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“Hear this, cohanim!
Pay attention, house of Isra’el!
Listen, house of the king!
For judgment is coming to you.
You have become a snare for Mitzpah
and a net spread on Tavor.
The rebels have deepened their slaughter,
and I am rejected by all of them.

“I know Efrayim;
Isra’el is not hidden from me;
for now, Efrayim, you are a whore;
Isra’el is defiled.”

Their deeds will not allow them
to return to their God,
for the spirit of whoring is in them,
and they don’t know Adonai.
Isra’el’s arrogance will testify in his face;
Isra’el and Efrayim will stumble in their crimes;
Y’hudah too will stumble with them.
With their flocks and herds
they will go in search of Adonai.
But they won’t find him;
he has withdrawn from them.
They have betrayed Adonai,
by fathering foreign children.
Now within the month the invaders
will devour their lands.

“Blow the shofar in Giv‘ah,
a trumpet at Ramah;
sound an alarm at Beit-Aven:
‘Behind you, Binyamin!’
Efrayim will be laid waste
when the day for punishment comes;
I am announcing to the tribes of Isra’el
what will surely happen.
10 The leaders of Y’hudah are like men
who move boundary stones;
I will pour my fury out
upon them like water.
11 Efrayim is oppressed, crushed by the judgment,
because he deliberately sought out futility.
12 Therefore I am like a moth to Efrayim
and like rottenness to the house of Y’hudah.
13 When Efrayim saw his sickness
and Y’hudah his wound,
Efrayim went to Ashur
and sent envoys to a warring king;
but he can’t heal you
or cure your wound.
14 For to Efrayim I will be like a lion,
and like a young lion to the house of Y’hudah —
I will tear them up and go away;
I will carry them off, and no one will rescue.
15 I will go and return to my place,
till they admit their guilt and search for me,
seeking me eagerly in their distress.”

God will punish Israel and Judah for their sins

‘Listen to this, you priests! Listen carefully, you Israelites! Listen, you people of the royal family! You are guilty and you deserve punishment. You have caused trouble for people with your trap at Mizpah. You have caught people in your net at Tabor mountain.[a] People have turned against me and they have murdered many people. So I will warn them all and I will punish them.

I know what the people of Ephraim are like.[b] The Israelites cannot hide their sins from me. You are no better than prostitutes! You can no longer serve me as my people. Yes, the sins of the Israelites do not allow them to return to me, the Lord their God. They are not faithful to me and they love to worship idols. They do not want to know me. The Israelites are proud of what they do, and that shows that they are guilty. Their sins cause them to fall into great trouble. That will happen to the people of Israel and Ephraim. And the people of Judah will fall with them.

They take their sheep and cows to offer as sacrifices to the Lord. They want the Lord to help them, but he does not answer them. They cannot find him because he has gone away from them. They have turned against the Lord. Their children do not belong to him. They enjoy the new moon feast. But that will soon destroy them and the crops in their fields.’

War between Judah and Israel

‘Make a noise with your horns in Gibeah!
Make a noise with your trumpets in Ramah!
Warn the people in Beth Aven of danger!
Men of Benjamin's tribe, prepare to fight![c]
The day for Ephraim's punishment will soon come.
That will be the end of them!
I make this promise to all the tribes of Israel.
It will certainly happen!
10 The leaders of Judah are not honest.
They are like people who move the stones that show the edge of their land.
So I will punish them with my strong anger.[d]
11 Terrible trouble will come to Ephraim's people.
They will receive great punishment.
They deserve that because they chose to worship idols.
12 I will destroy the people of Ephraim,
as a moth eats cloth.
I will also destroy the people of Judah,
as ants destroy wood.
13 Ephraim's people knew that they were not well.
Judah's people knew that they had wounds.
Ephraim's leaders expected Assyria to help them.
They asked Assyria's great king for help.
But he is not able to make you well.[e]
He cannot make your wounds better.
14 I will attack Ephraim's people like a lion.
I will also attack Judah's people like a young lion.
I myself will tear them into pieces.
I will carry them away.
Nobody will be able to rescue them.
15 Then I will return to my place.
I will leave them to receive their full punishment.
When they have suffered enough, they will turn back to me.
They will want to serve me again.’

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 The leaders of Israel have caused trouble for their people. They have led them to worship false gods. It is like they have caught the people in a trap or a net.
  2. 5:3 Ephraim was the name that people used for the northern kingdom of Israel.
  3. 5:8 Gibeah, Ramah and Beth Aven were all near Jerusalem. Benjamin's tribe belonged to the kingdom of Judah in the south.
  4. 5:10 Hosea says that Judah's people have taken land that does not belong to them. To move stones that show the edge of someone's land was against God's laws. See Deuteronomy 19:14.
  5. 5:13 Judah's people asked Assyria for help after Syria and Israel attacked them in 734 BC.
'Hosea 5 ' not found for the version: Disciples’ Literal New Testament.

Judgment Against Israel

“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.
The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.(D)
    I will discipline all of them.(E)
I know all about Ephraim;
    Israel is not hidden(F) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
    Israel is corrupt.(G)

“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.
Israel’s arrogance testifies(K) against them;
    the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(L) in their sin;
    Judah also stumbles with them.(M)
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.
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.

“Sound the trumpet(T) in Gibeah,(U)
    the horn in Ramah.(V)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven[b];(W)
    lead on, Benjamin.
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)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 5:7 Or Now their New Moon feasts / will devour them and
  2. Hosea 5:8 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
  3. Hosea 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.

And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.

I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.

They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.

And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.

They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.

They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.

Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.

10 The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.

12 Therefore will I be 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 the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor 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 take away, and none shall rescue him.

15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.