Hosea 13
Complete Jewish Bible
13 “When Efrayim spoke, there was trembling;
he was a power in Isra’el.
But when he incurred guilt through Ba‘al,
he died.
2 So now they keep adding sin to sin,
casting images from their silver;
idols they invent for themselves,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
‘Sacrifice to them,’ they say.
Men give kisses to calves!
3 Therefore they will be like a morning cloud,
like the dew that disappears early,
like chaff blown by wind from the threshing-floor,
or like smoke that goes out the window.
4 Still, I am Adonai your God,
from the land of Egypt;
and you don’t know any God but me
or, other than me, any Savior.
5 I knew you in the desert,
in a land of terrible drought.
6 When they were fed, they were satisfied;
when satisfied, they became proud.
Therefore they forgot me.
7 So now I have become like a lion to them;
like a leopard I will lurk by the road;
8 I will meet them like a bear
whose cubs have been taken away.
I will tear their hearts from their bodies.
I will devour them there like a lion,
like a wild animal ripping them up.
9 It is your destruction, Isra’el,
although your help is in me.
10 So now, where is your king,
to save you in all your cities?
Where are your judges, of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and leaders’?
11 I gave you a king in my anger;
and in my fury I took him away.
12 “Efrayim’s guilt has been wrapped up,
his sin is stored away.
13 The pain of being born will come to him;
but he is an unwise son.
The time has come; and he shouldn’t delay,
there at the mouth of the womb.
14 Should I ransom them from the power of Sh’ol?
Should I redeem them from death?
Where are your plagues, death;
where is your destruction, Sh’ol?
My eyes are closed to compassion.
15 For though he flourishes among the reeds,
an east wind will come, a wind from Adonai,
blowing up from the desert.
Then his water source will dry up,
then his spring will fail —
it will plunder his treasury,
removing every precious thing.”
Hosea 13
New King James Version
Relentless Judgment on Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, trembling,
He exalted himself in Israel;
But when he offended through Baal worship, he died.
2 Now they sin more and more,
And have made for themselves molded images,
Idols of their silver, according to their skill;
All of it is the work of craftsmen.
They say of them,
“Let [a]the men who sacrifice [b]kiss the calves!”
3 Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud
And like the early dew that passes away,
(A)Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor
And like smoke from a chimney.
4 “Yet (B)I am the Lord your God
Ever since the land of Egypt,
And you shall know no God but Me;
For (C)there is no savior besides Me.
5 (D)I [c]knew you in the wilderness,
(E)In the land of [d]great drought.
6 (F)When they had pasture, they were filled;
They were filled and their heart was exalted;
Therefore they forgot Me.
7 “So (G)I will be to them like a lion;
Like (H)a leopard by the road I will lurk;
8 I will meet them (I)like a bear deprived of her cubs;
I will tear open their rib cage,
And there I will devour them like a lion.
The [e]wild beast shall tear them.
9 “O Israel, [f]you are destroyed,
But [g]your help is from Me.
10 [h]I will be your King;
(J)Where is any other,
That he may save you in all your cities?
And your judges to whom (K)you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?
11 (L)I gave you a king in My anger,
And took him away in My wrath.
12 “The(M) iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
His sin is stored up.
13 (N)The sorrows of a woman in childbirth shall come upon him.
He is an unwise son,
For he should not stay long where children are born.
14 “I will ransom them from the [i]power of [j]the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
(O)O Death, [k]I will be your plagues!
O [l]Grave, [m]I will be your destruction!
(P)Pity is hidden from My eyes.”
15 Though he is fruitful among his brethren,
(Q)An east wind shall come;
The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness.
Then his spring shall become dry,
And his fountain shall be dried up.
He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize.
16 Samaria [n]is held guilty,
For she has (R)rebelled against her God.
They shall fall by the sword,
Their infants shall be dashed in pieces,
And their women with child (S)ripped open.
Footnotes
- Hosea 13:2 Or those who offer human sacrifice
- Hosea 13:2 Worship with kisses
- Hosea 13:5 Cared for you
- Hosea 13:5 Lit. droughts
- Hosea 13:8 Lit. beast of the field
- Hosea 13:9 Lit. it or he destroyed you
- Hosea 13:9 Lit. in your help
- Hosea 13:10 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Where is your king?
- Hosea 13:14 Lit. hand
- Hosea 13:14 Or Sheol
- Hosea 13:14 LXX where is your punishment?
- Hosea 13:14 Or Sheol
- Hosea 13:14 LXX where is your sting?
- Hosea 13:16 LXX shall be disfigured
Hosea 13
English Standard Version
The Lord's Relentless Judgment on Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
(A)he was exalted in Israel,
but he incurred guilt (B)through Baal and died.
2 And now they sin more and more,
and (C)make for themselves metal images,
idols skillfully made of their silver,
(D)all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of them,
“Those who offer human sacrifice (E)kiss calves!”
3 Therefore they shall be (F)like the morning mist
or (G)like the dew that goes early away,
(H)like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
or (I)like smoke from a window.
4 But (J)I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
(K)you know no God but me,
and (L)besides me there is no savior.
5 (M)It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
6 (N)but when they had grazed,[a] they became full,
(O)they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
(P)therefore they forgot me.
7 So (Q)I am to them like a lion;
(R)like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
8 I will fall upon them (S)like a bear robbed of her cubs;
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
(T)as a wild beast would rip them open.
9 He destroys[b] you, O Israel,
for you are against me, against (U)your helper.
10 (V)Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities?
Where are all your rulers—
those of whom (W)you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11 (X)I gave you a king in my anger,
and (Y)I took him away in my wrath.
12 The iniquity of Ephraim is (Z)bound up;
his sin is (AA)kept in store.
13 (AB)The pangs of childbirth come for him,
but he is an unwise son,
for at the right time he does not present himself
(AC)at the opening of the womb.
14 (AD)I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
(AE)I shall redeem them from Death.[c]
(AF)O (AG)Death, where are your plagues?
(AH)O (AI)Sheol, where is your sting?
(AJ)Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
15 Though (AK)he may flourish among his brothers,
(AL)the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come,
rising from the wilderness,
(AM)and his fountain shall dry up;
his spring shall be parched;
it shall strip (AN)his treasury
of every precious thing.
16 [d] Samaria (AO)shall bear her guilt,
because (AP)she has rebelled against her God;
they shall fall by the sword;
(AQ)their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
and their (AR)pregnant women ripped open.
Footnotes
- Hosea 13:6 Hebrew according to their pasture
- Hosea 13:9 Or I will destroy
- Hosea 13:14 Or Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death?
- Hosea 13:16 Ch 14:1 in Hebrew
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
