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Hosea 5-8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Hosea 5-8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah
5 Hear this, O priests!
Give heed, O house of Israel!
Listen, O house of the king!
For the judgment pertains to you,
for you have been a snare at Mizpah
and a net spread upon Tabor(A)
2 and a pit dug deep in Shittim,[a]
but I will punish all of them.
3 I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from me,
for now, O Ephraim, you have prostituted yourself;
Israel is defiled.(B)
4 Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God.
For the spirit of prostitution is within them,
and they do not know the Lord.(C)
5 Israel’s pride testifies against him;
Ephraim[b] stumbles in his guilt;
Judah also stumbles with them.(D)
6 With their flocks and herds they shall go
to seek the Lord,
but they will not find him;
he has withdrawn from them.(E)
7 They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord,
for they have borne illegitimate children.
Now the new moon shall devour them along with their fields.(F)
8 Blow the horn in Gibeah,
the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound the alarm at Beth-aven;
look behind you, Benjamin!(G)
9 Ephraim shall become a desolation
in the day of punishment;
among the tribes of Israel
I declare what is sure.(H)
10 The princes of Judah have become
like those who remove the landmark;
on them I will pour out
my wrath like water.(I)
11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
because he was determined to go after vanity.[c]
12 Therefore I am like maggots to Ephraim
and like rottenness to the house of Judah.(J)
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness
and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria
and sent to the great king.[d]
But he is not able to cure you
or heal your wound.(K)
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim
and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will tear and go away;
I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.(L)
15 I will return again to my place
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face.
In their distress they will beg my favor:(M)
A Call to Repentance
6 “Come, let us return to the Lord,
for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;
he has struck down, and he will bind us up.(N)
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3 Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”(O)
Impenitence of Israel and Judah
4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early.(P)
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
and my[e] judgment goes forth as the light.(Q)
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.(R)
7 But at[f] Adam they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,
tracked with blood.
9 As robbers lie in wait[g] for someone,
so the priests are banded together;[h]
they murder on the road to Shechem;
they commit a monstrous crime.(S)
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
Ephraim’s prostitution is there; Israel is defiled.(T)
11 For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.
When I would restore the fortunes of my people,(U)
7
the corruption of Ephraim is revealed,
and the wicked deeds of Samaria,
for they deal falsely;
the thief breaks in,
and the bandits raid outside.(V)
2 But they do not consider
that I remember all their wickedness.
Now their deeds surround them;
they are before my face.(W)
3 By their wickedness they make the king glad,
and the officials by their treachery.
4 They are all adulterers;
they are like a heated oven
whose baker does not need to stir the fire
from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.(X)
5 On the day of our king the officials
became sick with the heat of wine;
he stretched out his hand with mockers.(Y)
6 For they are kindled[i] like an oven; their heart burns within them;
all night their anger smolders;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven,
and they devour their rulers.
All their kings have fallen;
none of them calls upon me.(Z)
8 Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 Foreigners devour his strength,
but he does not know it;
gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,
but he does not know it.(AA)
10 Israel’s pride testifies against[j] him;
yet they do not return to the Lord their God
or seek him, for all this.(AB)
Futile Reliance on the Nations
11 Ephraim has become like a dove,
silly and without sense;
they call upon Egypt, they go to Assyria.(AC)
12 As they go, I will cast my net over them;
I will bring them down like birds of the air;
I will discipline them according to the report made to their assembly.[k](AD)
13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
I would redeem them,
but they speak lies against me.(AE)
14 They do not cry to me from the heart,
but they wail upon their beds;
they gash themselves for grain and wine;
they rebel against me.(AF)
15 It was I who trained and strengthened their arms,
yet they plot evil against me.(AG)
16 They turn to that which does not profit;[l]
they have become like a defective bow;
their officials shall fall by the sword
because of the rage of their tongue.
So much for their babbling in the land of Egypt.(AH)
Israel’s Apostasy
8 Set the trumpet to your lips!
One like a vulture[m] is over the house of the Lord,
because they have broken my covenant
and transgressed my law.(AI)
2 They cry to me,
“My God, we know you!”[n](AJ)
3 Israel has spurned the good;
the enemy shall pursue him.
