The Lord’s Second Lament

13 Woe to them,(A) for they fled from Me;(B)
destruction to them, for they rebelled against Me!
Though I want to redeem them,(C)
they speak lies against Me.
14 They do not cry to Me from their hearts;
rather, they wail on their beds.
They slash themselves[a](D) for grain and new wine;(E)
they turn away from Me.
15 I trained and strengthened their arms,(F)
but they plot evil against Me.(G)
16 They turn, but not to what is above;[b]
they are like a faulty bow.(H)
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of the cursing of their tongue.(I)
They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 7:14 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read They stay
  2. Hosea 7:16 Some emend to turn to what is useless

13 “What sorrow awaits those who have deserted me!
    Let them die, for they have rebelled against me.
I wanted to redeem them,
    but they have told lies about me.
14 They do not cry out to me with sincere hearts.
    Instead, they sit on their couches and wail.
They cut themselves,[a] begging foreign gods for grain and new wine,
    and they turn away from me.
15 I trained them and made them strong,
    yet now they plot evil against me.
16 They look everywhere except to the Most High.
    They are as useless as a crooked bow.
Their leaders will be killed by their enemies
    because of their insolence toward me.
Then the people of Egypt
    will laugh at them.

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Footnotes

  1. 7:14 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads They gather together.