以色列和犹大不思悔改

来吧,让我们归向耶和华!
祂撕裂我们,也必医治我们;
祂击打我们,也必为我们裹伤。
过两天,祂必复兴我们;
第三天,祂必使我们站立起来,
在祂面前存活。
让我们认识耶和华,
竭力认识耶和华!
祂必到来,
如同必然显露的曙光,
又如滋润大地的春雨。

耶和华说:
“以法莲啊,我该怎样待你呢?
犹大啊,我该怎样待你呢?
你们对我的爱像晨雾,
如转瞬即逝的朝露。
所以,我差遣先知用我的话杀戮你们,
我的审判必如闪电临到你们。
我喜爱怜悯之心,而非祭物;
我喜爱人认识我,胜于燔祭。
可是,你们却如亚当一样背约,
以诡诈待我。
基列是罪恶之城,
到处血迹斑斑。
祭司如同暗中抢劫的强盗,
成群结伙地作恶,
在通往示剑的路上谋害无辜。
10 我在以色列家看见了可怕之事,
以法莲不忠不贞,玷污了自己。
11 犹大啊,
你必得到我给你定的下场[a]

“每当我要使子民复兴的时候,
每当我要医治以色列的时候,
却看见以法莲的罪,撒玛利亚[b]的恶。
他们行事诡诈;
盗贼进屋偷窃,强盗外出抢劫。
他们没有想到我记得他们的所有恶行。
如今他们的罪恶环绕他们,
都暴露在我面前。
他们以罪恶取悦君王,
以谎言讨好首领。
他们都是通奸之徒[c]
就像热烘烘的烤炉,
从揉面到面团发起,
烤饼的人不用挑炉火。
君王宴乐的时候,
首领们醉酒成病,
君王也与轻慢上帝的人联手。
他们的心如烤炉,燃烧着阴谋。
他们的怒气如整夜闷烧的炉火,
早晨爆发出熊熊烈焰。
他们像炙热的烤炉,
吞灭他们的首领。
他们的君王都倒地而亡,
没有一个向我求救。

“以法莲与外族人混杂,
就像没有翻过的饼[d]
外族人耗尽了他的力量,
他却茫然不知。
他头发斑白,
却浑然不觉。
10 以色列人被自己的傲慢指控,
他们却不归向他们的上帝耶和华,
也不去寻求祂。
11 以法莲像鸽子一样愚蠢无知,
他们向埃及求救,又投奔亚述。
12 他们去的时候,
我要张网网住他们,
我要像打落飞鸟一样打落他们。
我要按他们的恶行[e]惩罚他们。
13 他们有祸了,
因为他们背弃我!
他们要被毁灭了,
因为他们背叛我!
我要救赎他们,
他们却向我撒谎。
14 他们没有真心呼求我,
只是在床上哭号。
他们为求五谷和新酒而割伤自己,
却背弃了我。
15 我训练他们,使他们臂膀强壮,
他们却阴谋作恶抗拒我。
16 他们回转,却不肯转向至高者,
他们就像无用的断弓。
他们的首领要因出言狂妄而丧身刀下,
成为埃及人的笑柄。

耶和华指责以色列人拜偶像

“吹响号角警告众人吧!
敌人要如鹰扑向耶和华的家,
因为百姓背弃我的约,
违背我的律法。
他们要向我呼求,
‘我们的上帝啊,
我们以色列人认识你了。’
以色列已经弃绝良善,
所以敌人要追赶他。
他们拥立君王,未经我的同意;
选立首领,没有让我知道。
他们用金银为自己制造神像,自取灭亡。
我鄙弃撒玛利亚人所拜的牛犊,
我要向他们发怒,
他们到什么时候才能洁身自守呢?
这牛犊是以色列的工匠造的,
并不是神,必被砸得粉碎。
他们种的是风,
收的是暴风。
他们的庄稼长不出穗子,
结不出籽粒,
就是有收成,
也要被外族人吃掉。
以色列被吞灭了,
他在列国之中,
就像无用的破器皿。
他们投奔亚述,
就像孤独漂泊的野驴。
以法莲收买情人。
10 尽管他们在各国贿买盟友,
如今我却要把他们聚集起来,审判他们。
他们必因君王和首领的欺压而日渐衰微。

11 “以法莲增建除罪的祭坛,
这些祭坛却成为他的犯罪之处。
12 我为他写下千万条的律法,
他却视若无睹。
13 他们献给我祭牲,并吃祭肉,
但不蒙耶和华的悦纳。
我必记住他们的罪恶,
追讨他们的罪债,
使他们回到埃及。
14 以色列忘记了他们的创造主,
建造许多宫殿;
犹大兴建许多坚城。
但我要降火烧毁他们的城邑和堡垒。”