4 They made kings but not through me;
they set up princes but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.(AK)
5 Your calf is rejected, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence?(AL)
6 For it is from Israel,
an artisan made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samaria
shall be broken to pieces.(AM)
7 For they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
it shall yield no meal;
if it were to yield,
foreigners would devour it.(AN)
8 Israel is swallowed up;
now they are among the nations
as a useless vessel.(AO)
9 For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild ass wandering alone;
Ephraim has bargained for lovers.(AP)
10 Though they bargain with the nations,
I will now gather them up.
They shall soon writhe
under the burden of kings and princes.(AQ)
11 When Ephraim multiplied altars to expiate sin,
they became to him altars for sinning.
12 Though I write for him the multitude of my instructions,
they are regarded as a strange thing.(AR)
13 Though they offer choice sacrifices,[o]
though they eat flesh,
the Lord does not accept them.
Now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.(AS)
14 Israel has forgotten his Maker
and built palaces,
and Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
but I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it shall devour his strongholds.(AT)
Footnotes
- 5.2 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 5.5 Heb Israel and Ephraim
- 5.11 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 5.13 Cn: Heb to a king who will contend
- 6.5 Gk Syr: Heb your
- 6.7 Cn: Heb like
- 6.9 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 6.9 Syr: Heb are a company
- 7.6 Gk Syr: Heb brought near
- 7.10 Or humbles
- 7.12 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 7.16 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 8.1 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 8.2 Gk Syr: Heb adds Israel
- 8.13 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
Hosea 5-8
New International Version
Hosea 5-8
New International Version
Judgment Against Israel
5 “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.
2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.(D)
I will discipline all of them.(E)
3 I know all about Ephraim;
Israel is not hidden(F) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
Israel is corrupt.(G)
4 “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.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies(K) against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(L) in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.(M)
6 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.
7 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.
8 “Sound the trumpet(T) in Gibeah,(U)
the horn in Ramah.(V)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven[b];(W)
lead on, Benjamin.
9 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)”
Israel Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us return(AS) to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces(AT)
but he will heal us;(AU)
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.(AV)
2 After two days he will revive us;(AW)
on the third day(AX) he will restore(AY) us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,(AZ)
like the spring rains that water the earth.(BA)”
4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim?(BB)
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.(BC)
5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth(BD)—
then my judgments go forth like the sun.[d](BE)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(BF)
and acknowledgment(BG) of God rather than burnt offerings.(BH)
7 As at Adam,[e] they have broken the covenant;(BI)
they were unfaithful(BJ) to me there.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,(BK)
stained with footprints of blood.
9 As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,(BL)
so do bands of priests;
they murder(BM) on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes.(BN)
10 I have seen a horrible(BO) thing in Israel:
There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
Israel is defiled.(BP)
11 “Also for you, Judah,
a harvest(BQ) is appointed.
“Whenever I would restore the fortunes(BR) of my people,
7 1 whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.(BS)
They practice deceit,(BT)
thieves break into houses,(BU)
bandits rob in the streets;(BV)
2 but they do not realize
that I remember(BW) all their evil deeds.(BX)
Their sins engulf them;(BY)
they are always before me.
3 “They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.(BZ)
4 They are all adulterers,(CA)
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5 On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,(CB)
and he joins hands with the mockers.(CC)
6 Their hearts are like an oven;(CD)
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,(CE)
and none of them calls(CF) on me.
8 “Ephraim mixes(CG) with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9 Foreigners sap his strength,(CH)
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,(CI)
but despite all this
he does not return(CJ) to the Lord his God
or search(CK) for him.
11 “Ephraim is like a dove,(CL)
easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,(CM)
now turning to Assyria.(CN)
12 When they go, I will throw my net(CO) over them;
I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13 Woe(CP) to them,
because they have strayed(CQ) from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak about me(CR) falsely.(CS)
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts(CT)
but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[f] appealing to their gods
for grain and new wine,(CU)
but they turn away from me.(CV)
15 I trained(CW) them and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil(CX) against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;(CY)
they are like a faulty bow.(CZ)
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent(DA) words.
For this they will be ridiculed(DB)
in the land of Egypt.(DC)
Israel to Reap the Whirlwind
8 “Put the trumpet(DD) to your lips!
An eagle(DE) is over the house of the Lord
because the people have broken my covenant(DF)
and rebelled against my law.(DG)
2 Israel cries out to me,
‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3 But Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.(DH)
4 They set up kings without my consent;
they choose princes without my approval.(DI)
With their silver and gold
they make idols(DJ) for themselves
to their own destruction.
