Hosea 10-12
English Standard Version
10 (A)Israel is a luxuriant vine
that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
(B)the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
he improved his pillars.
2 Their heart is false;
now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord[a] will break down their altars
and destroy their pillars.
3 For now they will say:
(C)“We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord;
and a king—what could he do for us?”
4 They utter (D)mere words;
with empty[b] oaths they make covenants;
so (E)judgment springs up like poisonous weeds
(F)in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
for (G)the calf[c] of (H)Beth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced over it and (I)over its glory—
for it has departed[d] from them.
6 (J)The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
as tribute to (K)the great king.[e]
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
and Israel shall be ashamed (L)of his idol.[f]
7 (M)Samaria's king shall perish
like a twig on the face of the waters.
8 The high places of (N)Aven, (O)the sin of Israel,
shall be destroyed.
(P)Thorn and thistle shall grow up
on their altars,
and (Q)they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”
and to the hills, “Fall on us.”
9 From (R)the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel;
there they have continued.
Shall not the war against the unjust[g] overtake them in Gibeah?
10 (S)When I please, (T)I will discipline them,
and nations shall be gathered against them
when they are bound up for (U)their double iniquity.
11 Ephraim was a trained calf
that (V)loved to thresh,
and I spared her fair neck;
but I will put (W)Ephraim to the yoke;
(X)Judah must plow;
Jacob must harrow for himself.
12 (Y)Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
(Z)break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and (AA)rain righteousness upon you.
13 (AB)You have plowed iniquity;
you have reaped injustice;
you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way
and in the multitude of your warriors,
14 therefore (AC)the tumult of war shall arise among your people,
and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
as (AD)Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;
(AE)mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
15 Thus it shall be done to you, O (AF)Bethel,
because of your great evil.
At dawn (AG)the king of Israel
shall be utterly cut off.
The Lord's Love for Israel
11 (AH)When Israel was a child, (AI)I loved him,
and out of Egypt I (AJ)called (AK)my son.
2 (AL)The more they were called,
the more they went away;
(AM)they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
3 Yet it was (AN)I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that (AO)I healed them.
4 (AP)I led them with cords of kindness,[h]
with the bands of love,
and (AQ)I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and (AR)I bent down to them and fed them.
5 (AS)They shall not[i] return to the land of Egypt,
but (AT)Assyria shall be their king,
(AU)because (AV)they have refused to return to me.
6 (AW)The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them (AX)because of their own counsels.
7 My people are bent (AY)on turning away from me,
and though (AZ)they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
(BA)How can I make you (BB)like Admah?
How can I treat you (BC)like Zeboiim?
(BD)My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
(BE)for I am God and not a man,
(BF)the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.[j]
10 (BG)They shall go after the Lord;
(BH)he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling (BI)from the west;
11 they shall come trembling like birds (BJ)from Egypt,
and (BK)like doves (BL)from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
12 [k] Ephraim (BM)has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.
12 Ephraim feeds on the wind
and pursues (BN)the east wind all day long;
they multiply (BO)falsehood and violence;
(BP)they make a covenant with Assyria,
and (BQ)oil is carried to Egypt.
The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah
2 (BR)The Lord has an indictment against Judah
and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
he will repay him according to his deeds.
3 (BS)In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
and in his manhood he strove with God.
4 He strove with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and sought his favor.
(BT)He met God[l] at Bethel,
and there God spoke with us—
5 the Lord, the God of hosts,
(BU)the Lord is his memorial name:
6 “So you, (BV)by the help of your God, return,
(BW)hold fast to love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.”
7 A merchant, in whose hands are (BX)false balances,
he loves (BY)to oppress.
8 Ephraim has said, “Ah, but (BZ)I am rich;
I have found wealth for myself;
in all my labors (CA)they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
9 (CB)I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you (CC)dwell in tents,
as in the days of the appointed feast.
10 (CD)I spoke to the prophets;
it was I who multiplied (CE)visions,
and through the prophets gave parables.
11 (CF)If there is iniquity in Gilead,
they shall surely come to nothing:
(CG)in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
(CH)their altars also are like stone heaps
(CI)on the furrows of the field.
