Hosea 11
Lexham English Bible
God Will Have Compassion
11 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 When I called[a] them, they went from my face.[b]
They sacrificed to the Baals, and they sacrificed to idols.
3 And I myself taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them[c] in my[d] arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I drew them with human ties,[e]
with the bands of love.
I was to them like one who lifted up[f] a yoke on their jaws,[g]
though I bent down to them[h] and let them[i] eat.
5 He will return[j] to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria will be his king,[k]
because they refused to return.
6 The sword rages in his cities;
it consumes his false prophets
and devours because of their plans.
7 My people are bent on backsliding from me.
To the Most High they call,
he does not raise them at all.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart is disturbed[l] within me;
all[m] my compassions are aroused.
9 I will not execute[n] my fierce anger,[o]
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
because I am God
and not a mortal,[p]
the Holy One in your midst;
and I will not come in wrath.
10 They will go after Yahweh;
he roars like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling
from the sea.[q]
11 They will tremble like birds[r] from Egypt,
and like doves[s] from the land of Assyria;
and I will let them return[t] to their homes—
a declaration of Yahweh.
Israel’s History
12 [u] Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,[v]
and the house of Israel with deceit;
and Judah is still wandering with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:2 Hebrew “When they called”; the LXX and modern translations read “When I called”
- Hosea 11:2 Hebrew “their face”
- Hosea 11:3 Hebrew uncertain
- Hosea 11:3 Hebrew “his”
- Hosea 11:4 Literally “ropes of a human”
- Hosea 11:4 Or “like one who imposed”
- Hosea 11:4 Or “infants to their cheeks”
- Hosea 11:4 Hebrew “him”
- Hosea 11:4 Hebrew “him”
- Hosea 11:5 Or “They will not return”
- Hosea 11:5 That is “Israel’s king”
- Hosea 11:8 Or “My heart is overturned”
- Hosea 11:8 Literally “together”
- Hosea 11:9 Literally “I will not do”
- Hosea 11:9 Literally “the anger of my nose”
- Hosea 11:9 Or “human”
- Hosea 11:10 That is, “the West”
- Hosea 11:11 Hebrew “bird”
- Hosea 11:11 Hebrew “dove”
- Hosea 11:11 Hebrew “I will cause them to live”
- Hosea 11:12 Hosea 11:12–12:14 in the English Bible is 12:1–15 in the Hebrew Bible
- Hosea 11:12 Hebrew “lie”
Hosea 11
Common English Bible
Divine love
11 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I called them,
the further they went from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
and they burned incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up in my arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them
with bands of human kindness,
with cords of love.
I treated them like those
who lift infants to their cheeks;
I bent down to them and fed them.
Divine frustration
5 They will return to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria will be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword will strike wildly in their cities;
it will consume the bars of their gates
and will take everything because of their schemes.
7 My people are bent on turning away from me;
and though they cry out to the Most High,[a]
he will not raise them up.
Divine compassion
8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart winces within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
Israel’s and Judah’s responses
9 I won’t act on the heat of my anger;
I won’t return to destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a human being,
the holy one in your midst;
I won’t come in harsh judgment.
10 They will walk after the Lord,
who roars like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like a bird,
and like a dove from the land of Assyria;
and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.
12 [b] Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
the house of Israel with faithless acts;
but Judah still walks with God,
and is faithful to the holy one.
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:7 Heb uncertain
- Hosea 11:12 12:1 in Heb
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