when I heal Israel,(A)
the sins of Ephraim(B) and the crimes of Samaria(C)
will be exposed.
For they practice fraud;(D)
a thief breaks in;
a raiding party pillages outside.(E)
But they never consider that I remember all their evil.(F)
Now their sins are all around them;(G)
they are right in front of My face.

Israel’s Corruption

They please the king with their evil,(H)
the princes with their lies.(I)
All of them commit adultery;(J)
they are like an oven heated by a baker
who stops stirring the fire
from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
On the day of our king,
the princes are sick with the heat of wine(K)
there is a conspiracy with traitors.[a]
For they—their hearts like an oven—
draw him into their oven.
Their anger smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
All of them are as hot as an oven,(L)
and they consume their rulers.(M)
All their kings fall;
not one of them calls on Me.[b]

Ephraim has allowed himself to get mixed up with the nations.
Ephraim is unturned bread baked on a griddle.
Foreigners consume his strength,(N)
but he does not notice.(O)
Even his hair is streaked with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them,[c](P)
yet they do not return to Yahweh their God,(Q)
and for all this, they do not seek Him.

11 So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove;(R)
they call to Egypt,(S) and they go to Assyria.(T)
12 As they are going, I will spread My net over them;(U)
I will bring them down like birds of the sky.
I will discipline them in accordance
with the news that reaches[d] their assembly.

The Lord’s Second Lament

13 Woe to them,(V) for they fled from Me;(W)
destruction to them, for they rebelled against Me!
Though I want to redeem them,(X)
they speak lies against Me.
14 They do not cry to Me from their hearts;
rather, they wail on their beds.
They slash themselves[e](Y) for grain and new wine;(Z)
they turn away from Me.
15 I trained and strengthened their arms,(AA)
but they plot evil against Me.(AB)
16 They turn, but not to what is above;[f]
they are like a faulty bow.(AC)
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of the cursing of their tongue.(AD)
They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 7:5 Lit wine—he stretches out his hand to scorners; Hb obscure
  2. Hosea 7:7 These vv. may refer to a king’s assassination; Hb obscure.
  3. Hosea 7:10 Lit against his face
  4. Hosea 7:12 Lit news to
  5. Hosea 7:14 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read They stay
  6. Hosea 7:16 Some emend to turn to what is useless

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

11 I ask, then, has God rejected His people?(A) Absolutely not!(B) For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,(C) from the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.(D) Or don’t you know(E) what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel?

Lord, they have killed Your prophets
and torn down Your altars.
I am the only one left,
and they are trying to take my life!(F)[a]

But what was God’s reply to him? I have left 7,000 men for Myself who have not bowed down to Baal.(G)[b] In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.(H) Now if by grace,(I) then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.[c]

What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for,(J) but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,(K) as it is written:

God gave them a spirit of insensitivity,[d]
eyes that cannot see
and ears that cannot hear,
to this day.(L)[e]

And David says:

Let their feasting[f] become a snare and a trap,
a pitfall and a retribution to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent continually.(M)[g]

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

11 I ask, then, have they stumbled in order to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their stumbling,[h] salvation has come to the Gentiles(N) to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their stumbling[i] brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring!(O)

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles,(P) I magnify my ministry, 14 if I can somehow make my own people[j](Q) jealous and save some of them.(R) 15 For if their rejection brings reconciliation(S) to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?(T) 16 Now if the firstfruits offered up are holy,(U) so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 Now if some of the branches were broken off,(V) and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them(W) and have come to share in the rich root[k] of the cultivated olive tree, 18 do not brag that you are better than those branches. But if you do brag—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.(X) 19 Then you will say,(Y) “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True enough; they were broken off by unbelief, but you stand by faith.(Z) Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.(AA) 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either. 22 Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness(AB) toward you—if you remain in His kindness.(AC) Otherwise you too will be cut off.(AD) 23 And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief,(AE) will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from your native wild olive and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 So that you will not be conceited,(AF) brothers, I do not want you to be unaware(AG) of this mystery:(AH) A partial hardening has come to Israel(AI) until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.(AJ) 26 And in this way all[l] Israel will be saved, as it is written:

The Liberator will come from Zion;
He will turn away godlessness from Jacob.
27 And this will be My covenant with them(AK)[m]
when I take away their sins.(AL)[n]

28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage,(AM) but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs,(AN) 29 since God’s gracious gifts and calling(AO) are irrevocable.[o](AP) 30 As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their disobedience, 31 so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also now[p] may receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience,(AQ) so that He may have mercy on all.

