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Hosea 11-14
New Living Translation
Hosea 11-14
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Love for Israel
11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
2 But the more I called to him,
the farther he moved from me,[a]
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
and burning incense to idols.
3 I myself taught Israel[b] how to walk,
leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
that it was I who took care of him.
4 I led Israel along
with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
and I myself stooped to feed him.
5 “But since my people refuse to return to me,
they will return to Egypt
and will be forced to serve Assyria.
6 War will swirl through their cities;
their enemies will crash through their gates.
They will destroy them,
trapping them in their own evil plans.
7 For my people are determined to desert me.
They call me the Most High,
but they don’t truly honor me.
8 “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
and my compassion overflows.
9 No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.
I will not completely destroy Israel,
for I am God and not a mere mortal.
I am the Holy One living among you,
and I will not come to destroy.
10 For someday the people will follow me.
I, the Lord, will roar like a lion.
And when I roar,
my people will return trembling from the west.
11 Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt.
Trembling like doves, they will return from Assyria.
And I will bring them home again,”
says the Lord.
Charges against Israel and Judah
12 [c]Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit,
but Judah still obeys God
and is faithful to the Holy One.[d]
12 [e]The people of Israel[f] feed on the wind;
they chase after the east wind all day long.
They pile up lies and violence;
they are making an alliance with Assyria
while sending olive oil to buy support from Egypt.
2 Now the Lord is bringing charges against Judah.
He is about to punish Jacob[g] for all his deceitful ways,
and pay him back for all he has done.
3 Even in the womb,
Jacob struggled with his brother;
when he became a man,
he even fought with God.
4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won.
He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him.
There at Bethel he met God face to face,
and God spoke to him[h]—
5 the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,
the Lord is his name!
6 So now, come back to your God.
Act with love and justice,
and always depend on him.
7 But no, the people are like crafty merchants
selling from dishonest scales—
they love to cheat.
8 Israel boasts, “I am rich!
I’ve made a fortune all by myself!
No one has caught me cheating!
My record is spotless!”
9 “But I am the Lord your God,
who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
And I will make you live in tents again,
as you do each year at the Festival of Shelters.[i]
10 I sent my prophets to warn you
with many visions and parables.”
11 But the people of Gilead are worthless
because of their idol worship.
And in Gilgal, too, they sacrifice bulls;
their altars are lined up like the heaps of stone
along the edges of a plowed field.
12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram,
and there he[j] earned a wife by tending sheep.
13 Then by a prophet
the Lord brought Jacob’s descendants[k] out of Egypt;
and by that prophet
they were protected.
14 But the people of Israel
have bitterly provoked the Lord,
so their Lord will now sentence them to death
in payment for their sins.
The Lord’s Anger against Israel
13 When the tribe of Ephraim spoke,
the people shook with fear,
for that tribe was important in Israel.
But the people of Ephraim sinned by worshiping Baal
and thus sealed their destruction.
2 Now they continue to sin by making silver idols,
images shaped skillfully with human hands.
“Sacrifice to these,” they cry,
“and kiss the calf idols!”
3 Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist,
like dew in the morning sun,
like chaff blown by the wind,
like smoke from a chimney.
4 “I have been the Lord your God
ever since I brought you out of Egypt.
You must acknowledge no God but me,
for there is no other savior.
5 I took care of you in the wilderness,
in that dry and thirsty land.
6 But when you had eaten and were satisfied,
you became proud and forgot me.
7 So now I will attack you like a lion,
like a leopard that lurks along the road.
8 Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away,
I will tear out your heart.
I will devour you like a hungry lioness
and mangle you like a wild animal.
9 “You are about to be destroyed, O Israel—
yes, by me, your only helper.
10 Now where is[l] your king?
Let him save you!
Where are all the leaders of the land,
the king and the officials you demanded of me?
11 In my anger I gave you kings,
and in my fury I took them away.
