12 Ephraim feeds on the wind
    and pursues (A)the east wind all day long;
they multiply (B)falsehood and violence;
    (C)they make a covenant with Assyria,
    and (D)oil is carried to Egypt.

The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah

(E)The Lord has an indictment against Judah
    and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
    he will repay him according to his deeds.
(F)In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
    and in his manhood he strove with God.
He strove with the angel and prevailed;
    he wept and sought his favor.
(G)He met God[a] at Bethel,
    and there God spoke with us—
the Lord, the God of hosts,
    (H)the Lord is his memorial name:
“So you, (I)by the help of your God, return,
    (J)hold fast to love and justice,
    and wait continually for your God.”

A merchant, in whose hands are (K)false balances,
    he loves (L)to oppress.
Ephraim has said, “Ah, but (M)I am rich;
    I have found wealth for myself;
in all my labors (N)they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
(O)I am the Lord your God
    from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you (P)dwell in tents,
    as in the days of the appointed feast.

10 (Q)I spoke to the prophets;
    it was I who multiplied (R)visions,
    and through the prophets gave parables.
11 (S)If there is iniquity in Gilead,
    they shall surely come to nothing:
(T)in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
    (U)their altars also are like stone heaps
    (V)on the furrows of the field.
12 (W)Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
    there Israel (X)served for a wife,
    and for a wife he guarded sheep.
13 By (Y)a prophet (Z)the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
    and by a prophet he was guarded.
14 (AA)Ephraim has given bitter provocation;
    so his Lord (AB)will leave his bloodguilt on him
    (AC)and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.

The Lord's Relentless Judgment on Israel

13 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
    (AD)he was exalted in Israel,
    but he incurred guilt (AE)through Baal and died.
And now they sin more and more,
    and (AF)make for themselves metal images,
idols skillfully made of their silver,
    (AG)all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of them,
    “Those who offer human sacrifice (AH)kiss calves!”
Therefore they shall be (AI)like the morning mist
    or (AJ)like the dew that goes early away,
(AK)like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
    or (AL)like smoke from a window.

But (AM)I am the Lord your God
    from the land of Egypt;
(AN)you know no God but me,
    and (AO)besides me there is no savior.
(AP)It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
    in the land of drought;
(AQ)but when they had grazed,[b] they became full,
    (AR)they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
    (AS)therefore they forgot me.
So (AT)I am to them like a lion;
    (AU)like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
I will fall upon them (AV)like a bear robbed of her cubs;
    I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
    (AW)as a wild beast would rip them open.

He destroys[c] you, O Israel,
    for you are against me, against (AX)your helper.
10 (AY)Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities?
    Where are all your rulers—
those of whom (AZ)you said,
    “Give me a king and princes”?
11 (BA)I gave you a king in my anger,
    and (BB)I took him away in my wrath.

12 The iniquity of Ephraim is (BC)bound up;
    his sin is (BD)kept in store.
13 (BE)The pangs of childbirth come for him,
    but he is an unwise son,
for at the right time he does not present himself
    (BF)at the opening of the womb.

14 (BG)I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
    (BH)I shall redeem them from Death.[d]
(BI)O (BJ)Death, where are your plagues?
    (BK)O (BL)Sheol, where is your sting?
    (BM)Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

15 Though (BN)he may flourish among his brothers,
    (BO)the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come,
    rising from the wilderness,
(BP)and his fountain shall dry up;
    his spring shall be parched;
it shall strip (BQ)his treasury
    of every precious thing.
16 [e] Samaria (BR)shall bear her guilt,
    because (BS)she has rebelled against her God;
they shall fall by the sword;
    (BT)their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
    and their (BU)pregnant women ripped open.

A Plea to Return to the Lord

14 (BV)Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
    for (BW)you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take with you words
    and return to the Lord;
say to him,
    “Take away all iniquity;
accept (BX)what is good,
    and we will pay with bulls
    (BY)the vows[f] of our lips.
(BZ)Assyria shall not save us;
    (CA)we will not ride on horses;
and (CB)we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
    to the work of our hands.
(CC)In you the orphan finds mercy.”

I (CD)will heal their apostasy;
    (CE)I will love them freely,
    for my anger has turned from them.
(CF)I will be like the dew to Israel;
    (CG)he shall blossom like the lily;
    he shall take root like the trees (CH)of Lebanon;
his shoots shall spread out;
    his beauty shall be (CI)like the olive,
    and his fragrance like Lebanon.
They shall return and (CJ)dwell beneath my[g] shadow;
    they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
    their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

O (CK)Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
    It is I who answer and look after you.[h]
I am like an evergreen cypress;
    (CL)from me comes your fruit.

(CM)Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
    whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
    and (CN)the upright walk in them,
    (CO)but transgressors stumble in them.

Notas al pie

  1. Hosea 12:4 Hebrew him
  2. Hosea 13:6 Hebrew according to their pasture
  3. Hosea 13:9 Or I will destroy
  4. Hosea 13:14 Or Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death?
  5. Hosea 13:16 Ch 14:1 in Hebrew
  6. Hosea 14:2 Septuagint, Syriac pay the fruit
  7. Hosea 14:7 Hebrew his
  8. Hosea 14:8 Hebrew him

12 [a]Ephraim(A) feeds on the wind;(B)
    he pursues the east wind all day
    and multiplies lies and violence.(C)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(D)
    and sends olive oil to Egypt.(E)
The Lord has a charge(F) to bring against Judah;(G)
    he will punish(H) Jacob[b] according to his ways
    and repay him according to his deeds.(I)
In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(J)
    as a man he struggled(K) with God.
He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
    he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(L)
    and talked with him there—
the Lord God Almighty,
    the Lord is his name!(M)
But you must return(N) to your God;
    maintain love and justice,(O)
    and wait for your God always.(P)

The merchant uses dishonest scales(Q)
    and loves to defraud.
Ephraim boasts,(R)
    “I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(S)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
    any iniquity or sin.”

“I have been the Lord your God
    ever since you came out of Egypt;(T)
I will make you live in tents(U) again,
    as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
    gave them many visions
    and told parables(V) through them.”(W)

11 Is Gilead wicked?(X)
    Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(Y)
    Their altars will be like piles of stones
    on a plowed field.(Z)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[c];(AA)
    Israel served to get a wife,
    and to pay for her he tended sheep.(AB)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(AC)
    by a prophet he cared for him.(AD)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
    his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(AE)
    and will repay him for his contempt.(AF)

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

13 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;(AG)
    he was exalted(AH) in Israel.
    But he became guilty of Baal worship(AI) and died.
Now they sin more and more;
    they make(AJ) idols for themselves from their silver,(AK)
cleverly fashioned images,
    all of them the work of craftsmen.(AL)
It is said of these people,
    “They offer human sacrifices!
    They kiss[d](AM) calf-idols!(AN)
Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
    like the early dew that disappears,(AO)
    like chaff(AP) swirling from a threshing floor,(AQ)
    like smoke(AR) escaping through a window.

“But I have been the Lord your God
    ever since you came out of Egypt.(AS)
You shall acknowledge(AT) no God but me,(AU)
    no Savior(AV) except me.
I cared for you in the wilderness,(AW)
    in the land of burning heat.
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
    when they were satisfied, they became proud;(AX)
    then they forgot(AY) me.(AZ)
So I will be like a lion(BA) to them,
    like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs,(BB)
    I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion(BC) I will devour them—
    a wild animal will tear them apart.(BD)

“You are destroyed, Israel,
    because you are against me,(BE) against your helper.(BF)
10 Where is your king,(BG) that he may save you?
    Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
    ‘Give me a king and princes’?(BH)
11 So in my anger I gave you a king,(BI)
    and in my wrath I took him away.(BJ)
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
    his sins are kept on record.(BK)
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth(BL) come to him,
    but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time(BM) arrives,
    he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.(BN)

14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;(BO)
    I will redeem them from death.(BP)
Where, O death, are your plagues?
    Where, O grave, is your destruction?(BQ)

“I will have no compassion,
15     even though he thrives(BR) among his brothers.
An east wind(BS) from the Lord will come,
    blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
    and his well dry up.(BT)
His storehouse will be plundered(BU)
    of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria(BV) must bear their guilt,(BW)
    because they have rebelled(BX) against their God.
They will fall by the sword;(BY)
    their little ones will be dashed(BZ) to the ground,
    their pregnant women(CA) ripped open.”[e]

Repentance to Bring Blessing

14 [f]Return,(CB) Israel, to the Lord your God.
    Your sins(CC) have been your downfall!(CD)
Take words with you
    and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
    “Forgive(CE) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(CF)
    that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[g](CG)
Assyria cannot save us;(CH)
    we will not mount warhorses.(CI)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(CJ)
    to what our own hands have made,(CK)
    for in you the fatherless(CL) find compassion.”

