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Daniel 12
New American Standard Bible
Daniel 12
New American Standard Bible
The Time of the End
12 “Now at that time (A)Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a (B)time of distress (C)such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the (D)book, will be rescued. 2 And (E)many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, (F)these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting [a]contempt. 3 And [b]those who have (G)insight will (H)shine like the glow of the [c]expanse of heaven, and those who [d](I)lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But as for you, Daniel, (J)keep these words secret and (K)seal up the book until the (L)end of time; (M)many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream. 6 And (N)someone said to the man (O)dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “(P)How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” 7 And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, [e]as he (Q)raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by (R)Him who lives forever that it would be for a [f](S)time, [g]times, and half a [h]time; and as soon as [i]they finish (T)smashing the [j]power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. 8 But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the [k]outcome of these events?” 9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and (U)sealed up until the end time. 10 (V)Many will be purged, [l]cleansed, and refined, but the (W)wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but [m]those who (X)have insight will understand. 11 And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the (Y)abomination [n]of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 (Z)Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the (AA)1,335 days! 13 But as for you, go your way to the [o]end; then you will (AB)rest and [p]rise for your (AC)allotted portion at the end of the [q]age.”
Footnotes
- Daniel 12:2 Lit abhorrence
- Daniel 12:3 Or The instructors will
- Daniel 12:3 Or firmament; i.e., atmosphere and space
- Daniel 12:3 Or obtain rights for many, like
- Daniel 12:7 Lit and
- Daniel 12:7 I.e., year(s)
- Daniel 12:7 I.e., year(s)
- Daniel 12:7 I.e., year(s)
- Daniel 12:7 Lit to finish
- Daniel 12:7 Lit hand
- Daniel 12:8 Or final end
- Daniel 12:10 Or whitened
- Daniel 12:10 Or the instructors will
- Daniel 12:11 Lit that makes desolate; or that causes horror
- Daniel 12:13 I.e., end of your life
- Daniel 12:13 Lit stand
- Daniel 12:13 Lit days
Daniel 12
New International Version
Daniel 12
New International Version
The End Times
12 “At that time Michael,(A) the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress(B) such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book(C)—will be delivered.(D) 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:(E) some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.(F) 3 Those who are wise[a](G) will shine(H) like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness,(I) like the stars for ever and ever.(J) 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal(K) the words of the scroll until the time of the end.(L) Many will go here and there(M) to increase knowledge.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.(N) 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen,(O) who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”(P)
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand(Q) and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever,(R) saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.[b](S) When the power of the holy people(T) has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.(U)”
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”
9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed(V) until the time of the end.(W) 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined,(X) but the wicked will continue to be wicked.(Y) None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.(Z)
11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice(AA) is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation(AB) is set up, there will be 1,290 days.(AC) 12 Blessed is the one who waits(AD) for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.(AE)
13 “As for you, go your way till the end.(AF) You will rest,(AG) and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.(AH)”
Footnotes
- Daniel 12:3 Or who impart wisdom
- Daniel 12:7 Or a year, two years and half a year
Hosea 1-14
New American Standard Bible
Hosea 1-14
New American Standard Bible
Hosea’s Wife and Children
1 The word of the Lord which came to (A)Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of (B)Uzziah, (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz, and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of (F)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “(G)Go, take for yourself a wife [a]inclined to infidelity, and children of infidelity; for (H)the land commits flagrant infidelity, [b]abandoning the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and (I)bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Name him (J)Jezreel; for in just a little while (K)I will [c]punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and (L)I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will (M)break the bow of Israel in the (N)Valley of Jezreel.”
6 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And [d]the Lord said to him, “Name her [e]Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer (O)take pity on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. 7 But I will take (P)pity on the house of Judah and (Q)save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by (R)bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”
8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 And [f]the Lord said, “Name him [g]Lo-ammi, because you are not My people, and I am not [h]your God.”
10 [i]Yet the number of the sons of Israel
Will be like the (S)sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or counted;
And (T)in the place
Where it is said to them,
“You are (U)not My people,”
It will be said to them,
“You are the (V)sons of the living God.”
11 And the (W)sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be (X)gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves (Y)one leader,
And they will go up from the land,
For the day of Jezreel will be great.
Israel’s Unfaithfulness Condemned
2 [j]Say to your brothers, “[k]Ammi,” and to your sisters, “[l]Ruhamah.”
2 “Dispute with your mother, (Z)dispute,
Because she is (AA)not my wife, and I am not her husband;
But she must remove her (AB)infidelity from her face
And her adultery from between her breasts,
3 Otherwise, I will strip her (AC)naked
And expose her as on the (AD)day she was born.
I will also (AE)make her like a wilderness,
Make her like desert land,
And put her to death with (AF)thirst.
4 Also, I will take no pity on her children,
Because they are (AG)children of infidelity.
5 For their mother has (AH)committed prostitution;
She who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘(AI)I will go after my lovers,
Who (AJ)give me my bread and my water,
My wool and my flax, my (AK)oil and my drink.’
6 Therefore, behold, I will (AL)obstruct [m]her way with (AM)thorns,
And I will build [n]a stone wall against her so that she cannot find her (AN)paths.
7 And she will (AO)pursue her lovers, but she will not reach them;
And she will seek them, but will not find them.
Then she will say, ‘(AP)I will go back to my (AQ)first husband,
Because it was (AR)better for me then than now!’
8 “Yet she does (AS)not know that it was (AT)I myself who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil,
And lavished on her silver and gold,
Which they [o]used for Baal.
9 Therefore, I will [p](AU)take back My grain at [q]harvest time
And My new wine in its season.
I will also take away My wool and My flax
That I gave to cover her nakedness.
10 So now I will (AV)uncover her [r]lewdness
Before the eyes of her lovers,
And no one will rescue her from My hand.
11 I will also (AW)put an end to all her joy,
Her (AX)feasts, her (AY)new moons, her Sabbaths,
And all her festivals.
12 And I will (AZ)destroy her vines and fig trees,
Of which she said, ‘They are my wages for prostitution
Which my lovers have given me.’
And I will (BA)turn them into a forest,
And the (BB)animals of the field will devour them.
13 I will punish her for the (BC)days of the Baals
When she used to [s](BD)offer sacrifices to them
And (BE)adorn herself with her nose ring and jewelry,
And follow her lovers, so that she (BF)forgot Me,” declares the Lord.
Restoration of Israel
14 “Therefore, behold, I am going to persuade her,
(BG)Bring her into the wilderness,
And speak [t]kindly to her.
15 Then I will give her her (BH)vineyards from there,
And (BI)the [u]Valley of Achor as a door of hope.
And she will [v](BJ)respond there as in the days of her youth,
As in the (BK)day when she went up from the land of Egypt.
16 And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord,
“That you will call Me [w](BL)my husband
And no longer call Me my [x]Baal.
17 For (BM)I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth,
So that they will no longer be [y]mentioned by their names.
18 On that day I will also make a covenant for them
With the (BN)animals of the field,
The birds of the sky,
And the crawling things of the ground.
And I will [z](BO)eliminate the bow, the sword, and war from the land,
And will let them (BP)lie down in safety.
19 I will (BQ)betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in (BR)righteousness and in justice,
In favor and in compassion,
20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will (BS)know the Lord.
21 “And it will come about on that day that (BT)I will respond,” declares the Lord.
“I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,
22 And the (BU)earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine, and to the oil,
And they will respond to [aa]Jezreel.
23 I will (BV)sow her for Myself in the land.
(BW)I will also have compassion on [ab]her who had not obtained compassion,
And (BX)I will say to [ac]those who were (BY)not My people,
‘You are My people!’
And [ad]they will say, ‘You are my God!’”
Hosea’s Redemption of Gomer
3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love [ae]a woman who is loved by her [af]husband, yet is committing adultery, (BZ)as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love [ag]raisin (CA)cakes.” 2 So I (CB)purchased her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and a [ah]homer and a [ai]lethech of barley. 3 Then I said to her, “You shall (CC)live with me for many days. You shall not play the prostitute, nor shall you have another man; so I will also be toward you.” 4 For the sons of Israel will live for many days (CD)without a king or leader, (CE)without sacrifice or (CF)memorial stone, and without (CG)ephod or [aj](CH)household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will (CI)return and seek the Lord their God and (CJ)David their king; and (CK)they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.
God’s Controversy with Israel
4 (CL)Listen to the word of the Lord, you sons of Israel,
Because the Lord has a (CM)case against the inhabitants of the land,
For there is (CN)no [ak]faithfulness, nor [al]loyalty,
Nor (CO)knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is (CP)oath-taking, (CQ)[am]denial, (CR)murder, (CS)stealing, and (CT)adultery.
They employ violence, so that (CU)bloodshed [an]follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land (CV)mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes
Along with the animals of the field and the birds of the sky,
And even the fish of the sea [ao]disappear.
4 Yet let no one [ap](CW)find fault, and let no one rebuke;
For your people are like those who (CX)contend with a priest.
5 So you will (CY)stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your (CZ)mother.
6 (DA)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Since you have (DB)rejected knowledge,
I also will (DC)reject you from being My priest.
Since you have (DD)forgotten the (DE)Law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they (DF)multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will (DG)change their glory into shame.
8 They (DH)feed on the [aq]sin of My people,
And (DI)long for their wrongdoing.
9 And it will be, like people, (DJ)like priest;
So I will (DK)punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
10 (DL)They will eat, but not have enough;
They will (DM)play the prostitute, but not [ar]increase,
Because they (DN)gave up devoting themselves to the Lord.
11 [as]Infidelity, (DO)wine, and new wine take away the [at]understanding.
12 My people (DP)consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of infidelity has led them astray,
And they have been unfaithful, departing [au]from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the (DQ)tops of the mountains
And [av](DR)burn incense on the hills,
(DS)Under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
Because their shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters play the prostitute,
And your [aw]brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute,
Or your [ax]brides when they commit adultery,
Because the men themselves slip away with the prostitutes
And offer sacrifices with (DT)temple prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are ruined.
15 Though you, Israel, play the prostitute,
Judah must not become guilty;
Also you are not to go to (DU)Gilgal,
Nor go up to Beth-aven
(DV)And take the oath:
“As the Lord lives!”
16 Since Israel is (DW)stubborn
Like a stubborn cow,
[ay]Will the Lord now (DX)pasture them
Like a lamb in a large field?
17 Ephraim is allied with (DY)idols;
(DZ)Leave him alone.
18 Their liquor is gone,
They prostitute themselves continually;
[az](EA)Their [ba]rulers dearly love shame.
19 (EB)The wind wraps them in its wings,
And they will be [bb]put to shame because of their sacrifices.
The People’s Apostasy Rebuked
5 Hear this, you priests!
Pay attention, house of Israel!
Listen, you of the house of the king!
For the judgment applies to you,
Because you have been a (EC)trap at Mizpah,
And a net spread out on Tabor.
2 And the (ED)rebels have (EE)gone deep in [bc]depravity,
But I will discipline all of them.
3 I (EF)know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;
Because now, Ephraim, you have been unfaithful,
Israel has defiled itself.
4 Their deeds will not allow them
To return to their God.
For a (EG)spirit of [bd]infidelity is within them,
And they (EH)do not know the Lord.
5 Moreover, the (EI)pride of Israel testifies against him,
And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their wrongdoing;
(EJ)Judah also has stumbled with them.
6 They will (EK)go with their flocks and herds
To seek the Lord, but they will (EL)not find Him;
He has (EM)withdrawn from them.
7 They have (EN)dealt treacherously with the Lord,
For they have given birth to [be](EO)illegitimate children.
Now the (EP)new moon will devour them with their [bf]land.
8 (EQ)Blow the horn in (ER)Gibeah,
And the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound an alarm at Beth-aven:
“(ES)Behind you, Benjamin!”
9 Ephraim will become a (ET)desolation in the (EU)day of rebuke;
Among the tribes of Israel I (EV)make known what is trustworthy.
10 The leaders of Judah have become like those who (EW)displace a boundary marker;
On them I will (EX)pour out My anger (EY)like water.
11 Ephraim is (EZ)oppressed, broken by judgment,
(FA)Because he was determined to follow [bg]man’s command.
12 Therefore I am like a (FB)moth to Ephraim,
And like rottenness to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
And Judah his [bh]sore,
Ephraim then went to (FC)Assyria
And sent word to [bi](FD)King Jareb.
But he is (FE)unable to heal you,
Or to cure you of your [bj]sore.
14 For I will be (FF)like a lion to Ephraim
And like a young lion to the house of Judah.
(FG)I, yes I, will tear to pieces and go away,
I will carry away, and there will be (FH)no one to rescue.
15 I will go away and return to My place
Until they [bk](FI)acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
In their distress they will (FJ)search for Me.
The Response to God’s Rebuke
6 “(FK)Come, let’s return to the Lord.
For (FL)He has torn us, but (FM)He will heal us;
He has [bl]wounded us, but He will (FN)bandage us.
