Hosea 9-11

New International Version

Punishment for Israel

9 Do not rejoice, Israel;
    do not be jubilant^(A) like the other nations.
For you have been unfaithful^(B) to your God;
    you love the wages of a prostitute^(C)
    at every threshing floor.
²Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people;
    the new wine^(D) will fail them.
³They will not remain^(E) in the Lord’s land;
    Ephraim will return to Egypt^(F)
    and eat unclean food in Assyria.^(G)
⁴They will not pour out wine offerings^(H) to the Lord,
    nor will their sacrifices please^(I) him.
Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners;^(J)
    all who eat them will be unclean.^(K)
This food will be for themselves;
    it will not come into the temple of the Lord.^(L)

⁵What will you do^(M) on the day of your appointed festivals,^(N)
    on the feast days of the Lord?
⁶Even if they escape from destruction,
    Egypt will gather them,^(O)
    and Memphis^(P) will bury them.^(Q)
Their treasures of silver^(R) will be taken over by briers,
    and thorns^(S) will overrun their tents.
⁷The days of punishment^(T) are coming,
    the days of reckoning^(U) are at hand.
    Let Israel know this.
Because your sins^(V) are so many
    and your hostility so great,
the prophet is considered a fool,^(W)
    the inspired person a maniac.^(X)
⁸The prophet, along with my God,
    is the watchman over Ephraim,^[a]
yet snares^(Y) await him on all his paths,
    and hostility in the house of his God.^(Z)
⁹They have sunk deep into corruption,^(AA)
    as in the days of Gibeah.^(AB)
God will remember^(AC) their wickedness
    and punish them for their sins.^(AD)

¹⁰“When I found Israel,
    it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
    it was like seeing the early fruit^(AE) on the fig^(AF) tree.
But when they came to Baal Peor,^(AG)
    they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol^(AH)
    and became as vile as the thing they loved.
¹¹Ephraim’s glory^(AI) will fly away like a bird^(AJ)—
    no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.^(AK)
¹²Even if they rear children,
    I will bereave^(AL) them of every one.
Woe^(AM) to them
    when I turn away from them!^(AN)
¹³I have seen Ephraim,^(AO) like Tyre,
    planted in a pleasant place.^(AP)
But Ephraim will bring out
    their children to the slayer.”^(AQ)

¹⁴Give them, Lord—
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that are dry.^(AR)

¹⁵“Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,^(AS)
    I hated them there.
Because of their sinful deeds,^(AT)
    I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;^(AU)
    all their leaders are rebellious.^(AV)
¹⁶Ephraim^(AW) is blighted,
    their root is withered,
    they yield no fruit.^(AX)
Even if they bear children,
    I will slay^(AY) their cherished offspring.”

¹⁷My God will reject^(AZ) them
because they have not obeyed^(BA) him;
they will be wanderers among the nations.^(BB)

10 Israel was a spreading vine;^(BC)
    he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
    he built more altars;^(BD)
as his land prospered,^(BE)
    he adorned his sacred stones.^(BF)
²Their heart is deceitful,^(BG)
    and now they must bear their guilt.^(BH)
The Lord will demolish their altars^(BI)
    and destroy their sacred stones.^(BJ)

³Then 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?”
⁴They make many promises,
    take false oaths^(BK)
    and make agreements;^(BL)
therefore lawsuits spring up
    like poisonous weeds^(BM) in a plowed field.
⁵The people who live in Samaria fear
    for the calf-idol^(BN) of Beth Aven.^[b]^(BO)
Its people will mourn over it,
    and so will its idolatrous priests,^(BP)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
    because it is taken from them into exile.^(BQ)
⁶It will be carried to Assyria^(BR)
    as tribute^(BS) for the great king.^(BT)
Ephraim will be disgraced;^(BU)
    Israel will be ashamed^(BV) of its foreign alliances.
⁷Samaria’s king will be destroyed,^(BW)
    swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
⁸The high places^(BX) of wickedness^[c]^(BY) will be destroyed—
    it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns^(BZ) and thistles will grow up
    and cover their altars.^(CA)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”^(CB)
    and to the hills, “Fall on us!”^(CC)

⁹“Since the days of Gibeah,^(CD) you have sinned,^(CE) Israel,
    and there you have remained.^[d]
Will not war again overtake
    the evildoers in Gibeah?
¹⁰When I please, I will punish^(CF) them;
    nations will be gathered against them
    to put them in bonds for their double sin.
¹¹Ephraim is a trained heifer
    that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke^(CG)
    on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
    Judah must plow,
    and Jacob must break up the ground.
¹²Sow^(CH) righteousness^(CI) for yourselves,
    reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;^(CJ)
    for it is time to seek^(CK) the Lord,
until he comes
    and showers his righteousness^(CL) on you.
¹³But you have planted wickedness,
    you have reaped evil,^(CM)
    you have eaten the fruit of deception.^(CN)
Because you have depended on your own strength
    and on your many warriors,^(CO)
¹⁴the roar of battle will rise against your people,
    so that all your fortresses will be devastated^(CP)—
as Shalman^(CQ) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
    when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.^(CR)
¹⁵So will it happen to you, Bethel,
    because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
    the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.^(CS)

