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Hosea 5-8
English Standard Version
Hosea 5-8
English Standard Version
Punishment Coming for Israel and Judah
5 (A)Hear this, O priests!
Pay attention, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king!
For the judgment is for you;
for (B)you have been a snare at Mizpah
and a net spread upon (C)Tabor.
2 And (D)the revolters (E)have gone deep into slaughter,
but (F)I will discipline all of them.
3 (G)I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from me;
for now, O Ephraim, you have played the whore;
Israel is defiled.
4 (H)Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God.
For (I)the spirit of whoredom is within them,
and they know not the Lord.
5 (J)The pride of Israel testifies to his face;[a]
Israel and (K)Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt;
(L)Judah also shall stumble with them.
6 (M)With their flocks and herds they shall go
to seek the Lord,
(N)but they will not find him;
(O)he has withdrawn from them.
7 (P)They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord;
for they have borne alien children.
Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields.
8 (Q)Blow the horn in (R)Gibeah,
the trumpet in (S)Ramah.
Sound the alarm at (T)Beth-aven;
we follow you,[b] O Benjamin!
9 Ephraim shall become a desolation
in the day of punishment;
among the tribes of Israel
I make known what is sure.
10 The princes of Judah have become
like (U)those who move the landmark;
upon them I will pour out
my wrath like water.
11 Ephraim is (V)oppressed, crushed in judgment,
because he was determined to go after filth.[c]
12 But I am (W)like a moth to Ephraim,
and (X)like dry rot to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah (Y)his wound,
then Ephraim went (Z)to Assyria,
and sent to the great king.[d]
(AA)But he is not able to cure you
or heal (AB)your wound.
14 For I will be (AC)like a lion to (AD)Ephraim,
and like a young lion to the house of (AE)Judah.
(AF)I, even I, will tear and go away;
I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.
15 (AG)I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and (AH)in their distress earnestly seek me.
Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us (AI)return to the Lord;
for (AJ)he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and (AK)he will bind us up.
2 After two days (AL)he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3 (AM)Let us know; (AN)let us press on to know the Lord;
(AO)his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us (AP)as the showers,
(AQ)as the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 What shall I do with you, (AR)O (AS)Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O (AT)Judah?
Your love is (AU)like a morning cloud,
(AV)like the dew that goes early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them (AW)by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For (AX)I desire steadfast love[e] and not sacrifice,
(AY)the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But (AZ)like Adam they (BA)transgressed the covenant;
(BB)there they dealt faithlessly with me.
8 (BC)Gilead is a city of evildoers,
(BD)tracked with blood.
9 As robbers (BE)lie in wait for a man,
so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to (BF)Shechem;
they commit villainy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
(BG)Ephraim's whoredom is there; (BH)Israel is defiled.
When (BK)I restore the fortunes of my people,
7 (BL)when I would heal Israel,
the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed,
and the evil deeds of (BM)Samaria,
for (BN)they deal falsely;
the thief breaks in,
and the bandits raid outside.
2 But they do not consider
that (BO)I remember all their evil.
Now (BP)their deeds surround them;
(BQ)they are before my face.
3 By their evil (BR)they make (BS)the king glad,
and the princes by their treachery.
4 (BT)They are all adulterers;
they are like a heated oven
whose baker ceases to stir the fire,
from the kneading of the dough
until it is leavened.
5 On the day of (BU)our king, the princes
became sick with the heat of wine;
he stretched out his hand with mockers.
6 For with hearts like an oven (BV)they approach their intrigue;
all night their anger smolders;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven,
and they devour their rulers.
All (BW)their kings (BX)have fallen,
and none of them calls upon me.
8 Ephraim (BY)mixes himself with the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 (BZ)Strangers devour his strength,
and (CA)he knows it not;
gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,
and (CB)he knows it not.
10 (CC)The pride of Israel testifies to his face;[f]
(CD)yet they do not return to the Lord their God,
nor seek him, for all this.
11 Ephraim is like a dove,
(CE)silly and without sense,
calling to (CF)Egypt, going to (CG)Assyria.
12 As they go, (CH)I will spread over them my net;
I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;
(CI)I will discipline them (CJ)according to the report made to their congregation.
13 (CK)Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
(CL)I would redeem them,
but (CM)they speak lies against me.
14 (CN)They do not cry to me from the heart,
but (CO)they wail upon their beds;
for grain and wine they gash themselves;
they rebel against me.
15 Although (CP)I trained and strengthened their arms,
yet they devise evil against me.
16 They (CQ)return, but not upward;[g]
they are (CR)like a treacherous bow;
their princes shall fall by the sword
because of (CS)the insolence of their tongue.
This shall be their derision (CT)in the land of Egypt.
Israel Will Reap the Whirlwind
8 Set (CU)the trumpet to your lips!
One (CV)like a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because (CW)they have transgressed my covenant
and rebelled against my law.
2 To me they cry,
(CX)“My God, we—Israel—know you.”
3 Israel has spurned the good;
the enemy shall pursue him.
4 (CY)They made kings, (CZ)but not through me.
They set up princes, but I knew it not.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
5 (DA)I have[h] spurned your calf, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
(DB)How long will they be incapable of innocence?
6 For it is from Israel;
a craftsman made it;
it is not God.
(DC)The calf of Samaria
(DD)shall be broken to pieces.[i]
7 For (DE)they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
it shall yield no flour;
if it were to yield,
(DF)strangers would devour it.
8 (DG)Israel is swallowed up;
already they are among the nations
as (DH)a useless vessel.
9 For (DI)they have gone up to Assyria,
(DJ)a wild donkey wandering alone;
Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Though they hire allies among the nations,
I will soon gather them up.
And (DK)the king and princes (DL)shall soon writhe
because of the tribute.
11 Because Ephraim (DM)has multiplied altars for sinning,
they have become to him altars for sinning.
12 (DN)Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands,
they would be regarded as a strange thing.
13 As for my sacrificial offerings,
(DO)they sacrifice meat and eat it,
but the Lord does not accept them.
(DP)Now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
(DQ)they shall return to Egypt.
14 For (DR)Israel has forgotten (DS)his Maker
and (DT)built palaces,
and (DU)Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
so (DV)I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it shall devour her strongholds.
Footnotes
- Hosea 5:5 Or in his presence
- Hosea 5:8 Or after you
- Hosea 5:11 Or to follow human precepts
- Hosea 5:13 Or to King Jareb
- Hosea 6:6 Septuagint mercy
- Hosea 7:10 Or in his presence
- Hosea 7:16 Or to the Most High
- Hosea 8:5 Hebrew He has
- Hosea 8:6 Or shall go up in flames
Hosea 5-8
New International Version
Hosea 5-8
New International Version
Judgment Against Israel
5 “Hear this, you priests!
Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
This judgment(A) is against you:
You have been a snare(B) at Mizpah,
a net(C) spread out on Tabor.
2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.(D)
I will discipline all of them.(E)
3 I know all about Ephraim;
Israel is not hidden(F) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
Israel is corrupt.(G)
4 “Their deeds do not permit them
to return(H) to their God.
A spirit of prostitution(I) is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge(J) the Lord.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies(K) against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(L) in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.(M)
6 When they go with their flocks and herds
to seek the Lord,(N)
they will not find him;
he has withdrawn(O) himself from them.
7 They are unfaithful(P) to the Lord;
they give birth to illegitimate(Q) children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,(R)
he will devour[a](S) their fields.
8 “Sound the trumpet(T) in Gibeah,(U)
the horn in Ramah.(V)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven[b];(W)
lead on, Benjamin.
9 Ephraim will be laid waste(X)
on the day of reckoning.(Y)
Among the tribes of Israel
I proclaim what is certain.(Z)
10 Judah’s leaders are like those
who move boundary stones.(AA)
I will pour out my wrath(AB) on them
like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
trampled in judgment,
intent on pursuing idols.[c](AC)
12 I am like a moth(AD) to Ephraim,
like rot(AE) to the people of Judah.
