Hosea 13
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 13
The Cult of Calves
1 When Ephraim spoke, the people trembled;
he was exalted in Israel,
but he incurred guilt by worshiping Baal, and died.
2 And now the people continue to sin even more
by casting images for themselves,
idols of silver fashioned after their own concept,
all of them the work of artisans.
They say, “Offer sacrifices to these,”
and people kiss the calf-idols.
3 Therefore, they will be like the morning mist
or like the dew that quickly fades away,
like chaff that a storm drives from the threshing floor,
or like smoke escaping through a window.
You Know No God but Me, Nor Any Savior Other than Me
4 I am the Lord, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
You know no God but me,
nor any savior other than me.
5 I cared for you in the desert,
in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud of heart
and quickly forgot me.
7 So now I will be like a lion to them;
like a leopard I will lurk beside the road.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them
and rip their hearts from their breasts.
Like a lion I will devour them;
like a wild beast I will tear them apart.
9 You are destroyed, O Israel;
who is there to help you?
10 Where now is your king
that he may save you?
Where in all your cities are your rulers,
about whom you said,
“Give me a king and rulers”?
11 I gave you a king in my anger,
and in my wrath I took him away.[a]
O Death, Where Are Your Plagues?
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up;
his sins are kept on record.
13 He experiences the pangs of childbirth,
but he is a child lacking in wisdom.
When his time for birth arrives,
he does not leave the womb.
14 Shall I deliver them from the power of the netherworld?[b]
Shall I redeem them from death?
O death, where are your plagues?
O netherworld, where is your sting?
Compassion will be banished from my sight.
15 Although Ephraim may be more fruitful than his brothers,
an east wind[c] from the Lord will come,
rising from the desert,
causing his springs to be arid
and his fountain to dry up.
His treasury will be plundered
of every precious thing.
Footnotes
- Hosea 13:11 I gave you a king in my anger, and in my wrath I took him away: the Lord chastises the people of the northern kingdom by sending them inept kings.
- Hosea 13:14 This verse affirms the Lord’s idea to destroy Israel. It is cited by St. Paul in a different sense (1 Cor 15:4f)—i.e., the sense of the final victory of life over death at the resurrection of the body on the last day achieved through the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.
- Hosea 13:15 East wind: an image of the Assyrian armies.
Hosea 13
EasyEnglish Bible
The Lord is angry with Israel
13 In past times, when the leaders of Israel spoke, the people were afraid.[a]
The people respected their leaders.
But the people became guilty when they worshipped Baal.
Because of that, they died.
2 Now the Israelites continue to do more and more sins.
They use metal to make idols for themselves.
They use clever skills to make idols from silver.
All their idols are only things that people have made themselves.
People offer sacrifices to the image of a calf.
They say, ‘Kiss the calf!’
3 So those people will soon disappear!
They will quickly disappear like mist or dew in the morning.
They will be like chaff that the wind blows away from a threshing floor.
They will be like smoke that disappears out of an open window.[b]
4 The Lord says,
‘I am the Lord your God.
I brought you out from Egypt.
You must not serve any other God.
No one else can save you except me.
5 I took care of you in the wilderness,
where it was very hot and dry.
6 I gave food to my people, so that they were not hungry.
But when they had enough to eat, they became proud.
As a result, they forgot about me.[c]
7 So I will attack them like a lion.
I will be like a leopard that waits beside the road.
It is ready to catch anything that goes that way.
8 I will attack them like an angry bear that has lost her children.
I will tear them into pieces.
I will eat them like a hungry lion.
I will attack them and kill them, like a wild animal.
9 I will destroy you, Israel.
There will be nobody to help you.
10 What has happened to your king?
He cannot save you!
Where are your rulers?
You asked me to give you rulers like the other nations have.
You said, “Give us a king and rulers.”
11 I was angry, but I agreed to give you a king.
Now I am even more angry and I will take your king away!
