Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καθὼς ἂν πορεύωνται, ἐπιβαλῶ ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς τὸ δίκτυόν μου, καθὼς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατάξω αὐτοὺς, παιδεύσω αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀκοῇ τῆς θλίψεως αὐτῶν.
(Kathōs an poreuōntai, epibalō epʼ autous to diktuon mou, kathōs ta peteina tou ouranou kataxō autous, paideusō autous en taʸ akoaʸ taʸs thlipseōs autōn. )

BrTr Whenever they shall go, I will cast my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the sky, I will chasten them with the rumour of their coming affliction.

ULT When they go, I will spread my net over them,
⇔ I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
⇔ I will discipline them
⇔ in accordance with the report to their assembly.

UST But when they are on their way there,
⇔ I will spread my net over them,
⇔ I will bring them down as a hunter brings down birds from the air into a net.
⇔ I will punish them all together.

7:12 Or I will chastise them according to what was reported against them in the assembly.

OEB wherever they turn I will spread my net over them,
⇔ like birds of the sky I will bring them down,
⇔ I will catch them when I hear them gathering.

WEBBE When they go, I will spread my net on them.
⇔ I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
⇔ I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET I will throw my bird net over them while they are flying,
⇔ I will bring them down like birds in the sky;
⇔ I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together.

LSV When they go I spread over them My net,
As the bird of the heavens I bring them down,
I discipline them as their congregation has heard.

FBV When they go I will throw my net over them; I will bring them down like wild birds. When I hear them flocking together I will punish them.

T4T But wherever they go to get help,
⇔ I will not allow them to succeed;
⇔ it will be as though [MET] I will throw a net over them
⇔ like [SIM] a hunter uses a net to capture birds;
⇔ I will punish them for the evil things that they do.

LEB   • Just as they go, I will cast my net over them;
• I will bring them down
   • like the birds[fn] of the heavens;[fn]
  • I will discipline them
   • according to a report to their assembly.[fn]

7:? Hebrew “bird”

7:? Or “sky”

7:? Hebrew uncertain

BBE When they go, my net will be stretched out over them; I will take them like the birds of heaven, I will give them punishment, I will take them away in the net for their sin.

Moff No Moff HOS 7:12 verse available

JPS Even as they go, I will spread My net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath been made to hear.

ASV When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the heavens; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

DRA And when they shall go, I will spread my net upon them: I will bring them down as the fowl of the air, I will strike them as their congregation hath heard.

YLT When they go I spread over them My net, As the fowl of the heavens I bring them down, I chastise them as their company hath heard.

Drby When they go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowl of the heavens; I will chastise them, according as their assembly hath heard.

RV When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven: I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.
(When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls/birds of the heaven: I will chastise them, as their congregation hath/has heard. )

SLT When they shall go I will spread my net upon them; as birds of the heavens I will bring them down; I will correct them when hearing to their assembly.

Wbstr When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

KJB-1769 When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.
(When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls/birds of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath/has heard. )

KJB-1611 When they shall goe, I wil spread my net vpon them, I will bring them downe as the foules of the heauen: I will chastise them as their congregation hath heard.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps But whyle they be goyng here and there I shal spreade my net ouer them, and drawe them downe as the foules of the ayre: and according as they haue ben warned, so wyll I punishe them.
(But while they be going here and there I shall spread my net over them, and draw them down as the fowls/birds of the air: and according as they have been warned, so will I punish them.)

Gnva But when they shall go, I will spred my net vpon them, and drawe them downe as the foules of the heauen: I will chastice them as their congregation hath heard.
(But when they shall go, I will spread my net upon them, and draw them down as the fowls/birds of the heaven: I will chastise them as their congregation hath/has heard. )

Cvdl but whyle they be goinge here and there, I shal sprede my net ouer them, & drawe them downe as ye foules of the ayre: and acordinge as they haue bene warned, so will I punysh them.
(but while they be going here and there, I shall spread my net over them, and draw them down as ye/you_all fowls/birds of the air: and according as they have been warned, so will I punish them.)

