OET-RV HOS Chapter 5

4 Their past actions won’t allow them to return to their God,

because they have a spirit of prostitution within them,

and they don’t know Yahweh.

5 Yisrael’s arrogance testifies against them,

Yisrael and Efrayim will stumble in their guilt.

Yehudah also will stumble with them.

6 They’ll go to inquire from Yahweh, taking their flocks and herds for sacrifices,

but they won’t hear from him because he’s withdrawn from them.

7 They were unfaithful to Yahweh because they’ve borne illegitimate children.

Now the new moon festivals will devour them along with their fields.

8 Blow the horn in Gibeah,

and the trumpet in Ramah.

Sound the alarm at Beyt-Aven:

‘We’ll follow you into battle, Benyamin!’

9 Efrayim/Yisrael will become uninhabited in the time of punishment.

Among Yisrael’s tribes I declare what will certainly happen.

10 Yehudah’s leaders are like thieves who move a boundary.

I’ll pour my anger out on them like water from a jug.

11 Efrayim is oppressed.

It’s crushed in judgement,

because it was determined to honour idols.

12 So I’ll be like a moth to Efrayim,

≈and like rot to Yehudah’s descendants.

13 When Efrayim saw its sickness,

≈and Yehudah its wound,

then Efrayim went to Assyria,

≈and sent to the great king there.

But he can’t cure you

≈or heal your wound,

14 because I’ll be like a lion to Efrayim,

≈and like a young lion to Yehudah’s descendants.

I myself will tear them apart then go away.

≈I’ll carry them off and there’ll be no one to rescue them.

15 I’ll go and return to my place,

until they acknowledge their guilt and strive to do what I’ve told them—

until in their distress, they make a sincere decision to obey me.”