5 Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!(DK)
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?(DL)
6 They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
it is not God.(DM)
It will be broken in pieces,
that calf(DN) of Samaria.(DO)
7 “They sow the wind
and reap the whirlwind.(DP)
The stalk has no head;
it will produce no flour.(DQ)
Were it to yield grain,
foreigners would swallow it up.(DR)
8 Israel is swallowed up;(DS)
now she is among the nations
like something no one wants.(DT)
9 For they have gone up to Assyria(DU)
like a wild donkey(DV) wandering alone.
Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.(DW)
10 Although they have sold themselves among the nations,
I will now gather them together.(DX)
They will begin to waste away(DY)
under the oppression of the mighty king.
11 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
these have become altars for sinning.(DZ)
12 I wrote for them the many things of my law,
but they regarded them as something foreign.(EA)
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me,
and though they eat(EB) the meat,
the Lord is not pleased with them.(EC)
Now he will remember(ED) their wickedness
and punish their sins:(EE)
They will return to Egypt.(EF)
14 Israel has forgotten(EG) their Maker(EH)
and built palaces;
Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire on their cities
that will consume their fortresses.”(EI)
Footnotes
- Hosea 5:7 Or Now their New Moon feasts / will devour them and
- Hosea 5:8 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Hosea 6:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Hosea 6:7 Or Like Adam; or Like human beings
- Hosea 7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together
Revelation 2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Revelation 2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Message to Ephesus
2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:
2 “I know your works, your toil and your endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them to be false.(A) 3 I also know that you are enduring and bearing up for the sake of my name and that you have not grown weary.(B) 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember, then, from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.(C)
The Message to Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life:(D)
9 “I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan.(E) 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.(F) 11 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.(G)
The Message to Pergamum
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:(H)
13 “I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me[a] even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and engage in sexual immorality.[b](I) 15 So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent, then. If not, I will come to you soon and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth.(J) 17 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.(K)
The Message to Thyatira
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze:(L)
19 “I know your works: your love, faith, service, and endurance. I know that your latest works are greater than the first. 20 But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to engage in sexual immorality[c] and to eat food sacrificed to idols.(M) 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.[d](N) 22 Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her doings, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.(O) 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ‘the deep things of Satan,’ to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden;(P) 25 only hold fast to what you have until I come. 26 To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,
I will give authority over the nations,(Q)
27 to rule[e] them with an iron scepter,
as when clay pots are shattered—(R)
28 “even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.(S) 29 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Revelation 2
New International Version
Revelation 2
New International Version
To the Church in Ephesus
2 “To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus(A) write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand(B) and walks among the seven golden lampstands.(C) 2 I know your deeds,(D) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested(E) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.(F) 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,(G) and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.(H) 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent(I) and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand(J) from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,(K) which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear(L) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,(M) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,(N) which is in the paradise(O) of God.
To the Church in Smyrna
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna(P) write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last,(Q) who died and came to life again.(R) 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!(S) I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,(T) but are a synagogue of Satan.(U) 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you,(V) and you will suffer persecution for ten days.(W) Be faithful,(X) even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.(Y)
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear(Z) what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.(AA)
To the Church in Pergamum
12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum(AB) write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.(AC) 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,(AD) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,(AE) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.(AF)
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:(AG) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,(AH) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols(AI) and committed sexual immorality.(AJ) 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.(AK) 16 Repent(AL) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.(AM)
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear(AN) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,(AO) I will give some of the hidden manna.(AP) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name(AQ) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.(AR)
To the Church in Thyatira
18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira(AS) write:
These are the words of the Son of God,(AT) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.(AU) 19 I know your deeds,(AV) your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,(AW) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.(AX) 21 I have given her time(AY) to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.(AZ) 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery(BA) with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds,(BB) and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.(BC)
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,(BD) 25 except to hold on to what you have(BE) until I come.’(BF)
26 To the one who is victorious(BG) and does my will to the end,(BH) I will give authority over the nations(BI)— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter(BJ) and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[b](BK)—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.(BL) 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear(BM) what the Spirit says to the churches.
Footnotes
- Revelation 2:1 Or messenger; also in verses 8, 12 and 18
- Revelation 2:27 Psalm 2:9
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