2 He will (FO)revive us after two days;
He will (FP)raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
3 So let’s (FQ)learn, let’s press on to know the Lord.
His (FR)appearance is as sure as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the (FS)rain,
As the spring rain waters the earth.”
4 What shall I do with you, (FT)Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, Judah?
For your loyalty is like a (FU)morning cloud,
And like the dew which goes away early.
5 Therefore I have (FV)cut them in pieces by the prophets;
I have slain them by the (FW)words of My mouth;
And the judgments on you are like the light that [bm]shines.
6 For (FX)I [bn]desire loyalty (FY)rather than sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But (FZ)like [bo]Adam they have (GA)violated the covenant;
There they have (GB)dealt treacherously with Me.
8 (GC)Gilead is a city of wrongdoers,
Tracked with (GD)bloody footprints.
9 And as a (GE)band of robbers lie in wait for a person,
So a band of priests (GF)murder on the way to Shechem;
Certainly they have committed an act of (GG)infamy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a (GH)horrible thing;
Ephraim’s (GI)infidelity is there, Israel has defiled itself.
11 Also, Judah, there is a (GJ)harvest appointed for you,
When I (GK)restore the fortunes of My people.
Ephraim’s Wrongdoing
7 When I (GL)would heal Israel,
The wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered,
And the evil deeds of Samaria,
For they practice (GM)deception;
The thief enters,
A band of (GN)robbers attack outside,
2 And they do not [bp]consider in their hearts
That I (GO)remember all their wickedness.
Now their (GP)deeds surround them;
They are before My face.
3 (GQ)With their wickedness they make the (GR)king happy,
And the officials with their (GS)lies.
4 They are (GT)all adulterers,
Like an oven heated by the baker,
Who stops [bq]stoking the fire
From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened.
5 On the [br]day of our king, the officials (GU)became sick with the heat of wine;
He stretched out his hand with [bs](GV)scoffers,
6 For their hearts are like an (GW)oven
As they approach their [bt]plotting;
Their [bu]anger [bv]smolders all night,
In the morning it burns like flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot like an oven,
And they consume their (GX)rulers;
All their kings have fallen.
(GY)None of them calls on Me.
8 Ephraim is himself (GZ)thrown about with the [bw]nations;
Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over.
9 (HA)Strangers devour his strength,
Yet he (HB)does not know it;
Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him,
Yet he does not know it.
10 Though the (HC)pride of Israel testifies against him,
Yet (HD)they have not returned to the Lord their God,
Nor have they sought Him, despite all this.
11 So (HE)Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, (HF)without [bx]sense;
They call to (HG)Egypt, they go to (HH)Assyria.
12 When they go, I will (HI)spread My net over them;
I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
I will (HJ)discipline them in accordance with the [by]proclamation to their assembly.
13 (HK)Woe to them, for they have (HL)strayed from Me!
Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me!
I (HM)would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.
14 And (HN)they do not cry to Me from their heart
When they wail on their beds;
For the sake of grain and new wine they [bz](HO)assemble themselves,
They (HP)turn against Me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
Yet they (HQ)devise evil against Me.
16 They turn, but not [ca]upward,
They are like a (HR)loose bow;
Their officials will fall by the sword
Because of the [cb](HS)insolence of their tongue.
This will be their (HT)derision in the land of Egypt.
Israel Reaps the Whirlwind
8 (HU)Put the trumpet to your [cc]lips!
(HV)Like an eagle the enemy comes (HW)against the house of the Lord,
Because they have (HX)violated My covenant
And rebelled against My (HY)Law.
2 (HZ)They cry out to Me,
“My God, (IA)we of Israel know You!”
3 Israel has rejected the good;
The enemy will pursue him.
4 (IB)They have set up kings, but not by Me;
They have appointed officials, but I did not know it.
With their (IC)silver and gold they have made idols for themselves,
So that [cd]they will be eliminated.
5 [ce]He has rejected your (ID)calf, Samaria, saying,
“My anger burns against them!”
How long will they be incapable of (IE)innocence?
6 For from Israel comes even this!
A (IF)craftsman made it, so it is not God;
Assuredly, the calf of Samaria will be broken to [cf]pieces.
7 For (IG)they sow wind
And they harvest a (IH)storm.
The standing grain has no [cg]kernels;
It yields (II)no [ch]grain.
If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it.
8 Israel has been (IJ)swallowed up;
They are now among the nations
Like a (IK)vessel in which no one delights.
9 For they have gone up to (IL)Assyria,
Like (IM)a wild donkey all alone;
Ephraim has (IN)paid fees for [ci]lovers.
10 Even though they [cj]pay for allies among the nations,
I will (IO)gather them up now;
And they will begin (IP)to diminish
Because of the burden of the (IQ)king of officials.
11 Since Ephraim has (IR)multiplied altars for sin,
They have become altars of sinning for him.
12 Though (IS)I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My (IT)Law,
They are regarded as a strange thing.
13 As for My (IU)sacrificial gifts,
They (IV)sacrifice the flesh and eat it,
But the Lord has taken no delight in them.
Now He will (IW)remember their guilt,
And (IX)punish them for their sins;
They will return to (IY)Egypt.
14 For Israel has (IZ)forgotten his Maker and (JA)built palaces;
And Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
But I will send a (JB)fire on its cities, and it will consume its palatial buildings.
Ephraim Punished
9 (JC)Do not rejoice, Israel, [ck]with jubilation like the [cl]nations!
For you have (JD)been unfaithful, [cm]abandoning your God.
You have loved the earnings of unfaithfulness on [cn]every threshing floor.
2 Threshing floor and wine press will (JE)not feed them,
And the new wine will fail [co]them.
3 They will not remain in (JF)the Lord’s land,
But Ephraim will return to (JG)Egypt,
And in (JH)Assyria they will eat (JI)unclean food.
4 They will not pour out drink offerings of (JJ)wine to the Lord,
(JK)Nor will [cp]their sacrifices please Him.
Their bread will be to them like [cq]mourners’ bread;
All who eat it will be (JL)defiled,
Because their bread will be for [cr]themselves alone;
It will not enter the house of the Lord.
5 (JM)What will you do on the day of the appointed festival
And on the day of the (JN)feast of the Lord?
6 For behold, they will be gone because of destruction;
Egypt will gather them together, (JO)Memphis will bury them.
Weeds will take possession of their treasures of silver;
(JP)Thorns will be in their tents.
7 The days of (JQ)punishment have come,
The days of (JR)retribution have come;
[cs]Let Israel know this!
The prophet is a (JS)fool,
The [ct]inspired person is (JT)insane,
Because of the grossness of your (JU)wrongdoing,
And because your [cu]hostility is so great.
8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet;
Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways,
And there is only [cv]hostility in the house of his God.
9 They are (JV)deeply depraved
As in the days of (JW)Gibeah;
He will (JX)remember their guilt,
He will punish their sins.
10 I found Israel like (JY)grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your forefathers as the (JZ)earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season.
But they came to (KA)Baal-peor and devoted themselves to [cw](KB)shame,
And they became as (KC)detestable as that which they loved.
11 As for Ephraim, their (KD)glory will fly away like a bird—
No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!
12 Though they bring up their children,
Yet I will bereave them of their children [cx]until not a person is left.
Yes, (KE)woe to them indeed when I depart from them!
13 Ephraim, as I have seen,
Is planted in a pasture like (KF)Tyre;
But Ephraim is going to bring out his children for slaughter.
14 Give to them, Lord—what will You give?
Give them a (KG)miscarrying womb and dried-up breasts.
15 All their evil is at (KH)Gilgal;
Indeed, I came to hate them there!
Because of the (KI)wickedness of their deeds
I will drive them out of My house!
I will no longer love them;
All their leaders are (KJ)rebels.
16 (KK)Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up,
They will produce (KL)no fruit.
Even though they give birth to children,
I will put to death the (KM)precious ones of their womb.
17 My God will reject them
Because they have (KN)not listened to Him;
And they will be (KO)wanderers among the nations.
Retribution for Israel’s Sin
10 Israel is a luxuriant (KP)vine;
He produces fruit for himself.
The more his fruit,
The more altars he (KQ)made;
The [cy]richer his land,
The better [cz]he made the (KR)memorial stones.
2 Their heart is [da](KS)deceitful;
Now they must suffer for their (KT)guilt.
[db]The Lord will (KU)break down their altars
And destroy their memorial stones.
3 Certainly now they will say, “We have (KV)no king,
For we do not revere the Lord.
As for the king, what can he do for us?”
4 They speak mere words,
[dc]With (KW)worthless oaths they make covenants;
And (KX)judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria will fear
For the [dd](KY)calf of (KZ)Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn for it,
And its (LA)idolatrous priests [de]will cry out over it,
Over its (LB)glory, since it has left it.
6 The thing itself will be brought to (LC)Assyria
As a gift of tribute to [df](LD)King Jareb;
Ephraim will [dg]be (LE)seized with shame,
And Israel will be ashamed of its (LF)own plan.
7 Samaria will be (LG)destroyed with her king,
Like a twig on the surface of the water.
8 Also the (LH)high places of Aven, the (LI)sin of Israel, will be destroyed;
(LJ)Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars;
Then they will (LK)say to the mountains,
“Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel;
There they stand!
Will the battle against the sons of injustice not overtake them in Gibeah?
10 When it is My (LL)desire, I will [dh](LM)discipline them;
And (LN)the peoples will be gathered against them
When they are bound for their double guilt.
11 Ephraim is a trained (LO)heifer that loves to thresh,
[di]And I (LP)passed over her lovely neck;
I will harness Ephraim,
Judah will plow, Jacob will [dj]harrow for himself.
12 (LQ)Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness;
Harvest in accordance with [dk]kindness.
(LR)Break up your uncultivated ground,
For it is time to (LS)seek the Lord
Until He (LT)comes and (LU)rains righteousness on you.
13 You have (LV)plowed wickedness, you have harvested injustice,
You have eaten the fruit of (LW)lies.
Because you have trusted in your way, in your (LX)many warriors,
14 An uproar will arise among your people,
And all your (LY)fortresses will be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
When (LZ)mothers were [dl]slaughtered with their children.
15 So it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
God Yearns over His People
11 When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And (MA)out of Egypt I (MB)called My son.
2 The more [dm](MC)they called them,
The more they went away from [dn]them;
They kept (MD)sacrificing to the Baals
And (ME)burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
[do]I (MF)took them in My arms;
But they did not know that I (MG)healed them.
4 I (MH)pulled them along with cords of a man, with ropes of love,
And (MI)I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;
And I bent down and (MJ)fed them.
5 [dp]They will not return to the land of Egypt;
But Assyria—he will be [dq]their king
Because they (MK)refused to return to Me.
6 And the (ML)sword will whirl against [dr]their cities,
And will destroy [ds]their oracle priests
And (MM)consume them, because of their (MN)counsels.
7 So My people are determined to (MO)turn from Me.
Though [dt]they call [du]them to the One on high,
None at all exalts Him.
8 (MP)How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, Israel?
How can I [dv]make you like (MQ)Admah?
How can I treat you like (MR)Zeboiim?
My heart is turned over within Me,
[dw]All My compassions are kindled.
9 I will (MS)not carry out My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim (MT)again.
For (MU)I am God and not a man, the (MV)Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in [dx]wrath.
10 They will (MW)walk after the Lord,
He will (MX)roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar,
And His sons will come (MY)trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from (MZ)Egypt,
And like (NA)doves from the land of (NB)Assyria;
And I will (NC)settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.
12 [dy]Ephraim surrounds Me with (ND)lies
And the house of Israel with deceit;
[dz]Judah is still unruly against God,
Even against the Holy One who is faithful.
Ephraim Reminded
12 [ea]Ephraim feeds on (NE)wind,
And pursues the (NF)east wind continually;
He multiplies lies and violence.
Moreover, [eb]he makes a covenant with Assyria,
And oil is brought to Egypt.
2 The Lord also has a (NG)case against Judah,
And will punish Jacob (NH)according to his ways;
He will repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he (NI)took his brother by the heel,
And in his mature strength he (NJ)contended with God.
4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;
He wept and (NK)implored His favor.
He found Him at (NL)Bethel,
And there He spoke with us,
5 And the Lord, the God of armies,
The Lord is His [ec](NM)name.
6 So as for you, (NN)return to your God,
(NO)Maintain [ed]kindness and justice,
And (NP)wait for your God continually.
7 A [ee]merchant, in whose hands are fraudulent (NQ)balances,
Loves to exploit.
8 And Ephraim said, “I have certainly become (NR)rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors they will find in me
(NS)No wrongdoing, which would be sin.”
9 But I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt;
I will make you (NT)live in tents again,
As in the days of the appointed festival.
10 I have also spoken to the (NU)prophets,
And I [ef]provided many visions,
And through the prophets I spoke in (NV)parables.
11 Is there injustice in Gilead?
Certainly they are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
Yes, (NW)their altars are like stone heaps
Beside the furrows of a field.
