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
International Standard Version
God Loves Israel
11 “When Israel was a young child I loved him,
and from Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I called out to them,
the farther they fled from me;[a]
they sacrificed to Baals,[b]
burning incense to carved images.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
supporting them by their arms,
but they never knew that I was healing them.
4 I guided them with human kindness,
with loving reins.
I acted toward them
like one who removes a yoke from their neck;
I bent down and fed them.
5 “They will not return to the land of Egypt;
instead, the Assyrian will be their king,
because they kept refusing to repent.
6 The sword will fall on their cities,
consuming and devouring their fortified gates,[c]
despite their planning.
7 My people are determined to turn away from me;
though they call to the Most High,
no one is worshiping.
8 “How can I give up on you, Ephraim?
I will deliver you, will I not, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
I can’t make you like Zeboim,[d] can I?
My heart stirs within me;
my compassion also fans into flame!
9 I will not act in my anger;
I will not return to destroy Ephraim,
For I am God,
and not a human—
the Holy One among you—
so I will not enter the city in anger.[e]
10 They will go after the Lord,
who will roar like a lion;
and when he roars,
the children will come trembling from the west.
11 Trembling like a bird, they will come out of Egypt,
and as a dove from the land of Assyria;
and I will settle them in their houses,”
declares the Lord.
12 [f]“Ephraim surrounds me with lies,
and the house of Israel surrounds me[g] with deceit,
But Judah still rules with God,
and remains faithful, along with the godly ones.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:2 So LXX. MT reads They called to them, so they went away from them.
- Hosea 11:2 I.e. Canaanite deities
- Hosea 11:6 Lit. devouring the bars
- Hosea 11:8 cf. Deut 29:23
- Hosea 11:9 The Heb. lacks in anger
- Hosea 11:12 This v. is 12:1 in MT
- Hosea 11:12 The Heb. lacks surrounds me
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