Wycl And whanne thei ben goen forth, Y schal sprede abrood on hem my net, Y schal drawe hem doun as a brid of the eir. Y schal beete hem, bi the heryng of the cumpany of hem.
(And when they been going forth, I shall spread abroad on hem my net, I shall draw hem down as a bird of the air. I shall beat hem, by the hearing of the company of hem.)

Luth Aber indem sie hin und her laufen, will ich mein Netz über sie werfen und herunterrücken wie die Vögel unter dem Himmel; ich will sie strafen, wie man prediget in ihrer Sammlung.
(But by they/she/them there/therefore and her run(v), will I my net above they/she/them throw and move_down as/like the birds under to_him heaven; I will they/she/them punish, as/like man preaches in of_their/her collection.)

ClVg Et cum profecti fuerint, expandam super eos rete meum: quasi volucrem cæli detraham eos; cædam eos secundum auditionem cœtus eorum.
(And when/with set_out they_have_been, I_will_expand over them rete mine: as_if I_would_fly heavens I_will_take_it_down them; some them after/second hearing group/assembly their. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:4–7:16: The people persisted in their sins

In this section, the LORD again spoke to the people of Israel and Judah. In contrast to the people’s future repentance (6:1–3), he gave examples of their current disloyalty and corruption, including their reliance on other nations instead of him. They continued to commit sins, and they refused to seek him. He announced that he would judge them, and he illustrated his coming judgment in various ways.

In this section, the Hebrew text sometimes uses second person pronouns (“you”) and sometimes third person pronouns (“they” or “he”) to refer to the people of Israel. The BSB follows the Hebrew pronoun usage. It uses “they” in 6:5–10, “you” in 6:4 & 11, and “they” or “he” in 7:1–16. Throughout these verses the LORD is the speaker, and he either addresses the people directly or speaks about them.

English versions all use “you” in 6:11 and “they” in chapter 7, but they differ in the way they use the pronouns in 6:5–10. You should use the most natural and least confusing way in your language to handle the pronouns in 6:5–10. In 6:7–10, the Display will follow the BSB pronoun choice in the first meaning line and give another pronoun choice in the second meaning line. See the note on “you” in 2:16b–c, where the pronoun changes are similar.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Transitory Faithfulness and Imminent Judgment (NET)

Impenitence of Israel and Judah (NRSV)

7:12a–b

As they go, I will spread My net over them;

But on their way there, I will trap them as a hunter traps birds in a net.
But I will stop the Israelites as they attempt to go to Assyria and Egypt.

7:12a

As they go: This clause probably implies “As they go to Assyria” or “As they go to Assyria and Egypt.” The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as As has various possible meanings, depending on the context.

Here are some other ways to translate the clause:

When they go (NIV)

while they are flying (NET)

Wherever they turn (NJB)

7:12c

I will bring them down like birds of the air.

I will catch/net them as they take off.
I will not let them go far.

7:12b–c

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^12b I will spread My net over them;

^12c I will bring them down like birds of the air.

These lines expand the simile that compares Ephraim to a dove. Here the people of Israel are compared to a flock of birds that the LORD will capture in a net. The nonfigurative meaning is that the LORD will stop the Israelites as they attempt to go to Assyria and Egypt to negotiate alliances.

I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air: These lines figuratively describe the LORD as a bird trapper. A trapper throws a net over the birds just as they are beginning to take off. The net prevents them from flying away so that he can capture them.

birds of the air: In Hebrew, this phrase is a common way to refer to birds. In many languages, it is not natural to make the phrase of the air explicit. For example:

birds (REB)

7:12d

I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together.

Yes, when I hear them gathering like a flock of birds, I will capture them.
When the news spreads that they have gathered to negotiate an alliance, I will discipline them.