“I will heal(CM) their waywardness(CN)
    and love them freely,(CO)
    for my anger has turned away(CP) from them.
I will be like the dew(CQ) to Israel;
    he will blossom like a lily.(CR)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(CS)
    he will send down his roots;(CT)
    his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(CU)
    his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(CV)
People will dwell again in his shade;(CW)
    they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(CX) like the vine—
    Israel’s fame will be like the wine(CY) of Lebanon.(CZ)
Ephraim, what more have I[h] to do with idols?(DA)
    I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(DB)
    your fruitfulness comes from me.”

Who is wise?(DC) Let them realize these things.
    Who is discerning? Let them understand.(DD)
The ways of the Lord are right;(DE)
    the righteous walk(DF) in them,
    but the rebellious stumble in them.

Notas al pie

  1. Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
  2. Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
  3. Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  4. Hosea 13:2 Or “Men who sacrifice / kiss
  5. Hosea 13:16 In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.
  6. Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
  7. Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
  8. Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim

To the Church in Sardis

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him (A)who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation (B)of being alive, (C)but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works (D)complete in the sight of my God. (E)Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, (F)I will come (G)like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not (H)soiled their garments, and they will walk with me (I)in white, for they are (J)worthy. (K)The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never (L)blot his name out of (M)the book of life. (N)I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. (O)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Philadelphia

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of (P)the holy one, (Q)the true one, (R)who has the key of David, (S)who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you (T)an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of (U)the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, (V)I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that (W)I have loved you. 10 (X)Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try (Y)those who dwell on the earth. 11 (Z)I am coming soon. (AA)Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize (AB)your crown. 12 (AC)The one who conquers, I will make him (AD)a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him (AE)the name of my God, and (AF)the name of the city of my God, (AG)the new Jerusalem, (AH)which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own (AI)new name. 13 (AJ)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Laodicea

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the (AK)Amen, (AL)the faithful and true witness, (AM)the beginning of God's creation.

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. (AN)Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 (AO)For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, (AP)blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you (AQ)to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and (AR)white garments so that you may clothe yourself and (AS)the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, (AT)so that you may see. 19 (AU)Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and (AV)knock. (AW)If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (AX)I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 (AY)The one who conquers, (AZ)I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as (BA)I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 (BB)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

To the Church in Sardis

“To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis(A) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b](B) of God and the seven stars.(C) I know your deeds;(D) you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.(E) Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.(F) But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief,(G) and you will not know at what time(H) I will come to you.

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.(I) They will walk with me, dressed in white,(J) for they are worthy. The one who is victorious(K) will, like them, be dressed in white.(L) I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life,(M) but will acknowledge that name before my Father(N) and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear(O) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Philadelphia

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia(P) write:

These are the words of him who is holy(Q) and true,(R) who holds the key of David.(S) What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds.(T) See, I have placed before you an open door(U) that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(V) I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan,(W) who claim to be Jews though they are not,(X) but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet(Y) and acknowledge that I have loved you.(Z) 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you(AA) from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world(AB) to test(AC) the inhabitants of the earth.(AD)

11 I am coming soon.(AE) Hold on to what you have,(AF) so that no one will take your crown.(AG) 12 The one who is victorious(AH) I will make a pillar(AI) in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God(AJ) and the name of the city of my God,(AK) the new Jerusalem,(AL) which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear(AM) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Laodicea

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea(AN) write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,(AO) the ruler of God’s creation.(AP) 15 I know your deeds,(AQ) that you are neither cold nor hot.(AR) I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’(AS) But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.(AT) 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,(AU) so you can become rich; and white clothes(AV) to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness;(AW) and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.(AX) So be earnest and repent.(AY) 20 Here I am! I stand at the door(AZ) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,(BA) I will come in(BB) and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious,(BC) I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,(BD) just as I was victorious(BE) and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear(BF) what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Notas al pie

  1. Revelation 3:1 Or messenger; also in verses 7 and 14
  2. Revelation 3:1 That is, the sevenfold Spirit