12 Now (NX)Jacob fled to the [eg]land of Aram,
And (NY)Israel worked for a wife,
And for a wife he kept sheep.
13 But by a (NZ)prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
And by a prophet he was protected.
14 (OA)Ephraim has provoked God to bitter anger;
So his Lord will leave his (OB)guilt for bloodshed on him
And bring his (OC)disgrace back to him.
Ephraim’s Idolatry
13 (OD)When Ephraim [eh]spoke, there was trembling.
He (OE)exalted himself in Israel,
But through (OF)Baal he incurred guilt and died.
2 And now they sin more and more,
And make for themselves (OG)cast metal images,
Idols [ei](OH)skillfully made from their silver,
All of them the (OI)work of craftsmen.
They say of them, “Let the [ej]people who sacrifice kiss the (OJ)calves!”
3 Therefore they will be like the (OK)morning cloud
And like dew which [ek]soon disappears,
Like (OL)chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor,
And like (OM)smoke from a chimney.
4 Yet I have been the (ON)Lord your God
Since the land of Egypt;
And you were not to know (OO)any god except Me,
For there is no savior (OP)besides Me.
5 I [el](OQ)cared for you in the wilderness,
(OR)In the land of drought.
6 As they had their pasture, they became (OS)satisfied,
And as they became satisfied, their (OT)heart became proud;
Therefore they (OU)forgot Me.
7 So I will be (OV)like a lion to them;
Like a (OW)leopard I will [em]lie in wait by the wayside.
8 I will confront them (OX)like a bear deprived of her cubs,
And I will tear open [en]their chests;
I will also (OY)devour them there like a lioness,
As a wild animal would tear them to pieces.
9 [eo]It is to your own destruction, Israel,
That you are (OZ)against Me, against your (PA)help.
10 Where then is your (PB)king,
That he might save you in all your cities;
And your (PC)judges, to whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11 I (PD)gave you a king in My anger,
And (PE)took him away in My wrath.
12 The guilt of Ephraim is wrapped up;
His sin is (PF)stored up.
13 The pains of (PG)childbirth come on him;
He is (PH)not a wise son,
For [ep]it is not the time that he should (PI)delay at the opening of the womb.
14 Shall I (PJ)ransom them from the [eq]power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from death?
(PK)Death, where are your [er]thorns?
Sheol, where is your sting?
(PL)Compassion will be hidden from My sight.
15 Though he (PM)flourishes among the [es]reeds,
An (PN)east wind will come,
The wind of the Lord coming up from the wilderness;
And his fountain will (PO)become dry
And his spring will dry up;
It will (PP)plunder his treasury of every precious article.
16 [et]Samaria will pay the penalty for her (PQ)guilt,
Because she has (PR)rebelled against her God.
(PS)They will fall by the (PT)sword,
Their children will be [eu](PU)slaughtered,
And their pregnant (PV)women will be ripped open.
Israel’s Future Blessing
14 [ev](PW)Return, Israel, to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled [ew]because of your (PX)wrongdoing.
2 Take words with you and return to the Lord.
Say to Him, “(PY)Take away all guilt
And [ex]receive us graciously,
So that we may (PZ)present [ey]the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria will not save us,
We will (QA)not ride on horses;
Nor will we say again, ‘(QB)Our god’
To the (QC)work of our hands;
For in (QD)You the [ez]orphan finds mercy.”
4 I will (QE)heal their apostasy,
I will (QF)love them freely,
Because My anger has (QG)turned away from them.
5 I will be like the (QH)dew to Israel;
He will blossom like the (QI)lily,
And he will [fa]take root like the cedars of (QJ)Lebanon.
6 His shoots will [fb]sprout,
His [fc]majesty will be like the (QK)olive tree,
And his fragrance like the cedars of (QL)Lebanon.
7 Those who (QM)live in his shadow
Will [fd]again raise (QN)grain,
And they will blossom like the vine.
His fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with (QO)idols?
It is I who answer and look after [fe]you.
I am like a luxuriant (QP)juniper;
From (QQ)Me [ff]comes your fruit.
9 (QR)Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
Whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the (QS)ways of the Lord are right,
And the (QT)righteous will walk in them,
But (QU)wrongdoers will stumble in them.
Footnotes
- Hosea 1:2 Lit of infidelity; or fornication
- Hosea 1:2 Lit away from
- Hosea 1:4 Lit visit the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu
- Hosea 1:6 Lit He
- Hosea 1:6 I.e., not having obtained mercy
- Hosea 1:9 Lit He
- Hosea 1:9 I.e., not my people
- Hosea 1:9 Lit yours
- Hosea 1:10 Ch 2:1 in Heb
- Hosea 2:1 Ch 2:3 in Heb
- Hosea 2:1 I.e., my people
- Hosea 2:1 I.e., she has obtained compassion
- Hosea 2:6 As in some ancient versions; MT your
- Hosea 2:6 Lit her stone wall so that
- Hosea 2:8 Or made into the
- Hosea 2:9 Lit return and take My
- Hosea 2:9 Lit its time
- Hosea 2:10 Or shame
- Hosea 2:13 Or burn incense
- Hosea 2:14 Lit upon her heart
- Hosea 2:15 Lit Valley of Trouble
- Hosea 2:15 Or give answer
- Hosea 2:16 Heb Ishi
- Hosea 2:16 Also meaning husband in Heb, besides a name for false gods
- Hosea 2:17 Or remembered
- Hosea 2:18 Lit break
- Hosea 2:22 I.e., God sows
- Hosea 2:23 Heb Lo-ruhamah
- Hosea 2:23 Heb Lo-ammi
- Hosea 2:23 Lit he
- Hosea 3:1 I.e., Gomer
- Hosea 3:1 Lit companion
- Hosea 3:1 Used in idolatry
- Hosea 3:2 About 7.7 cubic feet or 0.22 cubic meters
- Hosea 3:2 About 3.8 cubic feet or 0.11 cubic meters
- Hosea 3:4 Heb teraphim
- Hosea 4:1 Or truth
- Hosea 4:1 Or kindness
- Hosea 4:2 I.e., of truth
- 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 I.e., either in population or wealth
- Hosea 4:11 Or Prostitution
- 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 4:16 Or The Lord will now pasture...field.
- Hosea 4:18 Another reading is They dearly love the shame of gifts
- Hosea 4:18 Lit shields
- Hosea 4:19 Or ashamed
- Hosea 5:2 Or slaughter
- Hosea 5:4 Or prostitution
- Hosea 5:7 Lit strange
- Hosea 5:7 Lit portions
- Hosea 5:11 Or with some ancient versions, nothingness
- Hosea 5:13 Or ulcer
- Hosea 5:13 Or another reading is the great king; or the contentious king
- Hosea 5:13 Or ulcer
- Hosea 5:15 Or suffer their punishment
- Hosea 6:1 Lit struck
- Hosea 6:5 Lit proceeds
- Hosea 6:6 Or take pleasure in
- Hosea 6:7 Or men
- Hosea 7:2 Lit say to their
- Hosea 7:4 Lit stirring up
- Hosea 7:5 I.e., a festive occasion
- Hosea 7:5 Or rebels
- Hosea 7:6 Lit ambush
- Hosea 7:6 As in some ancient versions; MT baker
- Hosea 7:6 Lit is asleep
- Hosea 7:8 Lit peoples
- Hosea 7:11 Lit heart
- Hosea 7:12 Lit report
- Hosea 7:14 Or LXX and many ancient mss gash themselves
- Hosea 7:16 Or possibly to the Most High
- Hosea 7:16 Lit cursing
- Hosea 8:1 Lit palate
- Hosea 8:4 Lit he
- Hosea 8:5 Or Your calf has rejected you
- Hosea 8:6 Or splinters
- Hosea 8:7 Lit growth
- Hosea 8:7 Or meal
- Hosea 8:9 Lit love gifts
- Hosea 8:10 Or recruit allies
- Hosea 9:1 Lit to
- Hosea 9:1 Lit peoples
- Hosea 9:1 Lit away from your God
- Hosea 9:1 Lit all threshing floors of grain
- Hosea 9:2 Lit her
- Hosea 9:4 Or they offer to Him their
- Hosea 9:4 Lit bread of mourning
- Hosea 9:4 Lit their soul
- Hosea 9:7 Or Israel will know this
- Hosea 9:7 Lit man of the spirit
- Hosea 9:7 Or persecution
- Hosea 9:8 Or persecution
- Hosea 9:10 I.e., Baal
- Hosea 9:12 Lit without a person
- Hosea 10:1 Lit better
- Hosea 10:1 Lit they
- Hosea 10:2 Lit slippery; or divided
- Hosea 10:2 Lit He
- Hosea 10:4 Or Swearing falsely in making a covenant
- Hosea 10:5 As in some ancient versions; MT calves
- Hosea 10:5 Or who used to rejoice over
- Hosea 10:6 Another reading is the great king; or the contentious king
- Hosea 10:6 Lit receive shame
- Hosea 10:10 Or instruct
- Hosea 10:11 Or But I put a yoke on her lovely
- Hosea 10:11 I.e., pull a harrow, a farming device
- Hosea 10:12 Or loyalty
- Hosea 10:14 Lit shattered
- Hosea 11:2 I.e., God’s prophets
- Hosea 11:2 I.e., God’s prophets
- Hosea 11:3 As in ancient versions; MT He...His
- Hosea 11:5 Lit He
- Hosea 11:5 Lit his
- Hosea 11:6 Lit his
- Hosea 11:6 Lit his
- Hosea 11:7 I.e., God’s prophets
- Hosea 11:7 Lit him; i.e., Israel
- Hosea 11:8 Lit give
- Hosea 11:8 Lit Together
- Hosea 11:9 Lit agitation
- Hosea 11:12 Ch 12:1 in Heb
- Hosea 11:12 Or But Judah still goes about with God, even with
- Hosea 12:1 Ch 12:2 in Heb
- Hosea 12:1 Lit they make
- Hosea 12:5 Lit invocation
- Hosea 12:6 Or loyalty
- Hosea 12:7 Or Canaanite
- Hosea 12:10 Lit multiplied the vision
- Hosea 12:12 Lit field
- Hosea 13:1 Or spoke with trembling, he exalted
- Hosea 13:2 Or according to their skill
- Hosea 13:2 Lit sacrificers of; or among mankind
- Hosea 13:3 Lit goes away early
- Hosea 13:5 Or knew
- Hosea 13:7 Or watch
- Hosea 13:8 Lit the enclosure of their heart
- Hosea 13:9 Lit It has destroyed you
- Hosea 13:13 Lit it is the time that he should not remain at the opening of children
- Hosea 13:14 Lit hand
- Hosea 13:14 Or stings
- Hosea 13:15 Another reading is brothers
- Hosea 13:16 Ch 14:1 in Heb
- Hosea 13:16 Lit shattered
- Hosea 14:1 Ch 14:2 in Heb
- Hosea 14:1 Or in
- Hosea 14:2 Or accept that which is good
- Hosea 14:2 As in ancient versions; MT our lips as bulls
- Hosea 14:3 Or fatherless
- Hosea 14:5 Lit strike his roots
- Hosea 14:6 Lit go
- Hosea 14:6 Lit splendor
- Hosea 14:7 Or return, they will raise grain
- Hosea 14:8 Lit him
- Hosea 14:8 Lit is found
Hosea 1-14
New International Version
Hosea 1-14
New International Version
1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah,(B) Jotham,(C) Ahaz(D) and Hezekiah,(E) kings of Judah,(F) and during the reign of Jeroboam(G) son of Jehoash[a] king of Israel:(H)
Hosea’s Wife and Children
2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous(I) woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness(J) to the Lord.” 3 So he married Gomer(K) daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel,(L) because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.(M)”
6 Gomer(N) conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”),(O) for I will no longer show love to Israel,(P) that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow,(Q) sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God,(R) will save them.”
8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah,(S) Gomer had another son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.[b](T)
10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted.(U) In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’(V) 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together;(W) they will appoint one leader(X) and will come up out of the land,(Y) for great will be the day of Jezreel.[c](Z)
2 [d]“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’(AA)
Israel Punished and Restored
2 “Rebuke your mother,(AB) rebuke her,
for she is not my wife,
and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the adulterous(AC) look from her face
and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
3 Otherwise I will strip(AD) her naked
and make her as bare as on the day she was born;(AE)
I will make her like a desert,(AF)
turn her into a parched land,
and slay her with thirst.
4 I will not show my love to her children,(AG)
because they are the children of adultery.(AH)
5 Their mother has been unfaithful
and has conceived them in disgrace.
She said, ‘I will go after my lovers,(AI)
who give me my food and my water,
my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’(AJ)
6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.(AK)
7 She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
she will look for them but not find them.(AL)
Then she will say,
‘I will go back to my husband(AM) as at first,(AN)
for then I was better off(AO) than now.’