I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together: In Hebrew, this verse part is literally “I will chasten them at/when (or: “according to”) a report about/to their assembly.” There is a textual issue here:

The Masoretic Text has the words “report” and “assembly.” For example:
I shall take them captive when I hear them gathering.The REB expresses the Hebrew nouns “report” and “assembly” as verbs: “hear” (a report) and “gathering” (in an assembly). (REB) (BSB, ESV, KJV, NASB, NET, NIV, NJPS, NRSV, REB)
Some versions delete the word “report” and change the word “assembly” to “wicked.” For example:
I will chastise them for their wicked deeds. (RSV) (GW, GNT, NCV, NJB, NLT, RSV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with all the commentaries used in preparing these Notes. The LXX and Vulgate both support the use of these words.See Macintosh (pages 275–279) for more details.

There are two main ways to interpret the Hebrew word that precedes “report”:

The word means “at” or when.McComiskey (page 112), Macintosh (page 276), and HALOT (#4305, sense 7b temporal). With this meaning, verse 7:12d refers to the time when the LORD will hear about the Israelites gathering together like a flock of birds. At that time, he will discipline them. For example:
I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together. (NET) (BSB, NET, NIV, NJPS, REB)
The word means “according to.” With this meaning, verse 7:12d indicates that the LORD will discipline the Israelites. He will do this in a way that accords with a report that is made to an assembly of people. For example:
I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation. (ESV) (ESV, KJV, NASB, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This interpretation continues the figurative description of the LORD as a trapper who catches birds in a net.

I will chastise them: In Hebrew, the word chastise is literally “chasten.” This word can refer to moral instruction, rebuke, or punishment. The purpose is to correct wrong behavior. In this context, it indicates that the LORD will discipline or punish the people of Israel.NIDOTTE (#3579) and Davies (page 140). He will probably do this by allowing Assyria to capture them and take them into exile.McComiskey (page 112) and Keil (page 109).

Here are some ways to translate 7:12d:

Use one or more metaphors that continue the figurative language of 7:12b–c. See the NIV, REB, and NET (quoted above).
Change one or more of the metaphors to a simile. For example:
When I hear them gathering together like a flock of birds, I will punish them.
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
I will chastise them when I hear their bargaining. (NJPS)

when I hear them flocking together: This clause translates the Hebrew words in a figurative way. It describes the time when a trapper hears the noise of birds that have gathered together in a flock.

This clause refers to the time when the LORD hears news about a group of people who have gathered together. This gathering may refer to Israel’s leaders who meet with representatives of Egypt and/or Assyria to seek aid from them.See Wood (page 199) and Macintosh (page 276).

UTN uW Translation Notes:

General Information:

Yahweh is speaking.

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) I will spread my net over them

(Some words not found in UHB: just=as go spread over,them net_of,my like,the_bird[s]_of the=heavens I,will_bring_them_down I,will_chasten_them according,to_a_report to,their_of,assembly )

This is a way to catch birds. Yahweh continues to compare the people of Israel to doves. When they go to Egypt or Assyria for help, Yahweh will punish them.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

(Occurrence 0) I will bring them down like the birds of the sky

(Some words not found in UHB: just=as go spread over,them net_of,my like,the_bird[s]_of the=heavens I,will_bring_them_down I,will_chasten_them according,to_a_report to,their_of,assembly )

Yahweh speaks of the way he will judge Israel as if they were birds that he would catch in a net. Alternate translation: “I will hunt them like birds” or “I will catch them like a hunter catches birds”

(Occurrence 0) in their flocking together

(Some words not found in UHB: just=as go spread over,them net_of,my like,the_bird[s]_of the=heavens I,will_bring_them_down I,will_chasten_them according,to_a_report to,their_of,assembly )

This expression extends the metaphor of the birds.

Parallel HOS 7:12

Section 6:4–7:16: The people persisted in their sins

7:12a–b

7:12a

7:12c

7:12b–c

7:12d

General Information: