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Hosea 4
New American Standard Bible 1995
Hosea 4
New American Standard Bible 1995
God’s Controversy with Israel
4 (A)Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel,
For the Lord has a (B)case against the inhabitants of the land,
Because there is (C)no [a]faithfulness or [b]kindness
Or (D)knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is (E)swearing, (F)deception, (G)murder, (H)stealing and (I)adultery.
They employ violence, so that (J)bloodshed [c]follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land (K)mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes
Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,
And also the fish of the sea [d]disappear.
4 Yet let no one [e](L)find fault, and let none offer reproof;
For your people are like those who (M)contend with the priest.
5 So you will (N)stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your (O)mother.
6 (P)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have (Q)rejected knowledge,
I also will (R)reject you from being My priest.
Since you have (S)forgotten the (T)law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they (U)multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will (V)change their glory into shame.
8 They (W)feed on the [f]sin of My people
And (X)direct their desire toward their iniquity.
9 And it will be, like people, (Y)like priest;
So I will (Z)punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
10 (AA)They will eat, but not have enough;
They will (AB)play the harlot, but not increase,
Because they have [g](AC)stopped giving heed to the Lord.
11 Harlotry, (AD)wine and new wine take away the [h]understanding.
12 My people (AE)consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,
And they have played the harlot, departing [i]from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the (AF)tops of the mountains
And [j](AG)burn incense on the hills,
(AH)Under oak, poplar and terebinth,
Because their shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters play the harlot
And your [k]brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot
Or your [l]brides when they commit adultery,
For the men themselves go apart with harlots
And offer sacrifices with (AI)temple prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are [m]ruined.
15 Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Do not let Judah become guilty;
Also do not go to (AJ)Gilgal,
Or go up to Beth-aven
(AK)And take the oath:
“As the Lord lives!”
16 Since Israel is (AL)stubborn
Like a stubborn heifer,
[n]Can the Lord now (AM)pasture them
Like a lamb in a large field?
17 Ephraim is joined to (AN)idols;
(AO)Let him alone.
18 Their liquor gone,
They play the harlot continually;
(AP)Their [o]rulers dearly love shame.
19 (AQ)The wind wraps them in its wings,
And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:1 Or truth
- Hosea 4:1 Or loyalty
- Hosea 4:2 Lit touches
- Hosea 4:3 Lit are taken away
- Hosea 4:4 Lit contend
- Hosea 4:8 Or sin offering
- Hosea 4:10 Lit forsaken giving heed; or forsaken the Lord to practice (v 11) harlotry
- Hosea 4:11 Lit heart
- Hosea 4:12 Lit from under
- Hosea 4:13 Or offer sacrifices
- Hosea 4:13 Or daughters-in-law
- Hosea 4:14 Or daughters-in-law
- Hosea 4:14 Lit thrust down
- Hosea 4:16 Or Now the Lord will pasture...field
- Hosea 4:18 Lit shields
Hosea 4
New International Version
Hosea 4
New International Version
The Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge(A) to bring
against you who live in the land:(B)
“There is no faithfulness,(C) no love,
no acknowledgment(D) of God in the land.(E)
2 There is only cursing,[a] lying(F) and murder,(G)
stealing(H) and adultery;(I)
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.(J)
3 Because of this the land dries up,(K)
and all who live in it waste away;(L)
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.(M)
4 “But let no one bring a charge,
let no one accuse another,
for your people are like those
who bring charges against a priest.(N)
5 You stumble(O) day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother(P)—
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.(Q)
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law(R) of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
7 The more priests there were,
the more they sinned against me;
they exchanged their glorious God[b](S) for something disgraceful.(T)
8 They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.(U)
9 And it will be: Like people, like priests.(V)
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.(W)
10 “They will eat but not have enough;(X)
they will engage in prostitution(Y) but not flourish,
because they have deserted(Z) the Lord
to give themselves 11 to prostitution;(AA)
old wine(AB) and new wine
take away their understanding.(AC)
12 My people consult a wooden idol,(AD)
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.(AE)
A spirit of prostitution(AF) leads them astray;(AG)
they are unfaithful(AH) to their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,(AI) poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.(AJ)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution(AK)
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.(AL)
14 “I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots(AM)
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes(AN)—
a people without understanding(AO) will come to ruin!(AP)
15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;(AQ)
do not go up to Beth Aven.[c](AR)
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’(AS)
16 The Israelites are stubborn,(AT)
like a stubborn heifer.(AU)
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs(AV) in a meadow?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18 Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19 A whirlwind(AW) will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.(AX)
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:2 That is, to pronounce a curse on
- Hosea 4:7 Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Text me; / I will exchange their glory
- Hosea 4:15 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
Hosea 5
New American Standard Bible 1995
Hosea 5
New American Standard Bible 1995
The People’s Apostasy Rebuked
5 Hear this, O priests!
Give heed, O house of Israel!
Listen, O house of the king!
For the judgment applies to you,
For you have been a (A)snare at Mizpah
And a net spread out on Tabor.