A Hymn of Praise

33 Oh, the depth of the riches(AR)
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!(AS)
How unsearchable His judgments(AT)
and untraceable His ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?(AU)
Or who has been His counselor?
35 Or who has ever first given to Him,
and has to be repaid?(AV)[q]
36 For from Him and through Him
and to Him are all things.(AW)
To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:3 1Kg 19:10,14
  2. Romans 11:4 1Kg 19:18
  3. Romans 11:6 Other mss add But if of works it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
  4. Romans 11:8 Lit stupification
  5. Romans 11:8 Dt 29:4; Is 29:10
  6. Romans 11:9 Lit table
  7. Romans 11:10 Ps 69:22-23
  8. Romans 11:11 Or transgression
  9. Romans 11:12 Or transgression
  10. Romans 11:14 Lit flesh
  11. Romans 11:17 Other mss read the root and the richness
  12. Romans 11:26 Or And then all
  13. Romans 11:27 Is 59:20-21
  14. Romans 11:27 Jr 31:31-34
  15. Romans 11:29 Or are not taken back
  16. Romans 11:31 Other mss omit now
  17. Romans 11:35 Jb 41:11; Is 40:13; Jr 23:18

Psalm 145

Praising God’s Greatness

A Davidic hymn.

I[a] exalt You, my God the King,
and praise Your name forever and ever.(A)
I will praise You every day;
I will honor Your name forever and ever.(B)

Yahweh is great and is highly praised;(C)
His greatness is unsearchable.(D)
One generation will declare Your works to the next
and will proclaim Your mighty acts.(E)
I[b] will speak of Your splendor and glorious majesty
and[c] Your wonderful works.(F)
They will proclaim the power of Your awe-inspiring acts,
and I will declare Your greatness.[d](G)
They will give a testimony of Your great goodness
and will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.(H)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and great in faithful love.(I)
The Lord is good to everyone;(J)
His compassion rests on all He has made.(K)
10 All You have made will thank You, Lord;
the[e] godly will praise You.(L)
11 They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom
and will declare Your might,(M)
12 informing all people of Your mighty acts
and of the glorious splendor of Your[f] kingdom.(N)
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;
Your rule is for all generations.(O)
The Lord is faithful in all His words
and gracious in all His actions.[g](P)

14 The Lord helps all who fall;
He raises up all who are oppressed.[h](Q)
15 All eyes look to You,
and You give them their food at the proper time.(R)
16 You open Your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.(S)

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways
and gracious in all His acts.(T)
18 The Lord is near all who call out to Him,
all who call out to Him with integrity.(U)
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry for help and saves them.(V)
20 The Lord guards all those who love Him,
but He destroys all the wicked.(W)
21 My mouth will declare Yahweh’s praise;
let every living thing
praise His holy name forever and ever.(X)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:1 The lines of this poem form an acrostic.
  2. Psalm 145:5 LXX, Syr read They
  3. Psalm 145:5 LXX, Syr read and they will tell of
  4. Psalm 145:6 Alt Hb tradition, Jer read great deeds
  5. Psalm 145:10 Lit Your
  6. Psalm 145:12 LXX, Syr, Jer; MT reads His
  7. Psalm 145:13 One Hb ms, DSS, LXX, Syr; some Hb mss omit The Lord is faithful in all His words and gracious in all His actions.
  8. Psalm 145:14 Lit bowed down

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