13 “When Ephraim(AF) saw his sickness,
and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria,(AG)
and sent to the great king for help.(AH)
But he is not able to cure(AI) you,
not able to heal your sores.(AJ)
14 For I will be like a lion(AK) to Ephraim,
like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces(AL) and go away;
I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.(AM)
15 Then I will return to my lair(AN)
until they have borne their guilt(AO)
and seek my face(AP)—
in their misery(AQ)
they will earnestly seek me.(AR)”
Israel Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us return(AS) to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces(AT)
but he will heal us;(AU)
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.(AV)
2 After two days he will revive us;(AW)
on the third day(AX) he will restore(AY) us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,(AZ)
like the spring rains that water the earth.(BA)”
4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim?(BB)
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.(BC)
5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth(BD)—
then my judgments go forth like the sun.[d](BE)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(BF)
and acknowledgment(BG) of God rather than burnt offerings.(BH)
7 As at Adam,[e] they have broken the covenant;(BI)
they were unfaithful(BJ) to me there.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,(BK)
stained with footprints of blood.
9 As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,(BL)
so do bands of priests;
they murder(BM) on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes.(BN)
10 I have seen a horrible(BO) thing in Israel:
There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
Israel is defiled.(BP)
11 “Also for you, Judah,
a harvest(BQ) is appointed.
“Whenever I would restore the fortunes(BR) of my people,
7 1 whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.(BS)
They practice deceit,(BT)
thieves break into houses,(BU)
bandits rob in the streets;(BV)
2 but they do not realize
that I remember(BW) all their evil deeds.(BX)
Their sins engulf them;(BY)
they are always before me.
3 “They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.(BZ)
4 They are all adulterers,(CA)
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5 On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,(CB)
and he joins hands with the mockers.(CC)
6 Their hearts are like an oven;(CD)
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,(CE)
and none of them calls(CF) on me.
8 “Ephraim mixes(CG) with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9 Foreigners sap his strength,(CH)
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,(CI)
but despite all this
he does not return(CJ) to the Lord his God
or search(CK) for him.
11 “Ephraim is like a dove,(CL)
easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,(CM)
now turning to Assyria.(CN)
12 When they go, I will throw my net(CO) over them;
I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13 Woe(CP) to them,
because they have strayed(CQ) from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak about me(CR) falsely.(CS)
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts(CT)
but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[f] appealing to their gods
for grain and new wine,(CU)
but they turn away from me.(CV)
15 I trained(CW) them and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil(CX) against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;(CY)
they are like a faulty bow.(CZ)
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent(DA) words.
For this they will be ridiculed(DB)
in the land of Egypt.(DC)
Israel to Reap the Whirlwind
8 “Put the trumpet(DD) to your lips!
An eagle(DE) is over the house of the Lord
because the people have broken my covenant(DF)
and rebelled against my law.(DG)
2 Israel cries out to me,
‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3 But Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.(DH)
4 They set up kings without my consent;
they choose princes without my approval.(DI)
With their silver and gold
they make idols(DJ) for themselves
to their own destruction.
5 Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!(DK)
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?(DL)
6 They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
it is not God.(DM)
It will be broken in pieces,
that calf(DN) of Samaria.(DO)
7 “They sow the wind
and reap the whirlwind.(DP)
The stalk has no head;
it will produce no flour.(DQ)
Were it to yield grain,
foreigners would swallow it up.(DR)
8 Israel is swallowed up;(DS)
now she is among the nations
like something no one wants.(DT)
9 For they have gone up to Assyria(DU)
like a wild donkey(DV) wandering alone.
Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.(DW)
10 Although they have sold themselves among the nations,
I will now gather them together.(DX)
They will begin to waste away(DY)
under the oppression of the mighty king.
11 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
these have become altars for sinning.(DZ)
12 I wrote for them the many things of my law,
but they regarded them as something foreign.(EA)
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me,
and though they eat(EB) the meat,
the Lord is not pleased with them.(EC)
Now he will remember(ED) their wickedness
and punish their sins:(EE)
They will return to Egypt.(EF)
14 Israel has forgotten(EG) their Maker(EH)
and built palaces;
Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire on their cities
that will consume their fortresses.”(EI)
Footnotes
- Hosea 5:7 Or Now their New Moon feasts / will devour them and
- Hosea 5:8 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Hosea 6:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Hosea 6:7 Or Like Adam; or Like human beings
- Hosea 7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.