Hosea 12:12-14:9
New American Standard Bible
12 Now (A)Jacob fled to the [a]land of Aram,
And (B)Israel worked for a wife,
And for a wife he kept sheep.
13 But by a (C)prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
And by a prophet he was protected.
14 (D)Ephraim has provoked God to bitter anger;
So his Lord will leave his (E)guilt for bloodshed on him
And bring his (F)disgrace back to him.
Ephraim’s Idolatry
13 (G)When Ephraim [b]spoke, there was trembling.
He (H)exalted himself in Israel,
But through (I)Baal he incurred guilt and died.
2 And now they sin more and more,
And make for themselves (J)cast metal images,
Idols [c](K)skillfully made from their silver,
All of them the (L)work of craftsmen.
They say of them, “Let the [d]people who sacrifice kiss the (M)calves!”
3 Therefore they will be like the (N)morning cloud
And like dew which [e]soon disappears,
Like (O)chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor,
And like (P)smoke from a chimney.
4 Yet I have been the (Q)Lord your God
Since the land of Egypt;
And you were not to know (R)any god except Me,
For there is no savior (S)besides Me.
5 I [f](T)cared for you in the wilderness,
(U)In the land of drought.
6 As they had their pasture, they became (V)satisfied,
And as they became satisfied, their (W)heart became proud;
Therefore they (X)forgot Me.
7 So I will be (Y)like a lion to them;
Like a (Z)leopard I will [g]lie in wait by the wayside.
8 I will confront them (AA)like a bear deprived of her cubs,
And I will tear open [h]their chests;
I will also (AB)devour them there like a lioness,
As a wild animal would tear them to pieces.
9 [i]It is to your own destruction, Israel,
That you are (AC)against Me, against your (AD)help.
10 Where then is your (AE)king,
That he might save you in all your cities;
And your (AF)judges, to whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11 I (AG)gave you a king in My anger,
And (AH)took him away in My wrath.
12 The guilt of Ephraim is wrapped up;
His sin is (AI)stored up.
13 The pains of (AJ)childbirth come on him;
He is (AK)not a wise son,
For [j]it is not the time that he should (AL)delay at the opening of the womb.
14 Shall I (AM)ransom them from the [k]power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from death?
(AN)Death, where are your [l]thorns?
Sheol, where is your sting?
(AO)Compassion will be hidden from My sight.
15 Though he (AP)flourishes among the [m]reeds,
An (AQ)east wind will come,
The wind of the Lord coming up from the wilderness;
And his fountain will (AR)become dry
And his spring will dry up;
It will (AS)plunder his treasury of every precious article.
16 [n]Samaria will pay the penalty for her (AT)guilt,
Because she has (AU)rebelled against her God.
(AV)They will fall by the (AW)sword,
Their children will be [o](AX)slaughtered,
And their pregnant (AY)women will be ripped open.
Israel’s Future Blessing
14 [p](AZ)Return, Israel, to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled [q]because of your (BA)wrongdoing.
2 Take words with you and return to the Lord.
Say to Him, “(BB)Take away all guilt
And [r]receive us graciously,
So that we may (BC)present [s]the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria will not save us,
We will (BD)not ride on horses;
Nor will we say again, ‘(BE)Our god’
To the (BF)work of our hands;
For in (BG)You the [t]orphan finds mercy.”
4 I will (BH)heal their apostasy,
I will (BI)love them freely,
Because My anger has (BJ)turned away from them.
5 I will be like the (BK)dew to Israel;
He will blossom like the (BL)lily,
And he will [u]take root like the cedars of (BM)Lebanon.
6 His shoots will [v]sprout,
His [w]majesty will be like the (BN)olive tree,
And his fragrance like the cedars of (BO)Lebanon.
7 Those who (BP)live in his shadow
Will [x]again raise (BQ)grain,
And they will blossom like the vine.
His fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with (BR)idols?
It is I who answer and look after [y]you.
I am like a luxuriant (BS)juniper;
From (BT)Me [z]comes your fruit.
9 (BU)Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
Whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the (BV)ways of the Lord are right,
And the (BW)righteous will walk in them,
But (BX)wrongdoers will stumble in them.
Footnotes
- Hosea 12:12 Lit field
- Hosea 13:1 Or spoke with trembling, he exalted
- Hosea 13:2 Or according to their skill
- Hosea 13:2 Lit sacrificers of; or among mankind
- Hosea 13:3 Lit goes away early
- Hosea 13:5 Or knew
- Hosea 13:7 Or watch
- Hosea 13:8 Lit the enclosure of their heart
- Hosea 13:9 Lit It has destroyed you
- Hosea 13:13 Lit it is the time that he should not remain at the opening of children
- Hosea 13:14 Lit hand
- Hosea 13:14 Or stings
- Hosea 13:15 Another reading is brothers
- Hosea 13:16 Ch 14:1 in Heb
- Hosea 13:16 Lit shattered
- Hosea 14:1 Ch 14:2 in Heb
- Hosea 14:1 Or in
- Hosea 14:2 Or accept that which is good
- Hosea 14:2 As in ancient versions; MT our lips as bulls
- Hosea 14:3 Or fatherless
- Hosea 14:5 Lit strike his roots
- Hosea 14:6 Lit go
- Hosea 14:6 Lit splendor
- Hosea 14:7 Or return, they will raise grain
- Hosea 14:8 Lit him
- Hosea 14:8 Lit is found
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