12 “Ephraim’s guilt has been collected,
and his sin has been stored up for punishment.
13 Pain has come to the people
like the pain of childbirth,
but they are like a child
who resists being born.
The moment of birth has arrived,
but they stay in the womb!
14 “Should I ransom them from the grave[m]?
Should I redeem them from death?
O death, bring on your terrors!
O grave, bring on your plagues![n]
For I will not take pity on them.
15 Ephraim was the most fruitful of all his brothers,
but the east wind—a blast from the Lord—
will arise in the desert.
All their flowing springs will run dry,
and all their wells will disappear.
Every precious thing they own
will be plundered and carried away.
16 [o]The people of Samaria
must bear the consequences of their guilt
because they rebelled against their God.
They will be killed by an invading army,
their little ones dashed to death against the ground,
their pregnant women ripped open by swords.”
Healing for the Repentant
14 [p]Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for your sins have brought you down.
2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to him,
“Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer you our praises.[q]
3 Assyria cannot save us,
nor can our warhorses.
Never again will we say to the idols we have made,
‘You are our gods.’
No, in you alone
do the orphans find mercy.”
4 The Lord says,
“Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
my love will know no bounds,
for my anger will be gone forever.
5 I will be to Israel
like a refreshing dew from heaven.
Israel will blossom like the lily;
it will send roots deep into the soil
like the cedars in Lebanon.
6 Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees,
as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon.
7 My people will again live under my shade.
They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines.
They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.
8 “O Israel,[r] stay away from idols!
I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you.
I am like a tree that is always green;
all your fruit comes from me.”
9 Let those who are wise understand these things.
Let those with discernment listen carefully.
The paths of the Lord are true and right,
and righteous people live by walking in them.
But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.
Footnotes
- 11:2 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads the more they called to him, the farther he moved from them.
- 11:3 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 11:8, 9, 12.
- 11:12a Verse 11:12 is numbered 12:1 in Hebrew text.
- 11:12b Or and Judah is unruly against God, the faithful Holy One. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 12:1a Verses 12:1-14 are numbered 12:2-15 in Hebrew text.
- 12:1b Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 12:8, 14.
- 12:2 Jacob sounds like the Hebrew word for “deceiver.”
- 12:4 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads to us.
- 12:9 Hebrew as in the days of your appointed feast.
- 12:12 Hebrew Israel. See note on 10:11b.
- 12:13 Hebrew brought Israel. See note on 10:11b.
- 13:10 As in Greek and Syriac versions and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew reads I will be.
- 13:14a Hebrew Sheol; also in 13:14b.
- 13:14b Greek version reads O death, where is your punishment? / O grave [Hades], where is your sting? Compare 1 Cor 15:55.
- 13:16 Verse 16 is numbered 14:1 in Hebrew text.
- 14:1 Verses 14:1-9 are numbered 14:2-10 in Hebrew text.
- 14:2 As in Greek and Syriac versions, which read may repay the fruit of our lips; Hebrew reads may repay the bulls of our lips.
- 14:8 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel.
Hosea 11-14
New International Version
Hosea 11-14
New International Version
God’s Love for Israel
11 “When Israel was a child,(A) I loved(B) him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.(C)
2 But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.[a](D)
They sacrificed to the Baals(E)
and they burned incense to images.(F)
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;(G)
but they did not realize
it was I who healed(H) them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.(I)
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed(J) them.(K)
5 “Will they not return to Egypt(L)
and will not Assyria(M) rule over them
because they refuse to repent?(N)
6 A sword(O) will flash in their cities;
it will devour(P) their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn(Q) from me.(R)
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.
8 “How can I give you up,(S) Ephraim?(T)
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?(U)
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion(V) is aroused.(W)
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,(X)
nor will I devastate(Y) Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man(Z)—
the Holy One(AA) among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the Lord;
he will roar(AB) like a lion.(AC)
When he roars,
his children will come trembling(AD) from the west.(AE)
11 They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria,(AF) fluttering like doves.(AG)
I will settle them in their homes,”(AH)
declares the Lord.