2 The (B)revolters have [a](C)gone deep in depravity,
But I will chastise all of them.
3 I (D)know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;
For now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot,
Israel has defiled itself.
4 Their deeds will not allow them
To return to their God.
For a (E)spirit of harlotry is within them,
And they (F)do not know the Lord.
5 Moreover, the (G)pride of Israel testifies against him,
And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;
(H)Judah also has stumbled with them.
6 They will (I)go with their flocks and herds
To seek the Lord, but they will (J)not find Him;
He has (K)withdrawn from them.
7 They have (L)dealt treacherously against the Lord,
For they have borne [b](M)illegitimate children.
Now the (N)new moon will devour them with their [c]land.
8 (O)Blow the horn in (P)Gibeah,
The trumpet in Ramah.
Sound an alarm at Beth-aven:
“(Q)Behind you, Benjamin!”
9 Ephraim will become a (R)desolation in the (S)day of rebuke;
Among the tribes of Israel I (T)declare what is sure.
10 The princes of Judah have become like those who (U)move a boundary;
On them I will (V)pour out My wrath (W)like water.
11 Ephraim is (X)oppressed, crushed in judgment,
(Y)Because he was determined to [d]follow man’s command.
12 Therefore I am like a (Z)moth to Ephraim
And like rottenness to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
And Judah his [e]wound,
Then Ephraim went to (AA)Assyria
And sent to [f](AB)King Jareb.
But he is (AC)unable to heal you,
Or to cure you of your [g]wound.
14 For I will be (AD)like a lion to Ephraim
And like a young lion to the house of Judah.
(AE)I, even I, will tear to pieces and go away,
I will carry away, and there will be (AF)none to deliver.
15 I will go away and return to My place
Until they [h](AG)acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly (AH)seek Me.
Footnotes
- Hosea 5:2 Or waded deep in slaughter
- Hosea 5:7 Lit strange
- Hosea 5:7 Lit portions
- Hosea 5:11 Or with some ancient versions, follow nothingness
- Hosea 5:13 Or ulcer
- Hosea 5:13 Or the avenging king or the great king
- Hosea 5:13 Or ulcer
- Hosea 5:15 Or bear their punishment
Hosea 5
New International Version
Hosea 5
New International Version
Judgment Against Israel
5 “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.
2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.(D)
I will discipline all of them.(E)
3 I know all about Ephraim;
Israel is not hidden(F) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
Israel is corrupt.(G)
4 “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.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies(K) against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(L) in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.(M)
6 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.
7 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.
8 “Sound the trumpet(T) in Gibeah,(U)
the horn in Ramah.(V)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven[b];(W)
lead on, Benjamin.
9 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
- Hosea 5:7 Or Now their New Moon feasts / will devour them and
- Hosea 5:8 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Hosea 6
New American Standard Bible 1995
Hosea 6
New American Standard Bible 1995
The Response to God’s Rebuke
6 “(A)Come, let us return to the Lord.
For (B)He has torn us, but (C)He will heal us;
He has [a]wounded us, but He will (D)bandage us.
2 “He will (E)revive us after two days;
He will (F)raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
3 “So let us (G)know, let us press on to know the Lord.
His (H)going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the (I)rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth.”
4 What shall I do with you, O (J)Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
For your [b]loyalty is like a (K)morning cloud
And like the dew which goes away early.
5 Therefore I have (L)hewn them in pieces by the prophets;
I have slain them by the (M)words of My mouth;
And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth.
6 For (N)I delight in loyalty (O)rather than sacrifice,
And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But (P)like [c]Adam they have (Q)transgressed the covenant;
There they have (R)dealt treacherously against Me.
8 (S)Gilead is a city of wrongdoers,
Tracked with (T)bloody footprints.
9 And as (U)raiders wait for a man,
So a band of priests (V)murder on the way to Shechem;
Surely they have committed [d](W)crime.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a (X)horrible thing;
Ephraim’s (Y)harlotry is there, Israel has defiled itself.
11 Also, O Judah, there is a (Z)harvest appointed for you,
When I (AA)restore the fortunes of My people.
Hosea 6
New International Version
Hosea 6
New International Version
Israel Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us return(A) to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces(B)
but he will heal us;(C)
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.(D)
2 After two days he will revive us;(E)
on the third day(F) he will restore(G) us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,(H)
like the spring rains that water the earth.(I)”
4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim?(J)
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.(K)
5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth(L)—
then my judgments go forth like the sun.[a](M)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(N)
and acknowledgment(O) of God rather than burnt offerings.(P)
7 As at Adam,[b] they have broken the covenant;(Q)
they were unfaithful(R) to me there.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,(S)
stained with footprints of blood.
9 As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,(T)
so do bands of priests;
they murder(U) on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes.(V)
10 I have seen a horrible(W) thing in Israel:
There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
Israel is defiled.(X)
11 “Also for you, Judah,
a harvest(Y) is appointed.
“Whenever I would restore the fortunes(Z) of my people,
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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