8 She has not acknowledged(AP) that I was the one
who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil,(AQ)
who lavished on her the silver and gold(AR)—
which they used for Baal.(AS)
9 “Therefore I will take away my grain(AT) when it ripens,
and my new wine(AU) when it is ready.
I will take back my wool and my linen,
intended to cover her naked body.
10 So now I will expose(AV) her lewdness
before the eyes of her lovers;(AW)
no one will take her out of my hands.(AX)
11 I will stop(AY) all her celebrations:(AZ)
her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals.(BA)
12 I will ruin her vines(BB) and her fig trees,(BC)
which she said were her pay from her lovers;(BD)
I will make them a thicket,(BE)
and wild animals will devour them.(BF)
13 I will punish her for the days
she burned incense(BG) to the Baals;(BH)
she decked herself with rings and jewelry,(BI)
and went after her lovers,(BJ)
but me she forgot,(BK)”
declares the Lord.(BL)
14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness(BM)
and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor[e](BN) a door of hope.
There she will respond[f](BO) as in the days of her youth,(BP)
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.(BQ)
16 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“you will call me ‘my husband’;(BR)
you will no longer call me ‘my master.[g]’
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;(BS)
no longer will their names be invoked.(BT)
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the creatures that move along the ground.(BU)
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish(BV) from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety.(BW)
19 I will betroth(BX) you to me forever;
I will betroth you in[h] righteousness and justice,(BY)
in[i] love and compassion.(BZ)
20 I will betroth you in[j] faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge(CA) the Lord.(CB)
21 “In that day I will respond,”
declares the Lord—
“I will respond(CC) to the skies,
and they will respond to the earth;
22 and the earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine and the olive oil,(CD)
and they will respond to Jezreel.[k](CE)
23 I will plant(CF) her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.[l](CG)’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,[m]’ ‘You are my people’;(CH)
and they will say, ‘You are my God.(CI)’”
Hosea’s Reconciliation With His Wife
3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.(CJ) Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.(CK)”
2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels[n] of silver and about a homer and a lethek[o] of barley. 3 Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”
4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince,(CL) without sacrifice(CM) or sacred stones,(CN) without ephod(CO) or household gods.(CP) 5 Afterward the Israelites will return and seek(CQ) the Lord their God and David their king.(CR) They will come trembling(CS) to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.(CT)
The Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge(CU) to bring
against you who live in the land:(CV)
“There is no faithfulness,(CW) no love,
no acknowledgment(CX) of God in the land.(CY)
2 There is only cursing,[p] lying(CZ) and murder,(DA)
stealing(DB) and adultery;(DC)
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.(DD)
3 Because of this the land dries up,(DE)
and all who live in it waste away;(DF)
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.(DG)
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.(DH)
5 You stumble(DI) day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother(DJ)—
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.(DK)
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law(DL) 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[q](DM) for something disgraceful.(DN)
8 They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.(DO)
9 And it will be: Like people, like priests.(DP)
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.(DQ)
10 “They will eat but not have enough;(DR)
they will engage in prostitution(DS) but not flourish,
because they have deserted(DT) the Lord
to give themselves 11 to prostitution;(DU)
old wine(DV) and new wine
take away their understanding.(DW)
12 My people consult a wooden idol,(DX)
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.(DY)
A spirit of prostitution(DZ) leads them astray;(EA)
they are unfaithful(EB) to their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,(EC) poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.(ED)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution(EE)
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.(EF)
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(EG)
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes(EH)—
a people without understanding(EI) will come to ruin!(EJ)
15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;(EK)
do not go up to Beth Aven.[r](EL)
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’(EM)
16 The Israelites are stubborn,(EN)
like a stubborn heifer.(EO)
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs(EP) 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(EQ) will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.(ER)
Judgment Against Israel
5 “Hear this, you priests!
Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
This judgment(ES) is against you:
You have been a snare(ET) at Mizpah,
a net(EU) spread out on Tabor.
2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.(EV)
I will discipline all of them.(EW)
3 I know all about Ephraim;
Israel is not hidden(EX) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
Israel is corrupt.(EY)
4 “Their deeds do not permit them
to return(EZ) to their God.
A spirit of prostitution(FA) is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge(FB) the Lord.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies(FC) against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(FD) in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.(FE)
6 When they go with their flocks and herds
to seek the Lord,(FF)
they will not find him;
he has withdrawn(FG) himself from them.
7 They are unfaithful(FH) to the Lord;
they give birth to illegitimate(FI) children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,(FJ)
he will devour[s](FK) their fields.
8 “Sound the trumpet(FL) in Gibeah,(FM)
the horn in Ramah.(FN)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven[t];(FO)
lead on, Benjamin.
9 Ephraim will be laid waste(FP)
on the day of reckoning.(FQ)
Among the tribes of Israel
I proclaim what is certain.(FR)
10 Judah’s leaders are like those
who move boundary stones.(FS)
I will pour out my wrath(FT) on them
like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
trampled in judgment,
intent on pursuing idols.[u](FU)
12 I am like a moth(FV) to Ephraim,
like rot(FW) to the people of Judah.
13 “When Ephraim(FX) saw his sickness,
and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria,(FY)
and sent to the great king for help.(FZ)
But he is not able to cure(GA) you,
not able to heal your sores.(GB)
14 For I will be like a lion(GC) to Ephraim,
like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces(GD) and go away;
I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.(GE)
15 Then I will return to my lair(GF)
until they have borne their guilt(GG)
and seek my face(GH)—
in their misery(GI)
they will earnestly seek me.(GJ)”
Israel Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us return(GK) to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces(GL)
but he will heal us;(GM)
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.(GN)
2 After two days he will revive us;(GO)
on the third day(GP) he will restore(GQ) 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,(GR)
like the spring rains that water the earth.(GS)”
4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim?(GT)
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.(GU)
5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth(GV)—
then my judgments go forth like the sun.[v](GW)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(GX)
and acknowledgment(GY) of God rather than burnt offerings.(GZ)
7 As at Adam,[w] they have broken the covenant;(HA)
they were unfaithful(HB) to me there.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,(HC)
stained with footprints of blood.
9 As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,(HD)
so do bands of priests;
they murder(HE) on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes.(HF)
10 I have seen a horrible(HG) thing in Israel:
There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
Israel is defiled.(HH)
11 “Also for you, Judah,
a harvest(HI) is appointed.
“Whenever I would restore the fortunes(HJ) of my people,
7 1 whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.(HK)
They practice deceit,(HL)
thieves break into houses,(HM)
bandits rob in the streets;(HN)
2 but they do not realize
that I remember(HO) all their evil deeds.(HP)
Their sins engulf them;(HQ)
they are always before me.
3 “They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.(HR)
4 They are all adulterers,(HS)
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5 On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,(HT)
and he joins hands with the mockers.(HU)
6 Their hearts are like an oven;(HV)
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,(HW)
and none of them calls(HX) on me.
8 “Ephraim mixes(HY) with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9 Foreigners sap his strength,(HZ)
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,(IA)
but despite all this
he does not return(IB) to the Lord his God
or search(IC) for him.
11 “Ephraim is like a dove,(ID)
easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,(IE)
now turning to Assyria.(IF)
12 When they go, I will throw my net(IG) over them;
I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13 Woe(IH) to them,
because they have strayed(II) from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak about me(IJ) falsely.(IK)
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts(IL)
but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[x] appealing to their gods
for grain and new wine,(IM)
but they turn away from me.(IN)
15 I trained(IO) them and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil(IP) against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;(IQ)
they are like a faulty bow.(IR)
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent(IS) words.
For this they will be ridiculed(IT)
in the land of Egypt.(IU)
Israel to Reap the Whirlwind
8 “Put the trumpet(IV) to your lips!
An eagle(IW) is over the house of the Lord
because the people have broken my covenant(IX)
and rebelled against my law.(IY)
2 Israel cries out to me,
‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3 But Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.(IZ)
4 They set up kings without my consent;
they choose princes without my approval.(JA)
With their silver and gold
they make idols(JB) for themselves
to their own destruction.
5 Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!(JC)
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?(JD)
6 They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
it is not God.(JE)
It will be broken in pieces,
that calf(JF) of Samaria.(JG)
7 “They sow the wind
and reap the whirlwind.(JH)
The stalk has no head;
it will produce no flour.(JI)
Were it to yield grain,
foreigners would swallow it up.(JJ)
8 Israel is swallowed up;(JK)
now she is among the nations
like something no one wants.(JL)
9 For they have gone up to Assyria(JM)
like a wild donkey(JN) wandering alone.
Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.(JO)
10 Although they have sold themselves among the nations,
I will now gather them together.(JP)
They will begin to waste away(JQ)
under the oppression of the mighty king.
11 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
these have become altars for sinning.(JR)
12 I wrote for them the many things of my law,
but they regarded them as something foreign.(JS)
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me,
and though they eat(JT) the meat,
the Lord is not pleased with them.(JU)
Now he will remember(JV) their wickedness
and punish their sins:(JW)
They will return to Egypt.(JX)
14 Israel has forgotten(JY) their Maker(JZ)
and built palaces;
Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire on their cities
that will consume their fortresses.”(KA)
Punishment for Israel
9 Do not rejoice, Israel;
do not be jubilant(KB) like the other nations.
For you have been unfaithful(KC) to your God;
you love the wages of a prostitute(KD)
at every threshing floor.
2 Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people;
the new wine(KE) will fail them.
3 They will not remain(KF) in the Lord’s land;
Ephraim will return to Egypt(KG)
and eat unclean food in Assyria.(KH)
4 They will not pour out wine offerings(KI) to the Lord,
nor will their sacrifices please(KJ) him.
Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners;(KK)
all who eat them will be unclean.(KL)
This food will be for themselves;
it will not come into the temple of the Lord.(KM)
5 What will you do(KN) on the day of your appointed festivals,(KO)
on the feast days of the Lord?
6 Even if they escape from destruction,
Egypt will gather them,(KP)
and Memphis(KQ) will bury them.(KR)
Their treasures of silver(KS) will be taken over by briers,
and thorns(KT) will overrun their tents.
7 The days of punishment(KU) are coming,
the days of reckoning(KV) are at hand.
Let Israel know this.
Because your sins(KW) are so many
and your hostility so great,
the prophet is considered a fool,(KX)
the inspired person a maniac.(KY)
8 The prophet, along with my God,
is the watchman over Ephraim,[y]
yet snares(KZ) await him on all his paths,
and hostility in the house of his God.(LA)
9 They have sunk deep into corruption,(LB)
as in the days of Gibeah.(LC)
God will remember(LD) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.(LE)
10 “When I found Israel,
it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
it was like seeing the early fruit(LF) on the fig(LG) tree.
But when they came to Baal Peor,(LH)
they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol(LI)
and became as vile as the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim’s glory(LJ) will fly away like a bird(LK)—
no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.(LL)
12 Even if they rear children,
I will bereave(LM) them of every one.
Woe(LN) to them
when I turn away from them!(LO)
13 I have seen Ephraim,(LP) like Tyre,
planted in a pleasant place.(LQ)
But Ephraim will bring out
their children to the slayer.”(LR)
14 Give them, Lord—
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that are dry.(LS)
15 “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,(LT)
I hated them there.
Because of their sinful deeds,(LU)
I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;(LV)
all their leaders are rebellious.(LW)
16 Ephraim(LX) is blighted,
their root is withered,
they yield no fruit.(LY)
Even if they bear children,
I will slay(LZ) their cherished offspring.”
17 My God will reject(MA) them
because they have not obeyed(MB) him;
they will be wanderers among the nations.(MC)
10 Israel was a spreading vine;(MD)
he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
he built more altars;(ME)
as his land prospered,(MF)
he adorned his sacred stones.(MG)
2 Their heart is deceitful,(MH)
and now they must bear their guilt.(MI)
The Lord will demolish their altars(MJ)
and destroy their sacred stones.(MK)
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
because we did not revere the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
what could he do for us?”
4 They make many promises,
take false oaths(ML)
and make agreements;(MM)
therefore lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds(MN) in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear
for the calf-idol(MO) of Beth Aven.[z](MP)
Its people will mourn over it,
and so will its idolatrous priests,(MQ)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
because it is taken from them into exile.(MR)
6 It will be carried to Assyria(MS)
as tribute(MT) for the great king.(MU)
Ephraim will be disgraced;(MV)
Israel will be ashamed(MW) of its foreign alliances.