Israel’s Sin
12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,(AI)
Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
even against the faithful(AJ) Holy One.[b](AK)
12 [c]1 Ephraim(AL) feeds on the wind;(AM)
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.(AN)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(AO)
and sends olive oil to Egypt.(AP)
2 The Lord has a charge(AQ) to bring against Judah;(AR)
he will punish(AS) Jacob[d] according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.(AT)
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(AU)
as a man he struggled(AV) with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(AW)
and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is his name!(AX)
6 But you must return(AY) to your God;
maintain love and justice,(AZ)
and wait for your God always.(BA)
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales(BB)
and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,(BC)
“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(BD)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
any iniquity or sin.”
9 “I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt;(BE)
I will make you live in tents(BF) again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables(BG) through them.”(BH)
11 Is Gilead wicked?(BI)
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(BJ)
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.(BK)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[e];(BL)
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.(BM)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(BN)
by a prophet he cared for him.(BO)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(BP)
and will repay him for his contempt.(BQ)
The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;(BR)
he was exalted(BS) in Israel.
But he became guilty of Baal worship(BT) and died.
2 Now they sin more and more;
they make(BU) idols for themselves from their silver,(BV)
cleverly fashioned images,
all of them the work of craftsmen.(BW)
It is said of these people,
“They offer human sacrifices!
They kiss[f](BX) calf-idols!(BY)”
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears,(BZ)
like chaff(CA) swirling from a threshing floor,(CB)
like smoke(CC) escaping through a window.
4 “But I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.(CD)
You shall acknowledge(CE) no God but me,(CF)
no Savior(CG) except me.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness,(CH)
in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;(CI)
then they forgot(CJ) me.(CK)
7 So I will be like a lion(CL) to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs,(CM)
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion(CN) I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart.(CO)
9 “You are destroyed, Israel,
because you are against me,(CP) against your helper.(CQ)
10 Where is your king,(CR) that he may save you?
Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?(CS)
11 So in my anger I gave you a king,(CT)
and in my wrath I took him away.(CU)
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
his sins are kept on record.(CV)
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth(CW) come to him,
but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time(CX) arrives,
he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.(CY)
14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;(CZ)
I will redeem them from death.(DA)
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?(DB)
“I will have no compassion,
15 even though he thrives(DC) among his brothers.
An east wind(DD) from the Lord will come,
blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
and his well dry up.(DE)
His storehouse will be plundered(DF)
of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria(DG) must bear their guilt,(DH)
because they have rebelled(DI) against their God.
They will fall by the sword;(DJ)
their little ones will be dashed(DK) to the ground,
their pregnant women(DL) ripped open.”[g]
Repentance to Bring Blessing
14 [h]Return,(DM) Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins(DN) have been your downfall!(DO)
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive(DP) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(DQ)
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[i](DR)
3 Assyria cannot save us;(DS)
we will not mount warhorses.(DT)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(DU)
to what our own hands have made,(DV)
for in you the fatherless(DW) find compassion.”
4 “I will heal(DX) their waywardness(DY)
and love them freely,(DZ)
for my anger has turned away(EA) from them.
5 I will be like the dew(EB) to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.(EC)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(ED)
he will send down his roots;(EE)
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(EF)
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(EG)
7 People will dwell again in his shade;(EH)
they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(EI) like the vine—
Israel’s fame will be like the wine(EJ) of Lebanon.(EK)
8 Ephraim, what more have I[j] to do with idols?(EL)
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(EM)
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:2 Septuagint; Hebrew them
- Hosea 11:12 In Hebrew texts this verse (11:12) is numbered 12:1.
- Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
- Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
- Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Hosea 13:2 Or “Men who sacrifice / kiss
- Hosea 13:16 In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.
- Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
- Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
- Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.