Footnotes

  1. 6:11 你必得到我给你定的下场”希伯来文是“我已经为你定下收割的时间”。
  2. 7:1 撒玛利亚”为北国以色列的首都,此处代指以色列。本卷书中下同。
  3. 7:4 通奸之徒”此处指以色列人背弃耶和华,祭拜偶像。
  4. 7:8 没有翻过的饼”指一面烤焦一面生的饼,不能食用,意义见下节。
  5. 7:12 他们的恶行”希伯来文是“他们的会众所听到的”。

Israel Unrepentant

“Come, let us return(A) to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces(B)
    but he will heal us;(C)
he has injured us
    but he will bind up our wounds.(D)
After two days he will revive us;(E)
    on the third day(F) he will restore(G) us,
    that we may live in his presence.
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,(H)
    like the spring rains that water the earth.(I)

“What can I do with you, Ephraim?(J)
    What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
    like the early dew that disappears.(K)
Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
    I killed you with the words of my mouth(L)
    then my judgments go forth like the sun.[a](M)
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(N)
    and acknowledgment(O) of God rather than burnt offerings.(P)
As at Adam,[b] they have broken the covenant;(Q)
    they were unfaithful(R) to me there.
Gilead is a city of evildoers,(S)
    stained with footprints of blood.
As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,(T)
    so do bands of priests;
they murder(U) on the road to Shechem,
    carrying out their wicked schemes.(V)
10 I have seen a horrible(W) thing in Israel:
    There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
    Israel is defiled.(X)

11 “Also for you, Judah,
    a harvest(Y) is appointed.

“Whenever I would restore the fortunes(Z) of my people,

whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
    and the crimes of Samaria revealed.(AA)
They practice deceit,(AB)
    thieves break into houses,(AC)
    bandits rob in the streets;(AD)
but they do not realize
    that I remember(AE) all their evil deeds.(AF)
Their sins engulf them;(AG)
    they are always before me.

“They delight the king with their wickedness,
    the princes with their lies.(AH)
They are all adulterers,(AI)
    burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
    from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
On the day of the festival of our king
    the princes become inflamed with wine,(AJ)
    and he joins hands with the mockers.(AK)
Their hearts are like an oven;(AL)
    they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
    in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
All of them are hot as an oven;
    they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,(AM)
    and none of them calls(AN) on me.

“Ephraim mixes(AO) with the nations;
    Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
Foreigners sap his strength,(AP)
    but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
    but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,(AQ)
    but despite all this
he does not return(AR) to the Lord his God
    or search(AS) for him.

11 “Ephraim is like a dove,(AT)
    easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,(AU)
    now turning to Assyria.(AV)
12 When they go, I will throw my net(AW) 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(AX) to them,
    because they have strayed(AY) from me!
Destruction to them,
    because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
    but they speak about me(AZ) falsely.(BA)
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts(BB)
    but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[c] appealing to their gods
    for grain and new wine,(BC)
    but they turn away from me.(BD)
15 I trained(BE) them and strengthened their arms,
    but they plot evil(BF) against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;(BG)
    they are like a faulty bow.(BH)
Their leaders will fall by the sword
    because of their insolent(BI) words.
For this they will be ridiculed(BJ)
    in the land of Egypt.(BK)

Israel to Reap the Whirlwind

“Put the trumpet(BL) to your lips!
    An eagle(BM) is over the house of the Lord
because the people have broken my covenant(BN)
    and rebelled against my law.(BO)
Israel cries out to me,
    ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
But Israel has rejected what is good;
    an enemy will pursue him.(BP)
They set up kings without my consent;
    they choose princes without my approval.(BQ)
With their silver and gold
    they make idols(BR) for themselves
    to their own destruction.
Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!(BS)
    My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?(BT)
    They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
    it is not God.(BU)
It will be broken in pieces,
    that calf(BV) of Samaria.(BW)

“They sow the wind
    and reap the whirlwind.(BX)
The stalk has no head;
    it will produce no flour.(BY)
Were it to yield grain,
    foreigners would swallow it up.(BZ)
Israel is swallowed up;(CA)
    now she is among the nations
    like something no one wants.(CB)
For they have gone up to Assyria(CC)
    like a wild donkey(CD) wandering alone.
    Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.(CE)
10 Although they have sold themselves among the nations,
    I will now gather them together.(CF)
They will begin to waste away(CG)
    under the oppression of the mighty king.

11 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
    these have become altars for sinning.(CH)
12 I wrote for them the many things of my law,
    but they regarded them as something foreign.(CI)
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me,
    and though they eat(CJ) the meat,
    the Lord is not pleased with them.(CK)
Now he will remember(CL) their wickedness
    and punish their sins:(CM)
    They will return to Egypt.(CN)
14 Israel has forgotten(CO) their Maker(CP)
    and built palaces;
    Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire on their cities
    that will consume their fortresses.”(CQ)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 6:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  2. Hosea 6:7 Or Like Adam; or Like human beings
  3. Hosea 7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together