God’s Love for Israel

11 “When Israel was a child,^(CT) I loved^(CU) him,
    and out of Egypt I called my son.^(CV)
²But the more they were called,
    the more they went away from me.^[e]^(CW)
They sacrificed to the Baals^(CX)
    and they burned incense to images.^(CY)
³It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
    taking them by the arms;^(CZ)
but they did not realize
    it was I who healed^(DA) them.
⁴I led them with cords of human kindness,
    with ties of love.^(DB)
To them I was like one who lifts
    a little child to the cheek,
    and I bent down to feed^(DC) them.^(DD)

⁵“Will they not return to Egypt^(DE)
    and will not Assyria^(DF) rule over them
    because they refuse to repent?^(DG)
⁶A sword^(DH) will flash in their cities;
    it will devour^(DI) their false prophets
    and put an end to their plans.
⁷My people are determined to turn^(DJ) from me.^(DK)
    Even though they call me God Most High,
    I will by no means exalt them.

⁸“How can I give you up,^(DL) Ephraim?^(DM)
    How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
    How can I make you like Zeboyim?^(DN)
My heart is changed within me;
    all my compassion^(DO) is aroused.^(DP)
⁹I will not carry out my fierce anger,^(DQ)
    nor will I devastate^(DR) Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man^(DS)—
    the Holy One^(DT) among you.
    I will not come against their cities.
¹⁰They will follow the Lord;
    he will roar^(DU) like a lion.^(DV)
When he roars,
    his children will come trembling^(DW) from the west.^(DX)
¹¹They will come from Egypt,
    trembling like sparrows,
    from Assyria,^(DY) fluttering like doves.^(DZ)
I will settle them in their homes,”^(EA)
    declares the Lord.

Israel’s Sin

¹²Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,^(EB)
Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
even against the faithful^(EC) Holy One.^[f]^(ED)

Footnotes

Hosea 9:8 Or The prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, / the people of my God
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.

Revelation 18

New International Version

Lament Over Fallen Babylon

18 After this I saw another angel^(A) coming down from heaven.^(B) He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.^(C) ²With a mighty voice he shouted:

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’^[a]^(D)
    She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,^(E)
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
    a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.^(F)
³For all the nations have drunk
    the maddening wine of her adulteries.^(G)
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,^(H)
    and the merchants of the earth grew rich^(I) from her excessive luxuries.”^(J)

Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment

⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“‘Come out of her, my people,’^[b]^(K)
    so that you will not share in her sins,
    so that you will not receive any of her plagues;^(L)
⁵for her sins are piled up to heaven,^(M)
    and God has remembered^(N) her crimes.
⁶Give back to her as she has given;
    pay her back^(O) double^(P) for what she has done.
    Pour her a double portion from her own cup.^(Q)
⁷Give her as much torment and grief
    as the glory and luxury she gave herself.^(R)
In her heart she boasts,
    ‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;^[c]
    I will never mourn.’^(S)
⁸Therefore in one day^(T) her plagues will overtake her:
    death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,^(U)
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

⁹“When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her^(V) and shared her luxury^(W) see the smoke of her burning,^(X) they will weep and mourn over her.^(Y) ¹⁰Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off^(Z) and cry:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,^(AA)
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour^(AB) your doom has come!’

¹¹“The merchants^(AC) of the earth will weep and mourn^(AD) over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore^(AE)— ¹²cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;^(AF) ¹³cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.^(AG)

¹⁴“They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ ¹⁵The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her^(AH) will stand far off,^(AI) terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn^(AJ) ¹⁶and cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,^(AK)
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!^(AL)
¹⁷In one hour^(AM) such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’^(AN)

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea,^(AO) will stand far off.^(AP) ¹⁸When they see the smoke of her burning,^(AQ) they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city^(AR)?’^(AS) ¹⁹They will throw dust on their heads,^(AT) and with weeping and mourning^(AU) cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,^(AV)
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’^(AW)

²⁰“Rejoice over her, you heavens!^(AX)
    Rejoice, you people of God!
    Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
    with the judgment she imposed on you.”^(AY)

The Finality of Babylon’s Doom

²¹Then a mighty angel^(AZ) picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea,^(BA) and said:

“With such violence
    the great city^(BB) of Babylon will be thrown down,
    never to be found again.
²²The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
    will never be heard in you again.^(BC)
No worker of any trade
    will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
    will never be heard in you again.^(BD)
²³The light of a lamp
    will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
    will never be heard in you again.^(BE)
Your merchants were the world’s important people.^(BF)
    By your magic spell^(BG) all the nations were led astray.
²⁴In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,^(BH)
    of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”^(BI)