12 I have a record of Ephraim's sin.
Ephraim's people will certainly receive their punishment.
13 They will be in pain like a woman who is giving birth.
Her child is foolish. He refuses to be born!
14 Will I save these people from the power of death?
Will I rescue them from their graves?
Death, what diseases can you bring?
What can you do to hurt my people?[d]
I will not be kind to my people and forgive them.’
15 Among the other nations, Israel has been successful.
It has been like a plant that grows well.
But now the Lord will send trouble.
It will be like a strong east wind that comes from the desert.
Israel's wells and springs of water will become dry.
All the valuable things that Israel has stored will disappear.
16 Samaria's people are guilty and they will receive their punishment.[e]
They have turned against their God.
They will die in war.
Cruel enemies will kill their young children.
Soldiers will cut open their pregnant women.
Footnotes
- 13:1 Ephraim was the Israelite kingdom in the north. Judah was the Israelite kingdom in the south.
- 13:3 Mist is like a cloud near the ground. It makes small drops of water on the ground, called dew. These usually come early in the morning and they do not stay for a long time. Chaff and smoke also quickly disappear.
- 13:6 God gave the Israelites everything that they needed in the wilderness. See Exodus 16. It was God who fed them and gave them water. But they turned away from him.
- 13:14 Hosea says that God will bring trouble and death to his people because of their sins. Paul uses these words in 1 Corinthians 15:55. Because of Jesus' death, Paul says that the power of death can no longer hurt believers.
- 13:16 Samaria was another name for the northern kingdom, Israel. It was the capital city of Israel.
Hosea 13
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition
Relentless Judgement on Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he was exalted in Israel;
but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
2 And now they keep on sinning
and make a cast image for themselves,
idols of silver made according to their understanding,
all of them the work of artisans.
‘Sacrifice to these’, they say.[a]
People are kissing calves!
3 Therefore they shall be like the morning mist
or like the dew that goes away early,
like chaff that swirls from the threshing-floor
or like smoke from a window.
4 Yet I have been the Lord your God
ever since the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and besides me there is no saviour.
5 It was I who fed[b] you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought.
6 When I fed[c] them, they were satisfied;
they were satisfied, and their heart was proud;
therefore they forgot me.
7 So I will become like a lion to them,
like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
8 I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs,
and will tear open the covering of their heart;
there I will devour them like a lion,
as a wild animal would mangle them.
9 I will destroy you, O Israel;
who can help you?[d]
10 Where now is[e] your king, that he may save you?
Where in all your cities are your rulers,
of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and rulers’?
11 I gave you a king in my anger,
and I took him away in my wrath.
12 Ephraim’s iniquity is bound up;
his sin is kept in store.
13 The pangs of childbirth come for him,
but he is an unwise son;
for at the proper time he does not present himself
at the mouth of the womb.
14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from Death?
O Death, where are[f] your plagues?
O Sheol, where is[g] your destruction?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
15 Although he may flourish among rushes,[h]
the east wind shall come, a blast from the Lord,
rising from the wilderness;
and his fountain shall dry up,
his spring shall be parched.
It shall strip his treasury
of every precious thing.
16 [i] Samaria shall bear her guilt,
because she has rebelled against her God;
they shall fall by the sword,
their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
and their pregnant women ripped open.
Footnotes
- Hosea 13:2 Cn Compare Gk: Heb To these they say sacrifices of people
- Hosea 13:5 Gk Syr: Heb knew
- Hosea 13:6 Cn: Heb according to their pasture
- Hosea 13:9 Gk Syr: Heb for in me is your help
- Hosea 13:10 Gk Syr Vg: Heb I will be
- Hosea 13:14 Gk Syr: Heb I will be
- Hosea 13:14 Gk Syr: Heb I will be
- Hosea 13:15 Or among brothers
- Hosea 13:16 Ch 14.1 in Heb
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New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.