Hosea 13
New Living Translation
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[a] 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[b]?
Should I redeem them from death?
O death, bring on your terrors!
O grave, bring on your plagues![c]
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 [d]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.”
Hosea 13
International Standard Version
The Lord’s Anger against Israel
13 “When the tribe of[a] Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
and it was exalted within Israel.
But when they offended God by Baal,
they died,
2 but now they are sinning more and more,
crafting idols from melted silver.
Their idols are made with the most exacting skill,
all of it the work of craftsmen.
People[b] say about them,
‘They offer human sacrifice,
and kiss calf-shaped idols.’[c]
3 Therefore they will be like morning clouds,
like early morning dew that evaporates,
like chaff blown away from the threshing floor,
or like smoke from a chimney.”[d]
The Lord is Israel’s God
4 “I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt,
and you have known no god except for me,
because except for me there is no savior.
5 I took care of[e] you in the wilderness,
in a waterless land.
6 As their pastures flourished,
all their desires were met.[f]
As they were satiated,
they became arrogant
and therefore ignored me.
7 “So I will be like a lion to them.
Like a leopard I will stalk them along the road.
8 I will confront them like a bear deprived of her cubs;[g]
I will tear open their ribs.
I will devour them like a lion—
the wild beasts will rip them apart.
9 “You have destroyed yourself, Israel,
although I remain your help.
10 Now where is your king?
Will he save you in all your cities?
And where are[h] your judges,
about whom you demanded,
‘Give me a king and officials!’?
11 I gave you a king in my anger,
and I took him[i] away in my fury.”
12 “Ephraim’s guilt is on record;
his sin is stored away.
13 When the time of childbirth comes,
he will be so foolish
that he will refuse to be born.”
14 “From the power of Sheol I will rescue them,
from death I will redeem them.
Death, where are[j] your plagues?
Sheol, where is[k] your destruction?
My eyes will remain closed to your pleas for[l] compassion.
15 Even though he is fruitful compared to his relatives,
an east wind will come,
the Lord’s wind storm from the wilderness,
and his spring will evaporate.
His fountain will dry up,
and the Lord’s[m] wind storm will plunder
all the expensive vessels of the treasury.
16 [n]Samaria will be held guilty,
because she has rebelled against her God.
By the sword they will fall—
with their infants dashed to pieces,
and their pregnant women torn open.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 13:1 The Heb. lacks the tribe of
- Hosea 13:2 Lit. They
- Hosea 13:2 Lit. kissing calves
- Hosea 13:3 Or window
- Hosea 13:5 So LXX. MT reads I knew
- Hosea 13:6 Lit. flourished, they were satiated
- Hosea 13:8 The Heb. lacks of her cubs
- Hosea 13:10 The Heb. lacks where are
- Hosea 13:11 The Heb. lacks him
- Hosea 13:14 Or death, I will be
- Hosea 13:14 Or Sheol, I will be
- Hosea 13:14 The Heb. lacks your pleas for
- Hosea 13:15 Lit. and it
- Hosea 13:16 This v. is 14:1 in MT
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.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
