore they forgot Me.
So I will be like a lion to them,
    like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
I will attack them like a bear bereaved of her cubs,
    and will tear open their rib cage.
There I will devour them like a lion,
    as the wild beast would tear them to pieces.

O Israel, you are destroyed,[c]
    but in Me is your help.
10 Where now is your king
    that he may save you in all your cities?
And where are your judges of whom you said,
    “Give me a king and princes”?
11 I gave you a king in My anger,
    and took him away in My wrath.
12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
    his sin is stored up.
13 The pains of childbirth come for him.
    He is an unwise son,
for he does not present himself
    at the opening of the womb.

14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol.
    I will redeem them from Death.
O Death, where are your plagues?
    O Sheol, where is your sting?

Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
15     Though he be fruitful among his brothers,
the east wind will come, a wind of the Lord,
    rising from the wilderness.
And his spring shall become dry,
    his fountain shall be dried up.
It shall plunder his treasury
    of every desirable thing.
16 Samaria will be held guilty,
    for she has rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword,
    their infants will be dashed to pieces,
    and their pregnant women will be ripped open.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 13:2 Or those who offer human sacrifice.
  2. Hosea 13:5 Or fed.
  3. Hosea 13:9 Heb. he has destroyed you.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

13 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;(A)
    he was exalted(B) in Israel.
    But he became guilty of Baal worship(C) and died.
Now they sin more and more;
    they make(D) idols for themselves from their silver,(E)
cleverly fashioned images,
    all of them the work of craftsmen.(F)
It is said of these people,
    “They offer human sacrifices!
    They kiss[a](G) calf-idols!(H)
Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
    like the early dew that disappears,(I)
    like chaff(J) swirling from a threshing floor,(K)
    like smoke(L) escaping through a window.

“But I have been the Lord your God
    ever since you came out of Egypt.(M)
You shall acknowledge(N) no God but me,(O)
    no Savior(P) except me.
I cared for you in the wilderness,(Q)
    in the land of burning heat.
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
    when they were satisfied, they became proud;(R)
    then they forgot(S) me.(T)
So I will be like a lion(U) to them,
    like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs,(V)
    I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion(W) I will devour them—
    a wild animal will tear them apart.(X)

“You are destroyed, Israel,
    because you are against me,(Y) against your helper.(Z)
10 Where is your king,(AA) that he may save you?
    Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
    ‘Give me a king and princes’?(AB)
11 So in my anger I gave you a king,(AC)
    and in my wrath I took him away.(AD)
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
    his sins are kept on record.(AE)
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth(AF) come to him,
    but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time(AG) arrives,
    he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.(AH)

14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;(AI)
    I will redeem them from death.(AJ)
Where, O death, are your plagues?
    Where, O grave, is your destruction?(AK)

“I will have no compassion,
15     even though he thrives(AL) among his brothers.
An east wind(AM) from the Lord will come,
    blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
    and his well dry up.(AN)
His storehouse will be plundered(AO)
    of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria(AP) must bear their guilt,(AQ)
    because they have rebelled(AR) against their God.
They will fall by the sword;(AS)
    their little ones will be dashed(AT) to the ground,
    their pregnant women(AU) ripped open.”[b]

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 13:2 Or “Men who sacrifice / kiss
  2. Hosea 13:16 In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.