Hosea 3-5

New International Version

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.^(A) Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.^(B)”

²So I bought her for fifteen shekels^[a] of silver and about a homer and a lethek^[b] of barley. ³Then 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.”

⁴For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince,^(C) without sacrifice^(D) or sacred stones,^(E) without ephod^(F) or household gods.^(G) ⁵Afterward the Israelites will return and seek^(H) the Lord their God and David their king.^(I) They will come trembling^(J) to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.^(K)

The Charge Against Israel

4 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
    because the Lord has a charge^(L) to bring
    against you who live in the land:^(M)
“There is no faithfulness,^(N) no love,
    no acknowledgment^(O) of God in the land.^(P)
²There is only cursing,^[c] lying^(Q) and murder,^(R)
    stealing^(S) and adultery;^(T)
they break all bounds,
    and bloodshed follows bloodshed.^(U)
³Because of this the land dries up,^(V)
    and all who live in it waste away;^(W)
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
    and the fish in the sea are swept away.^(X)

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.^(Y)
⁵You stumble^(Z) day and night,
    and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother^(AA)—
⁶    my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.^(AB)

“Because you have rejected knowledge,
    I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law^(AC) of your God,
    I also will ignore your children.
⁷The more priests there were,
    the more they sinned against me;
    they exchanged their glorious God^[d]^(AD) for something disgraceful.^(AE)
⁸They feed on the sins of my people
    and relish their wickedness.^(AF)
⁹And it will be: Like people, like priests.^(AG)
    I will punish both of them for their ways
    and repay them for their deeds.^(AH)

¹⁰“They will eat but not have enough;^(AI)
    they will engage in prostitution^(AJ) but not flourish,
because they have deserted^(AK) the Lord
    to give themselves ¹¹to prostitution;^(AL)
old wine^(AM) and new wine
    take away their understanding.^(AN)
¹²My people consult a wooden idol,^(AO)
    and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.^(AP)
A spirit of prostitution^(AQ) leads them astray;^(AR)
    they are unfaithful^(AS) to their God.
¹³They sacrifice on the mountaintops
    and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,^(AT) poplar and terebinth,
    where the shade is pleasant.^(AU)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution^(AV)
    and your daughters-in-law to adultery.^(AW)

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^(AX)
    and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes^(AY)—
    a people without understanding^(AZ) will come to ruin!^(BA)

¹⁵“Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.

“Do not go to Gilgal;^(BB)
    do not go up to Beth Aven.^[e]^(BC)
    And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’^(BD)
¹⁶The Israelites are stubborn,^(BE)
    like a stubborn heifer.^(BF)
How then can the Lord pasture them
    like lambs^(BG) in a meadow?
¹⁷Ephraim is joined to idols;
    leave him alone!
¹⁸Even when their drinks are gone,
    they continue their prostitution;
    their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
¹⁹A whirlwind^(BH) will sweep them away,
    and their sacrifices will bring them shame.^(BI)

Judgment Against Israel

5 “Hear this, you priests!
    Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
    This judgment^(BJ) is against you:
You have been a snare^(BK) at Mizpah,
    a net^(BL) spread out on Tabor.
²The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.^(BM)
    I will discipline all of them.^(BN)
³I know all about Ephraim;
    Israel is not hidden^(BO) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
    Israel is corrupt.^(BP)

⁴“Their deeds do not permit them
    to return^(BQ) to their God.
A spirit of prostitution^(BR) is in their heart;
    they do not acknowledge^(BS) the Lord.
⁵Israel’s arrogance testifies^(BT) against them;
    the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble^(BU) in their sin;
    Judah also stumbles with them.^(BV)
⁶When they go with their flocks and herds
    to seek the Lord,^(BW)
they will not find him;
    he has withdrawn^(BX) himself from them.
⁷They are unfaithful^(BY) to the Lord;
    they give birth to illegitimate^(BZ) children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,^(CA)
    he will devour^[f]^(CB) their fields.

⁸“Sound the trumpet^(CC) in Gibeah,^(CD)
    the horn in Ramah.^(CE)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven^[g];^(CF)
    lead on, Benjamin.
⁹Ephraim will be laid waste^(CG)
    on the day of reckoning.^(CH)
Among the tribes of Israel
    I proclaim what is certain.^(CI)
¹⁰Judah’s leaders are like those
    who move boundary stones.^(CJ)
I will pour out my wrath^(CK) on them
    like a flood of water.
¹¹Ephraim is oppressed,
    trampled in judgment,
    intent on pursuing idols.^[h]^(CL)
¹²I am like a moth^(CM) to Ephraim,
    like rot^(CN) to the people of Judah.

¹³“When Ephraim^(CO) saw his sickness,
    and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria,^(CP)
    and sent to the great king for help.^(CQ)
But he is not able to cure^(CR) you,
    not able to heal your sores.^(CS)
¹⁴For I will be like a lion^(CT) to Ephraim,
    like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces^(CU) and go away;
    I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.^(CV)
¹⁵Then I will return to my lair^(CW)
    until they have borne their guilt^(CX)
    and seek my face^(CY)—
in their misery^(CZ)
    they will earnestly seek me.^(DA)”

Footnotes

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.