The People’s Apostasy Rebuked

Hear this, you priests!
Pay attention, house of Israel!
Listen, you of the house of the king!
For the judgment applies to you,
Because you have been a (A)trap at Mizpah,
And a net spread out on Tabor.
And the (B)rebels have (C)gone deep in [a]depravity,
But I will discipline all of them.
I (D)know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;
Because now, Ephraim, you have been unfaithful,
Israel has defiled itself.
Their deeds will not allow them
To return to their God.
For a (E)spirit of [b]infidelity is within them,
And they (F)do not know the Lord.
Moreover, the (G)pride of Israel testifies against him,
And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their wrongdoing;
(H)Judah also has stumbled with them.
They will (I)go with their flocks and herds
To seek the Lord, but they will (J)not find Him;
He has (K)withdrawn from them.
They have (L)dealt treacherously with the Lord,
For they have given birth to [c](M)illegitimate children.
Now the (N)new moon will devour them with their [d]land.

(O)Blow the horn in (P)Gibeah,
And the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound an alarm at Beth-aven:
(Q)Behind you, Benjamin!”
Ephraim will become a (R)desolation in the (S)day of rebuke;
Among the tribes of Israel I (T)make known what is trustworthy.
10 The leaders of Judah have become like those who (U)displace a boundary marker;
On them I will (V)pour out My anger (W)like water.
11 Ephraim is (X)oppressed, broken by judgment,
(Y)Because he was determined to follow [e]man’s command.
12 Therefore I am like a (Z)moth to Ephraim,
And like rottenness to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
And Judah his [f]sore,
Ephraim then went to (AA)Assyria
And sent word to [g](AB)King Jareb.
But he is (AC)unable to heal you,
Or to cure you of your [h]sore.
14 For I will be (AD)like a lion to Ephraim
And like a young lion to the house of Judah.
(AE)I, yes I, will tear to pieces and go away,
I will carry away, and there will be (AF)no one to rescue.
15 I will go away and return to My place
Until they [i](AG)acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
In their distress they will (AH)search for Me.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 5:2 Or slaughter
  2. Hosea 5:4 Or prostitution
  3. Hosea 5:7 Lit strange
  4. Hosea 5:7 Lit portions
  5. Hosea 5:11 Or with some ancient versions, nothingness
  6. Hosea 5:13 Or ulcer
  7. Hosea 5:13 Or another reading is the great king; or the contentious king
  8. Hosea 5:13 Or ulcer
  9. Hosea 5:15 Or suffer their punishment

Hear this, O ye priests, and hearken, O house of Israel, and give ear, O house of the king; for [a]unto you pertaineth the judgment; for ye have been a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor. And the revolters are gone deep [b]in making slaughter; but I am a [c]rebuker of them all. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me; for now, O Ephraim, thou hast played the harlot, Israel is defiled. [d]Their doings will not suffer them to turn unto their God; for the spirit of whoredom is [e]within them, and they know not Jehovah. And the [f]pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in their iniquity; Judah also shall stumble with them. They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Jehovah; but they shall not find him: he hath withdrawn himself from them. They have dealt treacherously against Jehovah; for they have [g]borne strange children: now shall [h]the new moon devour them with their [i]fields.

Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: sound an alarm at Beth-aven; [j]behind thee, O Benjamin. Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be. 10 The princes of Judah are like them that remove the landmark: I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. 11 Ephraim is oppressed, he is crushed in judgment; because he was content to walk after man’s command. 12 [k]Therefore am I unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. 13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to Assyria, and sent to [l]king Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither will he cure you of your wound. 14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and there shall be none to deliver. 15 I will go and return to my place, till they [m]acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me [n]earnestly.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 5:1 Or, against you is the judgment
  2. Hosea 5:2 Or, in corruption
  3. Hosea 5:2 Hebrew rebuke.
  4. Hosea 5:4 Or, They will not frame their doings
  5. Hosea 5:4 Or, in the midst of
  6. Hosea 5:5 Or, excellency
  7. Hosea 5:7 Or, begotten
  8. Hosea 5:7 Or, a month
  9. Hosea 5:7 Hebrew portions.
  10. Hosea 5:8 Or, After thee, Benjamin!
  11. Hosea 5:12 Or, And I was
  12. Hosea 5:13 Or, a king that should contend
  13. Hosea 5:15 Or, have borne their guilt
  14. Hosea 5:15 Or, earnestly, saying