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13 When Ephrayim spoke there was trembling; he was exalted in Yisroel; but when he became guilty in Ba’al, he died.

And now they sin more and more, and have made for themselves massekhah (idol) of their kesef, and atzabim according to their faculty of binah (understanding), all of it the work of the craftsmen; they say of them, Let adam that sacrifice kiss calf-idols.

Therefore they shall be like the anan boker (morning cloud) and as the early dew that disappears, like the motz (chaff) that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing floor, and as the smoke out of the window.

Yet I am Hashem Eloheicha from Eretz Mitzrayim, and thou shalt know no Elohim but Me; for there is no Moshia besides Me.

I did know thee in the midbar, in the eretz taluvot (land of burning heat).

According to their pasture [i.e., as I fed them], so were they filled; they were filled, and their lev became proud; therefore have they forgotten Me.

Therefore I will be unto them as a lion; as a leopard by the derech will I lie in wait;

I will meet them as a dov (bear) that is bereaved of her cubs, and will rip open the covering of their lev, and there will I devour them like a lion; as the wild beast of the sadeh would tear them.

O Yisroel, thou art destroyed; because thou art against Me, thine Ezer (Help).

10 Where now is thy melech that he may save thee? Where in all thy cities are thy shofetim of whom thou saidst, Give me a melech and sarim?

11 I gave thee a melech in Mine anger, and took him away in My wrath [Isa 53:10].

12 The avon (iniquity) of Ephrayim is bound up; his chattat is lurking.

13 The chevlei yoledah (birth pangs of a woman in childbirth) shall come upon him; he is a ben lo chacham; for when it is time he does not come to the opening of the womb.

14 Should I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Should I redeem them from mavet? O Mavet, where are the dever (pestilence, plague) of thee? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? Nocham (sorrow, compassion, pity) shall be hidden from Mine eyes.

15 Even though he thrives among his achim, an east wind shall come, the Ruach Hashem shall come up from the midbar (desert), and his makor (spring, fountain) shall become dry, and his well shall be dried up; it shall plunder the otzar of every keli chemdah (precious vessel).

16 (14:1) Shomron shall bear guilt; for she hath rebelled against her Elohim; they shall fall by the cherev; their olalim shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped open.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

13 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;(A)
    he was exalted(B) in Israel.
    But he became guilty of Baal worship(C) and died.
Now they sin more and more;
    they make(D) idols for themselves from their silver,(E)
cleverly fashioned images,
    all of them the work of craftsmen.(F)
It is said of these people,
    “They offer human sacrifices!
    They kiss[a](G) calf-idols!(H)
Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
    like the early dew that disappears,(I)
    like chaff(J) swirling from a threshing floor,(K)
    like smoke(L) escaping through a window.

“But I have been the Lord your God
    ever since you came out of Egypt.(M)
You shall acknowledge(N) no God but me,(O)
    no Savior(P) except me.
I cared for you in the wilderness,(Q)
    in the land of burning heat.
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
    when they were satisfied, they became proud;(R)
    then they forgot(S) me.(T)
So I will be like a lion(U) to them,
    like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs,(V)
    I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion(W) I will devour them—
    a wild animal will tear them apart.(X)

“You are destroyed, Israel,
    because you are against me,(Y) against your helper.(Z)
10 Where is your king,(AA) that he may save you?
    Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
    ‘Give me a king and princes’?(AB)
11 So in my anger I gave you a king,(AC)
    and in my wrath I took him away.(AD)
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
    his sins are kept on record.(AE)
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth(AF) come to him,
    but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time(AG) arrives,
    he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.(AH)

14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;(AI)
    I will redeem them from death.(AJ)
Where, O death, are your plagues?
    Where, O grave, is your destruction?(AK)

“I will have no compassion,
15     even though he thrives(AL) among his brothers.
An east wind(AM) from the Lord will come,
    blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
    and his well dry up.(AN)
His storehouse will be plundered(AO)
    of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria(AP) must bear their guilt,(AQ)
    because they have rebelled(AR) against their God.
They will fall by the sword;(AS)
    their little ones will be dashed(AT) to the ground,
    their pregnant women(AU) ripped open.”[b]

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 13:2 Or “Men who sacrifice / kiss
  2. Hosea 13:16 In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.