Hosea 13
International Standard Version
The Lord’s Anger against Israel
13 “When the tribe of[a] Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
and it was exalted within Israel.
But when they offended God by Baal,
they died,
2 but now they are sinning more and more,
crafting idols from melted silver.
Their idols are made with the most exacting skill,
all of it the work of craftsmen.
People[b] say about them,
‘They offer human sacrifice,
and kiss calf-shaped idols.’[c]
3 Therefore they will be like morning clouds,
like early morning dew that evaporates,
like chaff blown away from the threshing floor,
or like smoke from a chimney.”[d]
The Lord is Israel’s God
4 “I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt,
and you have known no god except for me,
because except for me there is no savior.
5 I took care of[e] you in the wilderness,
in a waterless land.
6 As their pastures flourished,
all their desires were met.[f]
As they were satiated,
they became arrogant
and therefore ignored me.
7 “So I will be like a lion to them.
Like a leopard I will stalk them along the road.
8 I will confront them like a bear deprived of her cubs;[g]
I will tear open their ribs.
I will devour them like a lion—
the wild beasts will rip them apart.
9 “You have destroyed yourself, Israel,
although I remain your help.
10 Now where is your king?
Will he save you in all your cities?
And where are[h] your judges,
about whom you demanded,
‘Give me a king and officials!’?
11 I gave you a king in my anger,
and I took him[i] away in my fury.”
12 “Ephraim’s guilt is on record;
his sin is stored away.
13 When the time of childbirth comes,
he will be so foolish
that he will refuse to be born.”
14 “From the power of Sheol I will rescue them,
from death I will redeem them.
Death, where are[j] your plagues?
Sheol, where is[k] your destruction?
My eyes will remain closed to your pleas for[l] compassion.
15 Even though he is fruitful compared to his relatives,
an east wind will come,
the Lord’s wind storm from the wilderness,
and his spring will evaporate.
His fountain will dry up,
and the Lord’s[m] wind storm will plunder
all the expensive vessels of the treasury.
16 [n]Samaria will be held guilty,
because she has rebelled against her God.
By the sword they will fall—
with their infants dashed to pieces,
and their pregnant women torn open.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 13:1 The Heb. lacks the tribe of
- Hosea 13:2 Lit. They
- Hosea 13:2 Lit. kissing calves
- Hosea 13:3 Or window
- Hosea 13:5 So LXX. MT reads I knew
- Hosea 13:6 Lit. flourished, they were satiated
- Hosea 13:8 The Heb. lacks of her cubs
- Hosea 13:10 The Heb. lacks where are
- Hosea 13:11 The Heb. lacks him
- Hosea 13:14 Or death, I will be
- Hosea 13:14 Or Sheol, I will be
- Hosea 13:14 The Heb. lacks your pleas for
- Hosea 13:15 Lit. and it
- Hosea 13:16 This v. is 14:1 in MT
Hosea 13
English Standard Version
The Lord's Relentless Judgment on Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
(A)he was exalted in Israel,
but he incurred guilt (B)through Baal and died.
2 And now they sin more and more,
and (C)make for themselves metal images,
idols skillfully made of their silver,
(D)all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of them,
“Those who offer human sacrifice (E)kiss calves!”
3 Therefore they shall be (F)like the morning mist
or (G)like the dew that goes early away,
(H)like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
or (I)like smoke from a window.
4 But (J)I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
(K)you know no God but me,
and (L)besides me there is no savior.
5 (M)It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
6 (N)but when they had grazed,[a] they became full,
(O)they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
(P)therefore they forgot me.
7 So (Q)I am to them like a lion;
(R)like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
8 I will fall upon them (S)like a bear robbed of her cubs;
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
(T)as a wild beast would rip them open.
9 He destroys[b] you, O Israel,
for you are against me, against (U)your helper.
10 (V)Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities?
Where are all your rulers—
those of whom (W)you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11 (X)I gave you a king in my anger,
and (Y)I took him away in my wrath.
12 The iniquity of Ephraim is (Z)bound up;
his sin is (AA)kept in store.
13 (AB)The pangs of childbirth come for him,
but he is an unwise son,
for at the right time he does not present himself
(AC)at the opening of the womb.
14 (AD)I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
(AE)I shall redeem them from Death.[c]
(AF)O (AG)Death, where are your plagues?
(AH)O (AI)Sheol, where is your sting?
(AJ)Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
15 Though (AK)he may flourish among his brothers,
(AL)the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come,
rising from the wilderness,
(AM)and his fountain shall dry up;
his spring shall be parched;
it shall strip (AN)his treasury
of every precious thing.
16 [d] Samaria (AO)shall bear her guilt,
because (AP)she has rebelled against her God;
they shall fall by the sword;
(AQ)their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
and their (AR)pregnant women ripped open.
Footnotes
- Hosea 13:6 Hebrew according to their pasture
- Hosea 13:9 Or I will destroy
- Hosea 13:14 Or Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death?
- Hosea 13:16 Ch 14:1 in Hebrew
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