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Yahweh Withdraws from Israel

Hear this, O priests!
Give heed, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king!
For the judgment is for you,
For you have been a (A)snare at Mizpah
And a net spread out on Tabor.
And the (B)revolters have (C)dug deep into slaughtering,
But I will chastise all of them.
I (D)know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;
For now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot;
Israel has defiled itself.
Their deeds will not allow them
To return to their God.
For a (E)spirit of harlotry is within them,
And they (F)do not know Yahweh.
Moreover, the (G)pride of Israel answers against him,
And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;
(H)Judah also has stumbled with them.
They will (I)go with their flocks and herds
To seek Yahweh, but they will (J)not find Him;
He has (K)withdrawn from them.
They have (L)dealt treacherously against Yahweh,
For they have borne (M)children of strangers.
Now the (N)new moon will devour them with their portions.

(O)Blow the horn in (P)Gibeah,
The trumpet in Ramah.
Make a loud shout at Beth-aven:
(Q)Behind you, Benjamin!”
Ephraim will become a (R)desolation in the (S)day of reproof;
Among the tribes of Israel I (T)will make known what is true.
10 The princes of Judah have become like those who (U)move a boundary;
On them I will (V)pour out My wrath (W)like water.
11 Ephraim is (X)oppressed, crushed in judgment,
(Y)Because he was determined to [a]walk after man’s command.
12 Therefore I am like a (Z)moth to Ephraim
And like rottenness to the house of Judah.
13 Then Ephraim saw his sickness,
And Judah his sore,
So Ephraim went to (AA)Assyria
And sent to [b](AB)King Jareb.
But he is (AC)unable to heal you
Or to cure you of your sore.
14 For I will be (AD)like a lion to Ephraim
And like a young lion to the house of Judah.
(AE)I, even I, will tear to pieces and go away;
I will carry away, and there will be (AF)none to deliver.
15 I will go away and return to My place
Until they [c](AG)acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
In their affliction they will (AH)seek Me earnestly.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 5:11 Some ancient versions follow nothingness
  2. Hosea 5:13 Or the avenging king, the great king
  3. Hosea 5:15 Or bear their punishment

Judgment on Israel and Judah

Hear this, priests!
        Pay attention, house of Israel!
    Listen, house of the king!
        The judgment concerns you because you have been a trap at Mizpah,
            and a net spread out upon Tabor.
In their wicked condition, they have sunk deep into corruption;
        I will correct them through judgment.
I know Ephraim;
    Israel doesn’t escape my eye;
        for now Ephraim
        you have acted like a prostitute;
    Israel is defiled.
Their deeds don’t allow them
        to return to their God,
        because the spirit of prostitution is within them,
            and they don’t know the Lord.
Israel’s pride is a witness against him;
        both Israel and Ephraim stagger because of their guilt;
        Judah staggers with them.
With their sheep and their cattle they will go
        to seek the Lord,
        but they will not find him;
        he has withdrawn from them.
They have acted faithlessly against the Lord;
        for their children have produced illegitimate children.
        Now the new moon will devour them[a] along with their fields.

Blow a horn in Gibeah;
        blow a trumpet in Ramah.
    Sound the warning at Beth-aven:
        “Look behind you, Benjamin!”
Ephraim will become a horrible place
        on the Judgment Day.
    Against the tribes of Israel
        I will certainly announce what is to take place.
10 The princes of Judah act like raiders who steal the land;
        I will pour out my anger like water upon them.
11 Ephraim is under pressure from its enemies;
        Ephraim’s rights aren’t protected.
        This is because Ephraim chose to pursue worthless things.
12 Therefore, I am like a moth to Ephraim,
        and like decay to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
        and Judah his wound,
    then Ephraim went to Assyria,
        and Ephraim sent for the great king.
    But he could not heal them;
        nor could he cure their wound.
14 I am like a lion to Ephraim,
        like a young lion to the house of Judah.
    I am the one who tears the prey and goes forth;
        no one can snatch it from me.
15 I will leave so that I can return to my place
        until they pay for their deeds,
        until they seek me.
    In their distress,
        they will beg for my favor:

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 5:7 Heb uncertain