7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed,(MX)
swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places(MY) of wickedness[aa](MZ) will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns(NA) and thistles will grow up
and cover their altars.(NB)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”(NC)
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”(ND)
9 “Since the days of Gibeah,(NE) you have sinned,(NF) Israel,
and there you have remained.[ab]
Will not war again overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish(NG) them;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke(NH)
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow(NI) righteousness(NJ) for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;(NK)
for it is time to seek(NL) the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness(NM) on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,(NN)
you have eaten the fruit of deception.(NO)
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,(NP)
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated(NQ)—
as Shalman(NR) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.(NS)
15 So will it happen to you, Bethel,
because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.(NT)
God’s Love for Israel
11 “When Israel was a child,(NU) I loved(NV) him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.(NW)
2 But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.[ac](NX)
They sacrificed to the Baals(NY)
and they burned incense to images.(NZ)
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;(OA)
but they did not realize
it was I who healed(OB) them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.(OC)
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed(OD) them.(OE)
5 “Will they not return to Egypt(OF)
and will not Assyria(OG) rule over them
because they refuse to repent?(OH)
6 A sword(OI) will flash in their cities;
it will devour(OJ) their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn(OK) from me.(OL)
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.
8 “How can I give you up,(OM) Ephraim?(ON)
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?(OO)
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion(OP) is aroused.(OQ)
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,(OR)
nor will I devastate(OS) Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man(OT)—
the Holy One(OU) among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the Lord;
he will roar(OV) like a lion.(OW)
When he roars,
his children will come trembling(OX) from the west.(OY)
11 They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria,(OZ) fluttering like doves.(PA)
I will settle them in their homes,”(PB)
declares the Lord.
Israel’s Sin
12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,(PC)
Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
even against the faithful(PD) Holy One.[ad](PE)
12 [ae]1 Ephraim(PF) feeds on the wind;(PG)
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.(PH)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(PI)
and sends olive oil to Egypt.(PJ)
2 The Lord has a charge(PK) to bring against Judah;(PL)
he will punish(PM) Jacob[af] according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.(PN)
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(PO)
as a man he struggled(PP) with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(PQ)
and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is his name!(PR)
6 But you must return(PS) to your God;
maintain love and justice,(PT)
and wait for your God always.(PU)
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales(PV)
and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,(PW)
“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(PX)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
any iniquity or sin.”
9 “I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt;(PY)
I will make you live in tents(PZ) again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables(QA) through them.”(QB)
11 Is Gilead wicked?(QC)
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(QD)
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.(QE)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[ag];(QF)
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.(QG)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(QH)
by a prophet he cared for him.(QI)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(QJ)
and will repay him for his contempt.(QK)
The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;(QL)
he was exalted(QM) in Israel.
But he became guilty of Baal worship(QN) and died.
2 Now they sin more and more;
they make(QO) idols for themselves from their silver,(QP)
cleverly fashioned images,
all of them the work of craftsmen.(QQ)
It is said of these people,
“They offer human sacrifices!
They kiss[ah](QR) calf-idols!(QS)”
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears,(QT)
like chaff(QU) swirling from a threshing floor,(QV)
like smoke(QW) escaping through a window.
4 “But I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.(QX)
You shall acknowledge(QY) no God but me,(QZ)
no Savior(RA) except me.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness,(RB)
in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;(RC)
then they forgot(RD) me.(RE)
7 So I will be like a lion(RF) to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs,(RG)
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion(RH) I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart.(RI)
9 “You are destroyed, Israel,
because you are against me,(RJ) against your helper.(RK)
10 Where is your king,(RL) that he may save you?
Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?(RM)
11 So in my anger I gave you a king,(RN)
and in my wrath I took him away.(RO)
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
his sins are kept on record.(RP)
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth(RQ) come to him,
but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time(RR) arrives,
he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.(RS)
14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;(RT)
I will redeem them from death.(RU)
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?(RV)
“I will have no compassion,
15 even though he thrives(RW) among his brothers.
An east wind(RX) from the Lord will come,
blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
and his well dry up.(RY)
His storehouse will be plundered(RZ)
of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria(SA) must bear their guilt,(SB)
because they have rebelled(SC) against their God.
They will fall by the sword;(SD)
their little ones will be dashed(SE) to the ground,
their pregnant women(SF) ripped open.”[ai]
Repentance to Bring Blessing
14 [aj]Return,(SG) Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins(SH) have been your downfall!(SI)
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive(SJ) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(SK)
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[ak](SL)
3 Assyria cannot save us;(SM)
we will not mount warhorses.(SN)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(SO)
to what our own hands have made,(SP)
for in you the fatherless(SQ) find compassion.”
4 “I will heal(SR) their waywardness(SS)
and love them freely,(ST)
for my anger has turned away(SU) from them.
5 I will be like the dew(SV) to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.(SW)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(SX)
he will send down his roots;(SY)
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(SZ)
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(TA)
7 People will dwell again in his shade;(TB)
they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(TC) like the vine—
Israel’s fame will be like the wine(TD) of Lebanon.(TE)
8 Ephraim, what more have I[al] to do with idols?(TF)
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(TG)
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
- Hosea 1:9 Or your I am
- Hosea 1:11 In Hebrew texts 1:10,11 is numbered 2:1,2.
- Hosea 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-23 is numbered 2:3-25.
- Hosea 2:15 Achor means trouble.
- Hosea 2:15 Or sing
- Hosea 2:16 Hebrew baal
- Hosea 2:19 Or with
- Hosea 2:19 Or with
- Hosea 2:20 Or with
- Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God plants.
- Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah (see 1:6)
- Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ammi (see 1:9)
- Hosea 3:2 That is, about 6 ounces or about 170 grams
- Hosea 3:2 A homer and a lethek possibly weighed about 430 pounds or about 195 kilograms.
- 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 5:7 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 6:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Hosea 6:7 Or Like Adam; or Like human beings
- Hosea 7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together
- Hosea 9:8 Or The prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, / the people of my God
- Hosea 10:5 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 10:8 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see verse 5.
- Hosea 10:9 Or there a stand was taken
- Hosea 11:2 Septuagint; Hebrew them
- Hosea 11:12 In Hebrew texts this verse (11:12) is numbered 12:1.
- Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
- Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
- Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Hosea 13:2 Or “Men who sacrifice / kiss
- Hosea 13:16 In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.
- Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
- Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
- Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim
Joel 1-3
New American Standard Bible
Joel 1-3
New American Standard Bible
The Devastation by Locusts
1 The (A)word of the Lord that came to (B)Joel, the son of Pethuel:
2 (C)Hear this, you (D)elders,
And listen, all inhabitants of the land.
(E)Has anything like this happened in your days,
Or in your fathers’ days?
3 (F)Tell your sons about it,
And have your sons tell their sons,
And their sons the next generation.
4 What the (G)gnawing locust has left, the [a]swarming locust has eaten;
And what the (H)swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the (I)stripping locust has eaten.
5 Awake, (J)you heavy drinkers, and weep;
And wail, all you wine drinkers,
Because of the sweet wine,
For it has been (K)eliminated from your mouth.
6 For a (L)nation has [b]invaded my land,
Mighty and without number;
(M)Its teeth are the teeth of a lion,
And it has the jaws of a lioness.
7 It has (N)made my vine a waste
And my fig tree a stump.
It has stripped them bare and hurled them away;
Their branches have become white.
8 (O)Wail like a virgin (P)clothed with sackcloth
For the groom of her youth.
9 The (Q)grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off
From the house of the Lord.
The (R)priests mourn,
The ministers of the Lord.
10 The field is (S)ruined,
(T)The land mourns;
For the grain is ruined,
The new wine has dried up,
Fresh oil has [c]failed.
11 (U)Be ashamed, you farm workers,
Wail, you vinedressers,
For the wheat and the barley;
Because the (V)harvest of the field is destroyed.
12 The (W)vine has dried up
And the fig tree has withered;
The (X)pomegranate, the (Y)palm also, and the (Z)apple tree,
All the trees of the field have dried up.
Indeed, (AA)joy has dried up
From the sons of mankind.
13 (AB)Put on sackcloth
And mourn, you priests;
(AC)Wail, you ministers of the altar!
Come, (AD)spend the night in sackcloth,
You ministers of my God,
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Have been withheld from the house of your God.
Starvation and Drought
14 (AE)Consecrate a fast,
Proclaim a (AF)solemn assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
To the house of the Lord your God,
And (AG)cry out to the Lord.
15 (AH)Woe for the day!
For the (AI)day of the Lord is near,
And it will come as (AJ)destruction from the [d]Almighty.
16 Has (AK)food not been cut off before our eyes, and
Joy and (AL)rejoicing from the house of our God?
17 The [e](AM)seeds have dried up under their shovels;
The storehouses have become desolate,
The grain silos are ruined,
Because the grain has dried up.
18 How (AN)the animals have groaned!
The herds of cattle have wandered aimlessly
Because there is no pasture for them;
Even the flocks of sheep have [f]suffered.
19 (AO)To You, Lord, I cry out;
For (AP)fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the animals of the field [g](AQ)pant for You;
For the (AR)stream beds of water are dried up,
And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
The Terrible Visitation
2 (AS)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the (AT)day of the Lord is coming;
Indeed, it is near,
2 A day of (AU)darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a (AV)great and mighty people;
There has (AW)never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
3 A (AX)fire consumes before them,
And behind them a flame devours.
The land is (AY)like the Garden of Eden before them,
But a (AZ)desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their (BA)appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
5 [h]With a (BB)noise as of chariots
They leap about on the tops of the mountains,
Like the [i]crackling of a (BC)flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people drawn up for battle.
6 Before them the people are in (BD)anguish;
All (BE)faces [j]turn pale.
7 They run like warriors,
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And each of them (BF)marches [k]in line,
Nor do they lose their way.
8 They do not crowd each other,
Every warrior of them marches in his path;
When they [l]burst through the [m]defenses,
They do not break ranks.
9 They storm the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the (BG)houses,
They (BH)enter through the windows like a thief.
10 Before them the earth (BI)quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The (BJ)sun and the moon become dark,
And the stars lose their brightness.
11 The Lord (BK)utters His voice before (BL)His army;
His camp is indeed very great,
For (BM)mighty is one who carries out His word.
The (BN)day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome,
And (BO)who can endure it?
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“(BP)Return to Me with all your heart,
And with (BQ)fasting, weeping, and mourning;
13 And (BR)tear your heart and not merely (BS)your garments.”
Now return to the Lord your God,
For He is (BT)gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in mercy
And (BU)relenting of catastrophe.
14 Who knows, (BV)He might turn and relent,
And leave a (BW)blessing behind Him,
Resulting in (BX)a grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God.
15 (BY)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
(BZ)Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
16 Gather the people, (CA)sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Have the (CB)groom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
17 Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
Weep (CC)between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “[n](CD)Spare Your people, Lord,
And do not make Your inheritance a (CE)disgrace,
With the nations jeering at them.
Why should those among the peoples say,
‘(CF)Where is their God?’”
Deliverance Promised
18 Then the Lord [o]will be (CG)zealous for His land,
And [p]will have (CH)compassion for His people.
19 The Lord [q]will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I am going to (CI)send you grain, new wine, and oil,
And you will be satisfied in full with [r]them;
And I will (CJ)never again make you a disgrace among the nations.
20 But I will remove the (CK)northern army far from you,
And I will drive it into a dry and desolate land,
Its advance guard into the (CL)eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the (CM)western sea.
And its (CN)stench will ascend and its odor of decay will come up,
Because it has done great things.”
21 (CO)Do not fear, land; shout for joy and rejoice,
For the Lord has done (CP)great things.
22 Do not fear, animals of the field,
For the (CQ)pastures of the wilderness have turned green,
For the tree has produced its fruit,
The fig tree and the vine have yielded [s]in full.
23 So shout for joy, you (CR)sons of Zion,
And (CS)rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has (CT)given you [t]the early rain for your vindication.
And He has brought down for you the rain,
The [u]early and [v](CU)latter rain [w]as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,
And the vats will (CV)overflow with the new wine and oil.
25 “Then I will compensate you for the years
That the [x]swarming (CW)locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust—
My great army which I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to (CX)eat and be satisfied,
And you will (CY)praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has (CZ)dealt wondrously with you;
Then My people will (DA)never be put to shame.
27 So you will (DB)know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am the Lord your God
And there is (DC)no other;
And My people will never be (DD)put to shame.
The Promise of the Spirit
28 “[y](DE)It will come about after this
That I will (DF)pour out My Spirit on all [z](DG)mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will have dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
29 And even on the (DH)male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
The Day of the Lord
30 I will [aa](DI)display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The (DJ)sun will be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the (DK)great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
32 And it will come about that (DL)everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
Will [ab]be saved;
For (DM)on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who (DN)escape,
Just as the Lord has said,
Even among the (DO)survivors whom the Lord calls.
The Nations Will Be Judged
3 “[ac]For behold, (DP)in those days and at that time,
When I (DQ)restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will (DR)gather all the nations
And bring them down to the (DS)Valley of [ad]Jehoshaphat.
Then I will (DT)enter into judgment with them there
On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have (DU)scattered among the nations;
And they have (DV)divided up My land.
3 They have also (DW)cast lots for My people,
[ae](DX)Traded a boy for a prostitute,
And sold a girl for wine so that they may drink.
