Hosea 4-6
New King James Version
God’s Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a (A)charge[a] against the inhabitants of the land:
“There is no truth or mercy
Or (B)knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed [b]upon bloodshed.
3 Therefore (C)the land will mourn;
And (D)everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those (E)who contend with the priest.
5 Therefore you shall stumble (F)in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 (G)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
(H)Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 “The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
(I)I[c] will change [d]their glory into shame.
8 They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their [e]heart on their iniquity.
9 And it shall be: (J)like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And [f]reward them for their deeds.
10 For (K)they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.
The Idolatry of Israel
11 “Harlotry, wine, and new wine (L)enslave the heart.
12 My people ask counsel from their (M)wooden idols,
And their [g]staff informs them.
For (N)the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
And they have played the harlot against their God.
13 (O)They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because their shade is good.
(P)Therefore your daughters commit harlotry,
And your brides commit adultery.
14 “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a (Q)ritual harlot.
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
15 “Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Let not Judah offend.
(R)Do not come up to Gilgal,
Nor go up to (S)Beth[h] Aven,
(T)Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—
16 “For Israel (U)is stubborn
Like a stubborn calf;
Now the Lord will let them forage
Like a lamb in [i]open country.
17 “Ephraim is joined to idols,
(V)Let him alone.
18 Their drink [j]is rebellion,
They commit harlotry continually.
(W)Her [k]rulers [l]dearly love dishonor.
19 (X)The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And (Y)they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah
5 “Hear this, O priests!
Take heed, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king!
For [m]yours is the judgment,
Because (Z)you have been a snare to Mizpah
And a net spread on Tabor.
2 The revolters are (AA)deeply involved in slaughter,
Though I rebuke them all.
3 (AB)I know Ephraim,
And Israel is not hidden from Me;
For now, O Ephraim, (AC)you commit harlotry;
Israel is defiled.
4 “They[n] do not direct their deeds
Toward turning to their God,
For (AD)the spirit of harlotry is in their midst,
And they do not know the Lord.
5 The (AE)pride of Israel testifies to his face;
Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;
Judah also stumbles with them.
6 “With their flocks and herds
(AF)They shall go to seek the Lord,
But they will not find Him;
He has withdrawn Himself from them.
7 They have (AG)dealt treacherously with the Lord,
For they have begotten [o]pagan children.
Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage.
8 “Blow(AH) the ram’s horn in Gibeah,
The trumpet in Ramah!
(AI)Cry aloud at (AJ)Beth Aven,
‘Look behind you, O Benjamin!’
9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke;
Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure.
10 “The princes of Judah are like those who (AK)remove a landmark;
I will pour out My wrath on them like water.
11 Ephraim is (AL)oppressed and broken in judgment,
Because he willingly walked by (AM)human precept.
12 Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth,
And to the house of Judah (AN)like rottenness.
13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness,
And Judah saw his (AO)wound,
Then Ephraim went (AP)to Assyria
And sent to King Jareb;
Yet he cannot cure you,
Nor heal you of your wound.
14 For (AQ)I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
And like a young lion to the house of Judah.
(AR)I, even I, will tear them and go away;
I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.
15 I will return again to My place
Till they [p]acknowledge their offense.
Then they will seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
A Call to Repentance
6 Come,(AS) and let us return to the Lord;
For (AT)He has torn, but (AU)He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will [q]bind us up.
2 (AV)After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
3 (AW)Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established (AX)as the morning;
(AY)He will come to us (AZ)like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
Impenitence of Israel and Judah
4 “O Ephraim, what shall I do to you?
O Judah, what shall I do to you?
For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud,
And like the early dew it goes away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by (BA)the words of My mouth;
And [r]your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire (BB)mercy[s] and (BC)not sacrifice,
And the (BD)knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “But like [t]men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
8 (BE)Gilead is a city of evildoers
And [u]defiled with blood.
9 As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man,
So the company of (BF)priests (BG)murder on the way to Shechem;
Surely they commit (BH)lewdness.
10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel:
There is the [v]harlotry of Ephraim;
Israel is defiled.
11 Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you,
When I return the captives of My people.
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:1 A legal complaint
- Hosea 4:2 Lit. touching
- Hosea 4:7 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; scribal tradition, Syr., Tg. They will change
- Hosea 4:7 So with MT, LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg.; scribal tradition My glory
- Hosea 4:8 Desires
- Hosea 4:9 repay
- Hosea 4:12 Diviner’s rod
- Hosea 4:15 Lit. House of Idolatry or Wickedness
- Hosea 4:16 Lit. a large place
- Hosea 4:18 Or has turned aside
- Hosea 4:18 Lit. shields
- Hosea 4:18 Heb. difficult; a Jewish tradition shamefully love, ‘Give!’
- Hosea 5:1 Or to you
- Hosea 5:4 Or Their deeds will not allow them to turn
- Hosea 5:7 Lit. strange
- Hosea 5:15 Lit. become guilty or bear punishment
- Hosea 6:1 Bandage
- Hosea 6:5 Or the judgments on you
- Hosea 6:6 Or faithfulness or loyalty
- Hosea 6:7 Or Adam
- Hosea 6:8 Lit. foot-tracked
- Hosea 6:10 Spiritual adultery
Matthew 17
New King James Version
Jesus Transfigured on the Mount(A)
17 Now (B)after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, [a]let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 (C)While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, (D)“This is My beloved Son, (E)in whom I am well pleased. (F)Hear Him!” 6 (G)And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and (H)touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, (I)“Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming [b]first and will (J)restore all things. 12 (K)But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they (L)did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise (M)the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 (N)Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
A Boy Is Healed(O)
14 (P)And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is [c]an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O [d]faithless and (Q)perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus (R)rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your [e]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, (S)if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 [f]However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection(T)
22 (U)Now while they were [g]staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly (V)sorrowful.
Peter and His Master Pay Their Taxes
24 (W)When they had come to [h]Capernaum, those who received the [i]temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”
25 He said, “Yes.”
And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from (X)strangers?”
26 Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”
Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a [j]piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 17:4 NU I will make
- Matthew 17:11 NU omits first
- Matthew 17:15 Lit. moonstruck
- Matthew 17:17 unbelieving
- Matthew 17:20 NU little faith
- Matthew 17:21 NU omits v. 21.
- Matthew 17:22 NU gathering together
- Matthew 17:24 NU Capharnaum, here and elsewhere
- Matthew 17:24 Lit. double drachma
- Matthew 17:27 Gr. stater, the exact temple tax for two
Psalm 58
New King James Version
The Just Judgment of the Wicked
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David.
58 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
2 No, in heart you work wickedness;
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
3 (A)The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4 (B)Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5 Which will not (C)heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully.
6 (D)Break[b] their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 (E)Let them flow away as waters which run continually;
When he bends his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes,
(F)Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
9 Before your (G)pots can feel the burning thorns,
He shall take them away (H)as with a whirlwind,
As in His living and burning wrath.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the (I)vengeance;
(J)He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11 (K)So that men will say,
“Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who (L)judges in the earth.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 58:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 58:6 Break away
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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