12 (CJ)Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
there Israel (CK)served for a wife,
and for a wife he guarded sheep.
13 By (CL)a prophet (CM)the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
and by a prophet he was guarded.
14 (CN)Ephraim has given bitter provocation;
so his Lord (CO)will leave his bloodguilt on him
(CP)and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:2 Hebrew He
- Hosea 10:4 Or vain (see Exodus 20:7)
- Hosea 10:5 Or calves
- Hosea 10:5 Or has gone into exile
- Hosea 10:6 Or to King Jareb
- Hosea 10:6 Or counsel
- Hosea 10:9 Hebrew the children of injustice
- Hosea 11:4 Or humaneness; Hebrew man
- Hosea 11:5 Or surely
- Hosea 11:9 Or into the city
- Hosea 11:12 Ch 12:1 in Hebrew
- Hosea 12:4 Hebrew him
Hosea 10-12
New International Version
10 Israel was a spreading vine;(A)
he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
he built more altars;(B)
as his land prospered,(C)
he adorned his sacred stones.(D)
2 Their heart is deceitful,(E)
and now they must bear their guilt.(F)
The Lord will demolish their altars(G)
and destroy their sacred stones.(H)
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(I)
and make agreements;(J)
therefore lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds(K) in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear
for the calf-idol(L) of Beth Aven.[a](M)
Its people will mourn over it,
and so will its idolatrous priests,(N)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
because it is taken from them into exile.(O)
6 It will be carried to Assyria(P)
as tribute(Q) for the great king.(R)
Ephraim will be disgraced;(S)
Israel will be ashamed(T) of its foreign alliances.
7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed,(U)
swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places(V) of wickedness[b](W) will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns(X) and thistles will grow up
and cover their altars.(Y)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”(Z)
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”(AA)
9 “Since the days of Gibeah,(AB) you have sinned,(AC) Israel,
and there you have remained.[c]
Will not war again overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish(AD) 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(AE)
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow(AF) righteousness(AG) for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;(AH)
for it is time to seek(AI) the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness(AJ) on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,(AK)
you have eaten the fruit of deception.(AL)
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,(AM)
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated(AN)—
as Shalman(AO) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.(AP)
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.(AQ)
God’s Love for Israel
11 “When Israel was a child,(AR) I loved(AS) him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.(AT)
2 But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.[d](AU)
They sacrificed to the Baals(AV)
and they burned incense to images.(AW)
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;(AX)
but they did not realize
it was I who healed(AY) them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.(AZ)
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed(BA) them.(BB)
5 “Will they not return to Egypt(BC)
and will not Assyria(BD) rule over them
because they refuse to repent?(BE)
6 A sword(BF) will flash in their cities;
it will devour(BG) their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn(BH) from me.(BI)
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.
8 “How can I give you up,(BJ) Ephraim?(BK)
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?(BL)
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion(BM) is aroused.(BN)
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,(BO)
nor will I devastate(BP) Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man(BQ)—
the Holy One(BR) among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the Lord;
he will roar(BS) like a lion.(BT)
When he roars,
his children will come trembling(BU) from the west.(BV)
11 They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria,(BW) fluttering like doves.(BX)
I will settle them in their homes,”(BY)
declares the Lord.
Israel’s Sin
12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,(BZ)
Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
even against the faithful(CA) Holy One.[e](CB)
12 [f]1 Ephraim(CC) feeds on the wind;(CD)
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.(CE)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(CF)
and sends olive oil to Egypt.(CG)
2 The Lord has a charge(CH) to bring against Judah;(CI)
he will punish(CJ) Jacob[g] according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.(CK)
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(CL)
as a man he struggled(CM) with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(CN)
and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is his name!(CO)
6 But you must return(CP) to your God;
maintain love and justice,(CQ)
and wait for your God always.(CR)
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales(CS)
and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,(CT)
“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(CU)
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;(CV)
I will make you live in tents(CW) again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables(CX) through them.”(CY)
11 Is Gilead wicked?(CZ)
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(DA)
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.(DB)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[h];(DC)
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.(DD)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(DE)
by a prophet he cared for him.(DF)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(DG)
and will repay him for his contempt.(DH)
Footnotes
- 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
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