4 Moreover, what are you to Me, (DY)Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of (DZ)Philistia? Are you repaying Me with retribution? But if you are showing Me retribution, swiftly and speedily I will (EA)return your retribution on your head! 5 Since you have (EB)taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious [af]treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the (EC)sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the [ag]Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory, 7 behold, I am going to (ED)stir them up from the place where you have sold them, and return your retribution on your head. 8 I will also (EE)sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the (EF)Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for the Lord has spoken.
9 (EG)Proclaim this among the nations:
(EH)Prepare for holy war; (EI)stir up the warriors!
Have all the soldiers come forward, have them come up!
10 (EJ)Beat your plowshares into swords,
And your pruning hooks into spears;
(EK)Let the weak man say, “I am a warrior.”
11 [ah](EL)Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there.
Bring down, Lord, Your (EM)warriors.
12 Let the nations be awakened
And come up to the (EN)Valley of [ai]Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to (EO)judge
All the surrounding nations.
13 (EP)Put in the sickle, for the (EQ)harvest is ripe.
Come, (ER)tread the grapes, for the (ES)wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their (ET)wickedness is great.
14 (EU)Multitudes, multitudes in the (EV)valley of [aj]decision!
For the (EW)day of the Lord is near in the valley of [ak]decision.
15 The (EX)sun and moon have become dark,
And the stars have lost their brightness.
16 The Lord (EY)roars from Zion
And (EZ)utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the (FA)heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a (FB)refuge for His people,
And a (FC)stronghold for the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will (FD)know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling on Zion, My (FE)holy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be (FF)holy,
And (FG)strangers will no longer pass through it.
Judah Will Be Blessed
18 And on that day
The (FH)mountains will drip with [al]sweet wine,
And the hills will (FI)flow with milk,
And all the (FJ)brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a (FK)spring will go out from the house of the Lord
And water the Valley of [am]Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a wasteland,
And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the (FL)violence [an]done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be (FM)inhabited forever,
And Jerusalem for all generations.
21 And I will (FN)avenge their blood which I have not avenged,
For the Lord dwells in Zion.
Footnotes
- Joel 1:4 Or migratory
- Joel 1:6 Lit gone up against
- Joel 1:10 Lit dried out
- Joel 1:15 Heb Shaddai
- Joel 1:17 Or dried figs
- Joel 1:18 Lit suffered punishment
- Joel 1:20 Or long for
- Joel 2:5 Lit Like the noise of chariots
- Joel 2:5 Lit sound
- Joel 2:6 Or become flushed
- Joel 2:7 Lit in his ways
- Joel 2:8 Lit fall
- Joel 2:8 Lit weapon, prob. javelin
- Joel 2:17 Or Look compassionately on
- Joel 2:18 Or was zealous
- Joel 2:18 Or had compassion
- Joel 2:19 Or answered and said
- Joel 2:19 Lit it
- Joel 2:22 Lit their wealth
- Joel 2:23 I.e., autumn; or possibly the teacher for righteousness
- Joel 2:23 I.e., autumn
- Joel 2:23 I.e., spring
- Joel 2:23 As in ancient versions; MT in the first
- Joel 2:25 Or migratory
- Joel 2:28 Ch 3:1 in Heb
- Joel 2:28 Lit flesh
- Joel 2:30 Lit give
- Joel 2:32 Or flee to safety
- Joel 3:1 Ch 4:1 in Heb
- Joel 3:2 I.e., YHWH judges
- Joel 3:3 Lit Given
- Joel 3:5 Lit goodly things
- Joel 3:6 Lit sons of Javan
- Joel 3:11 Or Come help
- Joel 3:12 I.e., YHWH judges
- Joel 3:14 I.e., God’s verdict
- Joel 3:14 I.e., God’s verdict
- Joel 3:18 Lit freshly pressed-out grape juice
- Joel 3:18 Or acacias
- Joel 3:19 Lit of the sons
Joel 1-2
New International Version
Joel 1-2
New International Version
1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Joel(B) son of Pethuel.
An Invasion of Locusts
2 Hear this,(C) you elders;(D)
listen, all who live in the land.(E)
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?(F)
3 Tell it to your children,(G)
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.(H)
4 What the locust(I) swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left(J)
other locusts[a] have eaten.(K)
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;(L)
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched(M) from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;(N)
it has the teeth(O) of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste(P) my vines
and ruined my fig trees.(Q)
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth(R)
grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings(S)
are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,(T)
those who minister before the Lord.
10 The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;(U)
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine(V) is dried up,
the olive oil fails.(W)
11 Despair, you farmers,(X)
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,(Y)
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.(Z)
12 The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;(AA)
the pomegranate,(AB) the palm and the apple[b] tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.(AC)
Surely the people’s joy
is withered away.
A Call to Lamentation
13 Put on sackcloth,(AD) you priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister(AE) before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings(AF)
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast;(AG)
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land(AH)
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out(AI) to the Lord.(AJ)
15 Alas for that(AK) day!
For the day of the Lord(AL) is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[c](AM)
16 Has not the food been cut off(AN)
before our very eyes—
joy and gladness(AO)
from the house of our God?(AP)
17 The seeds are shriveled
beneath the clods.[d](AQ)
The storehouses are in ruins,
the granaries have been broken down,
for the grain has dried up.
18 How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;(AR)
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.(AS)
19 To you, Lord, I call,(AT)
for fire(AU) has devoured the pastures(AV) in the wilderness
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you;(AW)
the streams of water have dried up(AX)
and fire has devoured the pastures(AY) in the wilderness.
An Army of Locusts
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord(BC) is coming.
It is close at hand(BD)—
2 a day of darkness(BE) and gloom,(BF)
a day of clouds(BG) and blackness.(BH)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army(BI) comes,
such as never was in ancient times(BJ)
nor ever will be in ages to come.
3 Before them fire(BK) devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,(BL)
behind them, a desert waste(BM)—
nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses;(BN)
they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With a noise like that of chariots(BO)
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire(BP) consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;(BQ)
every face turns pale.(BR)
7 They charge like warriors;(BS)
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,(BT)
not swerving(BU) from their course.
8 They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.
9 They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;(BV)
like thieves they enter through the windows.(BW)
10 Before them the earth shakes,(BX)
the heavens tremble,(BY)
the sun and moon are darkened,(BZ)
and the stars no longer shine.(CA)
11 The Lord(CB) thunders(CC)
at the head of his army;(CD)
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;(CE)
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?(CF)
Rend Your Heart
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return(CG) to me with all your heart,(CH)
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart(CI)
and not your garments.(CJ)
Return(CK) to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,(CL)
slow to anger and abounding in love,(CM)
and he relents from sending calamity.(CN)
14 Who knows? He may turn(CO) and relent(CP)
and leave behind a blessing(CQ)—
grain offerings and drink offerings(CR)
for the Lord your God.
15 Blow the trumpet(CS) in Zion,(CT)
declare a holy fast,(CU)
call a sacred assembly.(CV)
16 Gather the people,
consecrate(CW) the assembly;
bring together the elders,(CX)
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom(CY) leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister(CZ) before the Lord,
weep(DA) between the portico and the altar.(DB)
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,(DC)
a byword(DD) among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?(DE)’”
The Lord’s Answer
19 The Lord replied[e] to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine(DH) and olive oil,(DI)
enough to satisfy you fully;(DJ)
never again will I make you
an object of scorn(DK) to the nations.
20 “I will drive the northern horde(DL) far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench(DM) will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things!
Amos 1-9
New American Standard Bible
Amos 1-9
New American Standard Bible
Judgment on Neighbor Nations
1 The words of Amos, who was among the (A)sheepherders from (B)Tekoa, which he saw in visions concerning Israel in the days of (C)Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of (D)Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the (E)earthquake.
2 And he said,
“The (F)Lord roars from Zion,
And from Jerusalem He utters His voice;
And the shepherds’ (G)pasture grounds mourn,
And the [a](H)summit of Carmel dries up.”
3 This is what the Lord says:
“For (I)three offenses of (J)Damascus, and for four,
I will not [b]revoke its punishment,
Because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.
4 So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael,
And it will consume the citadels of (K)Ben-hadad.
5 I will also (L)break the gate bar of Damascus,
And eliminate every inhabitant from the [c]Valley of Aven,
As well as him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden;
So the people of Aram will be exiled to (M)Kir,”
Says the Lord.
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of (N)Gaza, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they led into exile an entire population
To (O)turn them over to Edom.
7 So I will send fire on the wall of Gaza
And it will consume her citadels.
8 I will also eliminate every inhabitant from (P)Ashdod,
As well as him who holds the scepter, from (Q)Ashkelon;
And I will direct My [d]power against Ekron,
And the remnant of the (R)Philistines will perish,”
Says the Lord [e]God.
9 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of (S)Tyre, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they turned an entire population over to Edom
And did not remember the covenant of [f](T)brotherhood.
10 So I will (U)send fire on the wall of Tyre,
And it will consume her citadels.”
11 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of (V)Edom, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because he (W)pursued his brother with the sword
And stifled his compassion;
His anger also (X)tore continually,
And he maintained his fury forever.
12 So I will send fire upon (Y)Teman
And it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.”
13 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of the sons of (Z)Ammon, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they (AA)ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead
In order to (AB)enlarge their borders.
14 So I will kindle a fire on the wall of (AC)Rabbah,
And it will consume her citadels
Amid [g](AD)war cries on the day of battle,
And amid a (AE)storm on the day of tempest.
15 Their (AF)king will go into exile,
He and his princes together,” says the Lord.
Judgment on Moab
2 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of (AG)Moab, and for four,
I will not [h]revoke its punishment,
Because he (AH)burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 So I will send fire upon Moab
And it will consume the citadels of (AI)Kerioth;
And Moab will die amid the (AJ)panic of battle,
Amid war cries and the sound of a trumpet.
3 I will also eliminate the [i](AK)judge from her midst
And slay all her (AL)leaders with him,” says the Lord.
Judgment on Judah
4 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of (AM)Judah, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they (AN)rejected the Law of the Lord
And have not kept His statutes;
Their [j](AO)lies also have led them astray,
Those which their (AP)fathers followed.
5 So I will (AQ)send fire upon Judah,
And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of (AR)Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they (AS)sell the righteous for [k]money,
And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 These who [l]trample the head of the (AT)helpless to the dust of the earth
Also (AU)divert the way of the humble;
And a (AV)man and his father [m]resort to the same [n]girl
So as to profane My holy name.
8 And on garments (AW)seized as pledges they stretch out beside (AX)every altar,
And in the house of their God they (AY)drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the (AZ)Amorite before them,
[o]Though his (BA)height was like the height of cedars
And he was as strong as the oaks;
I also destroyed his (BB)fruit above and his roots below.
10 And it was I who (BC)brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And led you in the wilderness for (BD)forty years
So that you might take possession of the land of the (BE)Amorite.
11 Then I (BF)raised up some of your sons to be prophets,
And some of your young men to be (BG)Nazirites.
Is this not so, you sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You (BH)shall not prophesy!’
13 Behold, I am (BI)making a rut in the ground beneath you,
Just as a wagon makes a rut when filled with sheaves.
14 (BJ)Refuge will be lost from the swift,
And the strong will not strengthen his power,
Nor the (BK)warrior save his [p]life.
15 The one who (BL)grasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will the one who rides the (BM)horse save his [q]life.
16 Even the [r]bravest among the warriors will (BN)flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.
All the Tribes Are Guilty
3 Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire [s](BO)family which [t]He brought up from the land of Egypt:
2 “(BP)You only have I [u]known among all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will [v](BQ)punish you for all your wrongdoing.”
3 Do two people walk together unless they have agreed to meet?
4 Does a (BR)lion roar in the forest when he has no prey?
Does a young lion [w]growl from his den unless he has captured something?
5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no [x]device in it?
Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
6 If a (BS)trumpet is blown in a city, will the people not tremble?
If a (BT)disaster occurs in a city, has the Lord not brought it about?
7 [y]Certainly the Lord [z]God does nothing
Unless He (BU)reveals His secret plan
To His servants the prophets.
8 A (BV)lion has roared! Who will not fear?
The (BW)Lord God has spoken! (BX)Who can do anything but prophesy?
9 Proclaim on the citadels in (BY)Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Assemble yourselves on the (BZ)mountains of Samaria and see the great panic within her and the (CA)oppressions in her midst. 10 But they (CB)do not know how to do what is right,” declares the Lord, “these who (CC)store up [aa]violence and devastation in their citadels.”
11 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
“An (CD)enemy, one surrounding the land,
Will take down your fortifications from you,
And your (CE)citadels will be looted.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“Just as the shepherd [ab](CF)snatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel living in Samaria be [ac]snatched away—
With the (CG)corner of a bed and the [ad](CH)cover of a couch!
13 Hear and (CI)testify against the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord God, the God of armies.
14 “For on the day that I punish Israel’s offenses,
I will also punish the altars of (CJ)Bethel;
The horns of the altar will be cut off,
And will fall to the ground.
15 I will also strike the (CK)winter house together with the (CL)summer house;
The houses of [ae](CM)ivory will also perish,
And the (CN)great houses will come to an end,”
Declares the Lord.
“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”
4 Hear this word, you [af]cows of (CO)Bashan who are on the (CP)mountain of Samaria,
Who (CQ)exploit the poor, who oppress the needy,
[ag]And say to their [ah]husbands, “Bring now, that we may (CR)drink!”
2 The Lord [ai]God has (CS)sworn by His (CT)holiness,
“For behold, the days are coming upon you
When [aj]they will take you away with (CU)meat hooks,
And the last of you with (CV)fish hooks.
3 You will (CW)go out through holes in the walls,
One in front of the other,
And you [ak]will be hurled to Harmon,” declares the Lord.
4 “Enter Bethel and do wrong;
In Gilgal multiply wrongdoing!
(CX)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
5 [al]Offer a (CY)thanksgiving offering also from that which is leavened,
And proclaim (CZ)[am]voluntary offerings, make them known.
For so you (DA)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares the Lord God.
6 “But I gave you also (DB)cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
And lack of bread in all your places;
Yet you have (DC)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
7 “Furthermore, I (DD)withheld the rain from you
While there were still three months until harvest.
Then I would send rain on one city,
But on (DE)another city I would not send rain;
One part would be rained on,
While the part not rained on would dry up.
8 So the people of two or three cities would stagger to another city to drink (DF)water,
But would (DG)not be satisfied;
Yet you have (DH)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
9 “I (DI)struck you with scorching wind and mildew;
The (DJ)caterpillar was devouring
Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees;
Yet you have (DK)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
10 “I sent a (DL)plague among you [an]as in Egypt;
I (DM)killed your young men with the sword, along with your (DN)captured horses,
And I made the (DO)stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils;
Yet you have (DP)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
11 “I overthrew you, as (DQ)God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a (DR)log snatched from a fire;
Yet you have (DS)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore so I will do to you, Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to (DT)meet your God, Israel.”
13 For behold, He who (DU)forms mountains and (DV)creates the wind,
And (DW)declares to a person what are His thoughts,
He who (DX)makes dawn into darkness
And (DY)treads on the high places of the earth,
(DZ)The Lord God of armies is His name.
“Seek Me So That You May Live”
5 Hear this word which I am taking up for you as a (EA)song of mourning, house of Israel:
2 She has fallen, she will (EB)not rise again—
The (EC)virgin Israel.
She lies unnoticed on her land;
There is (ED)no one to raise her up.
3 For this is what the Lord [ao]God says:
“The city which goes forth a thousand strong
Will have a (EE)hundred left,
And the one which goes forth a hundred strong
Will have (EF)ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 For this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel:
“(EG)Seek Me (EH)so that you may live.
5 But do not [ap]resort to (EI)Bethel
And do not come to (EJ)Gilgal,
Nor cross over to (EK)Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity
And Bethel will [aq]come to nothing.
6 (EL)Seek the Lord so that you may live,
Or He will break through like a (EM)fire, [ar]house of Joseph,
And it will consume with no one to extinguish it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn (EN)justice into wormwood,
And [as]throw righteousness to the earth.”
8 He who made the (EO)Pleiades and Orion,
And (EP)changes deep darkness into morning,
[at]Who also (EQ)darkens day into night,
Who (ER)calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
The (ES)Lord is His name.
9 It is He who (ET)makes destruction flash upon the strong,
So that (EU)destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who (EV)rebukes in the [au]gate,
And they (EW)despise him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore because you impose heavy [av]rent on the poor
And take a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built (EX)houses of cut stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted beautiful vineyards, yet you will (EY)not drink their wine.
12 For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great,
You who are (EZ)hostile to the righteous and accept bribes,
And [aw]turn away the poor from justice at the [ax]gate.
13 Therefore at [ay]such a time the prudent person (FA)keeps quiet, because it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil, so that you may live;
And so may the Lord God of armies be with you,
(FB)Just as you have said!
15 (FC)Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the [az]gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of armies
(FD)Will be gracious to the (FE)remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord God of armies, the Lord says:
“There is (FF)mourning in all the public squares,
And in all the streets they say, ‘Oh no! Oh no!’
They also call the (FG)farmer to mourning
And [ba](FH)professional mourners to mourning rites.
17 And in all the (FI)vineyards there is mourning,
Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.
18 Woe to you who are longing for the (FJ)day of the Lord,
For what [bb]purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be (FK)darkness and not light;
19 As when a man (FL)flees from a lion
And a bear confronts him,
[bc]Or he goes home, leans with his hand against the wall,
And a snake bites him.
20 Will the day of the Lord not be (FM)darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I (FN)reject your festivals,
Nor do I [bd](FO)delight in your festive assemblies.
22 Even though you (FP)offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the (FQ)peace offerings of your fattened oxen.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 But let (FR)justice roll out like waters,
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “[be](FS)Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? 26 (FT)You also carried along [bf]Sikkuth your king and [bg]Kiyyun, your images, [bh]the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.
“Carefree in Zion”
6 (FU)Woe to those who are carefree in Zion,
And to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
The (FV)dignitaries of the foremost of nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.
2 Go over to (FW)Calneh and look,
And go from there to (FX)Hamath the great,
Then go down to (FY)Gath of the Philistines.
Are [bi]they better than these kingdoms,
Or is their territory greater than yours?
3 Are you (FZ)postponing the day of disaster,
And would you (GA)bring near the seat of violence?
4 Those who lie on beds of ivory,
And lounge around on their (GB)couches,
And (GC)eat lambs from the flock,
And calves from the midst of the fattened cattle,
5 Who improvise to the sound of the harp,
And like David have [bj]composed (GD)songs for themselves,
6 Who (GE)drink wine from sacred bowls
While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils—
Yet they have not (GF)grieved over the collapse of Joseph.
7 Therefore, they will now (GG)go into exile at the head of the exiles,
And the revelry of those who (GH)lounge around will come to an end.
8 The Lord [bk]God has (GI)sworn by Himself, the Lord God of armies has declared:
“I (GJ)loathe the arrogance of Jacob,
And [bl]detest his (GK)citadels;
Therefore I will (GL)give up the city and [bm]all it contains.”
9 And it will be, if (GM)ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10 Then one’s [bn]uncle, or his (GN)undertaker, will lift him up to carry out his bones from the house, and he will say to the one who is in the innermost part of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” And that one will say, “No one.” Then he will [bo]answer, “(GO)Keep quiet! For [bp]the name of the Lord is (GP)not to be mentioned.” 11 For behold, the Lord is going to (GQ)command that the (GR)great house be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Or does one [bq]plow them with oxen?
Yet you have turned (GS)justice into poison,
And the fruit of righteousness into [br]wormwood,
13 You who rejoice in [bs](GT)Lodebar,
[bt]And say, “Have we not (GU)by our own strength taken [bu]Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, (GV)I am going to raise up a nation against you,
House of Israel,” declares the Lord God of armies,
“And they will torment you from the (GW)entrance of Hamath
To the (GX)brook of the Arabah.”
Warning through Visions
7 This is what the Lord [bv]God showed me, and behold, He was forming a (GY)swarm of locusts [bw]when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s mowing. 2 And it came about, [bx]when it had (GZ)finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,
“(HA)Lord God, please pardon!
How can Jacob stand?
For he is (HB)small.”
3 The Lord (HC)relented of this.
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.
4 So the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by (HD)fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the [by]farmland. 5 Then I said,
“(HE)Lord God, please stop!
(HF)How can Jacob stand?
For he is small.”
6 The Lord (HG)relented of this.
“This too shall not be,” said the Lord God.
7 So He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing [bz]by a [ca]vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “(HH)What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“Behold I am about to put a (HI)plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will not [cb](HJ)spare them any longer.
9 The (HK)high places of Isaac will become deserted,
And the (HL)sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins.
Then I will (HM)rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos Accused; Gives an Answer
10 Then Amaziah, the (HN)priest of Bethel, sent word to (HO)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has (HP)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “(HQ)Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there! 13 But (HR)do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a (HS)sanctuary of the king and a royal [cc]residence.”
14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the (HT)son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a [cd]grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from [ce]following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go (HU)prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You (HV)shall not prophesy against Israel (HW)nor shall you [cf]prophesy against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your (HX)wife will become a prostitute in the city, your (HY)sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die [cg]upon (HZ)unclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”
Basket of Fruit and Israel’s Captivity
8 This is what the Lord [ch]God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 And He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And (IA)I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The (IB)end has come for My people Israel. I will not [ci](IC)spare them any longer. 3 [cj]The (ID)songs of the palace will turn to (IE)wailing on that day,” declares the Lord God. “The (IF)corpses will be many; in every place [ck]they will throw them out. [cl]Hush!”
4 Hear this, you who [cm](IG)trample the needy, to put an end to the humble of the land, 5 saying,
“When will the (IH)new moon [cn]be over,
So that we may sell grain;
And the (II)Sabbath, so that we may open the wheat market,
To make the [co]ephah smaller and the [cp]shekel bigger,
And to (IJ)cheat with dishonest scales,
6 So as to (IK)buy the helpless for [cq]money,
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
7 The Lord has (IL)sworn by the (IM)pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will (IN)never forget any of their deeds.
8 Because of this will the land not (IO)quake,
And everyone who lives in it (IP)mourn?
Indeed, all of it will (IQ)rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord God,
“That I will make the (IR)sun go down at noon,
And (IS)make the earth dark in [cr]broad daylight.
10 Then I will (IT)turn your festivals into mourning,
And all your songs into songs of mourning;
And I will put (IU)sackcloth around everyone’s waist,
And [cs]baldness on every head.
And I will make it (IV)like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread or a thirst for water,
But rather (IW)for hearing the words of the Lord.
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will roam about to (IX)seek the word of the Lord,
But they will not find it.
13 On that day the beautiful (IY)virgins
And the young men will (IZ)faint from thirst.
14 As for those who swear by the [ct](JA)guilt of Samaria,
And say, ‘As your god lives, (JB)Dan,’
And, ‘As the way of (JC)Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and (JD)not rise again.”
God’s Judgment Unavoidable
9 I saw the Lord standing beside the (JE)altar, and He said,
“Strike the pillar capitals so that the (JF)thresholds will shake,
And (JG)break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will (JH)put to death the rest of them with the sword;
They will (JI)not have a fugitive who will flee,
Nor a survivor who will escape.
2 Though they dig into (JJ)Sheol,
From there My hand will take them;
And though they (JK)ascend to heaven,
From there I will bring them down.
3 And though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will (JL)track them down and take them from there;
And though they (JM)hide themselves from My sight on the bottom of the sea,
I will command the (JN)serpent from there, and it will bite them.
4 And though they go into (JO)captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword and it will kill them,
And I will (JP)set My eyes against them for harm and not for good.”
5 The Lord [cu]God of armies,
The One who (JQ)touches the land so that it quakes,
And (JR)all those who live in it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6 The One who builds His (JS)upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,
He who (JT)calls for the waters of the sea
And (JU)pours them out on the face of the earth,
(JV)The Lord is His name.
7 “Are you not as the sons of (JW)Ethiopia to Me,
You sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the (JX)Philistines from Caphtor and the (JY)Arameans from (JZ)Kir?
8 Behold, the (KA)eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will (KB)eliminate it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will (KC)not totally eliminate the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord.
9 “For behold, I am commanding,
And I will (KD)shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a pebble will fall to the ground.
10 All the (KE)sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘(KF)The catastrophe will not overtake or confront us.’
The Restoration of Israel
11 “On that day I will (KG)raise up the fallen [cv](KH)shelter of David,
And wall up its (KI)gaps;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the (KJ)days of old;
12 (KK)So that they may [cw]possess the remnant of (KL)Edom
And all the [cx]nations who are (KM)called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.
13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the (KN)plowman will overtake the reaper,
And the one who treads grapes will overtake him who sows the seed;
When the (KO)mountains will drip grape juice,
And all the hills will come apart.
14 I will also (KP)restore the fortunes of My people Israel,
And they will (KQ)rebuild the desolated cities and live in them;
They will also (KR)plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will also plant them on their land,
And (KS)they will not be uprooted again from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.
Footnotes
- Amos 1:2 Lit head
- Amos 1:3 Lit cause it to turn back, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 1:5 Possibly Baalbek
- Amos 1:8 Lit hand
- Amos 1:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Amos 1:9 Lit brothers
- Amos 1:14 Or shouts
- Amos 2:1 Lit cause it to turn back, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 2:3 Or executive officer
- Amos 2:4 Or false gods
- Amos 2:6 Lit silver
- Amos 2:7 Or pant for the dust...on the head of the helpless
- Amos 2:7 Lit go
- Amos 2:7 Possibly a prostitute, or a temple prostitute
- Amos 2:9 Lit Whose height
- Amos 2:14 Lit soul
- Amos 2:15 Lit soul
- Amos 2:16 Lit strong of his heart
- Amos 3:1 I.e., nation
- Amos 3:1 Lit I
- Amos 3:2 Or chosen
- Amos 3:2 Lit visit
- Amos 3:4 Lit give his voice
- Amos 3:5 Lit snare
- Amos 3:7 Or For
- Amos 3:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 3:10 I.e., the plunder from violence
- Amos 3:12 Or rescues
- Amos 3:12 Or rescued
- Amos 3:12 Or headrest; lit damask
- Amos 3:15 I.e., ivory inlay
- Amos 4:1 I.e., haughty, prominent women
- Amos 4:1 Lit Who
- Amos 4:1 Lit lords
- Amos 4:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 4:2 Lit he
- Amos 4:3 As in LXX; MT will hurl
- Amos 4:5 Lit Offer up in smoke
- Amos 4:5 Or freewill offerings
- Amos 4:10 Lit in the way of Egypt
- Amos 5:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 5:5 Lit seek
- Amos 5:5 Lit be
- Amos 5:6 Or in the house
- Amos 5:7 Lit they have thrown
- Amos 5:8 Lit And He darkened
- Amos 5:10 I.e., the place where court was held
- Amos 5:11 Or tax
- Amos 5:12 Lit they turn
- Amos 5:12 I.e., the place where court was held
- Amos 5:13 Lit that time
- Amos 5:15 I.e., the place where court was held
- Amos 5:16 Lit those who know mourning
- Amos 5:18 Lit will this be to you, the day
- Amos 5:19 Or Then
- Amos 5:21 Lit like to smell your
- Amos 5:25 Or You presented Me with the sacrifices and a grain offering
- Amos 5:26 Or Sakkuth (Saturn), or the tabernacle of your Moloch
- Amos 5:26 Or Kaiwan (Saturn), or stands of
- Amos 5:26 Or your star gods
- Amos 6:2 Or you
- Amos 6:5 Or invented musical instruments
- Amos 6:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Amos 6:8 Lit hate
- Amos 6:8 Lit its fullness
- Amos 6:10 Or beloved one
- Amos 6:10 Lit say
- Amos 6:10 Lit not to make mention in the name of
- Amos 6:12 Another reading is plow the sea with oxen
- Amos 6:12 I.e., bitterness
- Amos 6:13 Lit nothing
- Amos 6:13 Lit Who say
- Amos 6:13 Lit a pair of horns
- Amos 7:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 7:1 Lit at the beginning of the coming up of
- Amos 7:2 Lit if
- Amos 7:4 Lit plot of land
- Amos 7:7 Or on
- Amos 7:7 Lit wall of a plumb line
- Amos 7:8 Lit pass him by
- Amos 7:13 Lit house
- Amos 7:14 Or picker
- Amos 7:15 Lit behind
- Amos 7:16 Lit drivel
- Amos 7:17 Or in an unclean land
- Amos 8:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 8:2 Lit pass him by
- Amos 8:3 Lit They will howl the palace songs
- Amos 8:3 Lit he has thrown
- Amos 8:3 An order for sacred silence
- Amos 8:4 Or snap at
- Amos 8:5 Lit pass by
- Amos 8:5 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
- Amos 8:5 About 0.5 oz. or 14 gm
- Amos 8:6 Lit silver
- Amos 8:9 Lit a day of light
- Amos 8:10 I.e., shaved as a sign of mourning
- Amos 8:14 Or Ashimah
- Amos 9:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 9:11 Heb sukkah; i.e., hut or dwelling
- Amos 9:12 Or take possession of
- Amos 9:12 Or Gentiles
Obadiah
New American Standard Bible
Obadiah
New American Standard Bible
Edom Will Be Humbled
1 The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Lord [a]God says concerning (A)Edom—
(B)We have heard a report from the Lord,
And a (C)messenger has been sent among the nations saying,
“(D)Arise, and let’s go up against her for battle”—
2 “Behold, I will make you (E)small among the nations;
You are greatly despised.
3 The (F)arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
The one who lives in the clefts of [b]the (G)rock,
On the height of his dwelling place,
Who says in his heart,
‘(H)Who will bring me down to earth?’
4 Though you (I)make your home high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the (J)stars,
From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
5 “If (K)thieves came to you,
If [c]robbers by night—
Oh how you will be ruined!—
Would they not steal only [d]until they had enough?
If grape-pickers came to you,
(L)Would they not leave some gleanings?
6 Oh how Esau will be (M)searched,
And his hidden treasures searched out!
7 All the (N)people [e]allied with you
Will send you to the border,
And the people at peace with you
Will deceive you and overpower you.
They who eat your (O)bread
Will set an ambush for you.
(There is (P)no understanding [f]in him.)
8 Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord,
“(Q)Eliminate wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountain of Esau?
9 Then your (R)warriors will be filled with terror, (S)Teman,
So that everyone will be (T)eliminated from the mountain of Esau by murder.
10 “Because of (U)violence to your brother Jacob,
Shame will cover you,
(V)And you will be eliminated forever.
11 On the day that you (W)stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And (X)cast lots for Jerusalem—
(Y)You too were as one of them.
12 (Z)Do not [g]gloat over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And (AA)do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
On the day of their destruction;
Yes, (AB)do not [h]boast
On the day of their distress.
13 Do not enter the gate of My people
On the (AC)day of their disaster.
You indeed, do not [i]gloat over their catastrophe
On the day of their disaster.
And do not (AD)lay a hand on their wealth
On the day of their disaster.
14 Do not (AE)stand at the crossroads
To eliminate their survivors;
And do not hand over their refugees
On the day of their distress.
The Day of the Lord and the Future
15 “For the (AF)day of the Lord is near for all the nations.
(AG)Just as you have done, it will be done to you.
Your (AH)dealings will return on your own head.
16 For just as you (AI)drank on (AJ)My holy mountain,
All the nations (AK)will drink continually.
They will drink [j]to the last drop,
And become as if they had never existed.
17 But on Mount (AL)Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob will [k](AM)possess their [l]property.
18 Then the house of Jacob will be a (AN)fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau will be like stubble.
And they will set [m]them on fire and consume [n]them,
So that there will be (AO)no survivor of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.
19 Then those of the [o]Negev will [p](AP)possess the mountain of Esau,
And those of the [q]Shephelah the (AQ)Philistine plain;
Also, (AR)they will [r]possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
And Benjamin the territory of Gilead.
20 And the exiles of this army of the sons of Israel,
Who are among the Canaanites as far as (AS)Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad,
Will [s]possess the (AT)cities of the Negev.
21 [t]The (AU)deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the (AV)kingdom will be the Lord’s.
Footnotes
- Obadiah 1:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Obadiah 1:3 Or Sela
- Obadiah 1:5 Lit devastators of the night
- Obadiah 1:5 Lit their sufficiency
- Obadiah 1:7 Lit of your covenant
- Obadiah 1:7 I.e., in Esau; or of it
- Obadiah 1:12 Lit look on
- Obadiah 1:12 Lit make your mouth large
- Obadiah 1:13 Lit look at
- Obadiah 1:16 Lit and slurp
- Obadiah 1:17 Or take possession of
- Obadiah 1:17 or inheritance
- Obadiah 1:18 I.e., the people of Esau
- Obadiah 1:18 I.e., the people of Esau
- Obadiah 1:19 I.e., South country
- Obadiah 1:19 Or take possession of
- Obadiah 1:19 I.e., the foothills
- Obadiah 1:19 Or take possession of
- Obadiah 1:20 Or take possession of
- Obadiah 1:21 Or with ancient versions Those who are rescued
Jonah 1-4
New American Standard Bible
Jonah 1-4
New American Standard Bible
Jonah’s Disobedience
1 The word of the Lord came to (A)Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to (B)Nineveh, the great city, and (C)cry out against it, because their (D)wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah got up to flee to (E)Tarshish (F)from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to (G)Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and [a]boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord.
4 However, the (H)Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea, so that the ship was about to [b]break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried out to (I)his [c]god, and they (J)hurled the [d]cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it [e]for them. But Jonah had gone below into the stern of the ship, had lain down, and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, (K)call on your god! Perhaps your (L)god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
7 And each man said to his mate, “Come, let’s (M)cast lots so that we may [f]find out on whose account this catastrophe has struck us.” So they cast lots, and the (N)lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “(O)Tell us, now! On whose account has this catastrophe struck us? What is your (P)occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and from what people are you?” 9 So he said to them, “I am a (Q)Hebrew, and I (R)fear the Lord (S)God of heaven who (T)made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men became extremely afraid, and they said to him, “[g]How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was (U)fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will become calm [h]for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 And he said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm [i]for you, because I know that (V)on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” 13 However, the men [j]rowed desperately to return to land, but they could not, because the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they cried out to the (W)Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life, and do not put innocent blood on us; for (X)You, Lord, have done as You pleased.”
15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea (Y)stopped its raging. 16 Then the men became extremely afraid of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made (Z)vows.
17 [k]And the Lord designated a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the (AA)stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.
Jonah’s Prayer
2 [l]Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God (AB)from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said,
“I (AC)called out of my distress to the Lord,
And He answered me.
I called for help from the [m]depth of (AD)Sheol;
You heard my voice.
3 For You (AE)threw me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current flowed around me.
All Your (AF)breakers and waves passed over me.
4 So I said, ‘I have been (AG)cast out [n]of Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again (AH)toward Your holy temple.’
5 (AI)Water encompassed me to the [o]point of death.
The (AJ)deep flowed around me,
Seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 I (AK)descended to the base of the mountains.
The earth with its (AL)bars was around me forever,
But You have (AM)brought up my life from [p]the pit, Lord my God.
7 While [q]I was (AN)fainting away,
I (AO)remembered the Lord,
And my (AP)prayer came to You,
Into (AQ)Your holy temple.
8 Those who (AR)are followers of worthless [r]idols
Abandon their faithfulness,
9 But I will (AS)sacrifice to You
With a voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will (AT)pay.
(AU)Salvation is from the Lord.”
10 Then the Lord commanded the (AV)fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.
Nineveh Repents
3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to (AW)Nineveh, the great city, and (AX)proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was [s]an (AY)exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he (AZ)cried out and said, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a (BA)fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, (BB)covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the [t]dust. 7 And he issued a (BC)proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water. 8 But every person and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and people are to (BD)call on God vehemently, and they are to (BE)turn, each one from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands. 9 (BF)Who knows, God may turn and relent, and turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw their deeds, that they (BG)turned from their evil way, then (BH)God relented of the disaster which He had declared He would [u]bring on them. So He did not do it.
Jonah’s Displeasure Rebuked
4 But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became (BI)angry. 2 Then he (BJ)prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was this not [v]what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore in anticipation of this I (BK)fled to Tarshish, since I knew that You are a (BL)gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and One who relents of disaster. 3 So now, Lord, please (BM)take my [w]life from me, for death is (BN)better to me than life.” 4 But the Lord said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”
5 Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of [x]it. There he made a shelter for himself and (BO)sat under it in the shade, until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God designated a [y]plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to [z]relieve him of his discomfort. And Jonah [aa]was overjoyed about the plant. 7 But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it (BP)withered. 8 And when the sun came up God designated a scorching (BQ)east wind, and the (BR)sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint, and he begged with all his soul to die, saying, “(BS)Death is better to me than life!”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to the point of death!” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant, for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which [ab]came up overnight and perished [ac]overnight. 11 Should I not also (BT)have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 people, who do not (BU)know the difference between their right hand and their left, as well as many (BV)animals?”
Footnotes
- Jonah 1:3 Lit went down in
- Jonah 1:4 Lit be broken
- Jonah 1:5 Or gods
- Jonah 1:5 Lit vessels
- Jonah 1:5 Lit from upon them
- Jonah 1:7 Lit know
- Jonah 1:10 Lit What is this you have done
- Jonah 1:11 Lit from upon us
- Jonah 1:12 Lit from upon you
- Jonah 1:13 Lit dug their oars into the water
- Jonah 1:17 Ch 2:1 in Heb
- Jonah 2:1 Ch 2:2 in Heb
- Jonah 2:2 Lit belly
- Jonah 2:4 Lit from Your eyes
- Jonah 2:5 Lit soul
- Jonah 2:6 Or corruption
- Jonah 2:7 Lit my soul within me was
- Jonah 2:8 Lit futilities
- Jonah 3:3 Lit a great city to God
- Jonah 3:6 Or ashes
- Jonah 3:10 Lit do to
- Jonah 4:2 Lit my word
- Jonah 4:3 Lit soul
- Jonah 4:5 Lit the city
- Jonah 4:6 Prob. a castor oil plant, and so throughout the ch
- Jonah 4:6 Lit save him from
- Jonah 4:6 Lit rejoiced with great joy
- Jonah 4:10 Lit was a son of a night
- Jonah 4:10 Lit a son of a night
Micah 1
New American Standard Bible
Micah 1
New American Standard Bible
Destruction in Israel and Judah
1 The (A)word of the Lord which came to (B)Micah of Moresheth in the days of (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz, and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and which he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.