Hosea

1  1 The word of Jehovah, which came to Hoses, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 The beginning of the word of Jehovah by Hosea. Jehovah said to Hosea: Go, and take thee a wife of lewdness, and children of lewdness; for the land hath committed great lewdness; it is false to Jehovah. 3 So he went, and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And Jehovah said to him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will bring the kingdom of the house of Israel to an end. 5 Yea, in that day will I break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. 6 And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And God said to him, Call her name Unpitied; for I will no more have pity upon the house of Israel, but will surely take them away. 7 But upon the house of Judah will I have pity, and will save them by Jehovah their God; I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen. 8 Then she weaned her daughter Unpitied, and conceived, and bore a son. 9 And God said, Call his name Not-my-people. For ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. 10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured, or numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, Ye are not my people, there shall it be said to them, Ye are the sons of the living God. 11 Then shall the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel be gathered together, and shall appoint to themselves one head, and shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the day of Jezreel.

2  1 Call ye your brethren My-people; and your sisters Pitied. 2 Contend ye with your mother, contend! For she is not my wife, Nor am I her husband; That she put away lewdness from her face, And adultery from her breasts, Lest I strip her naked, And expose her, as when she was born; 3 Lest I make her as the desert, and like a parched land, And kill her with thirst. 4 Upon her sons also I will not have pity, For they are the sons of lewdness. 5 For their mother hath been guilty of lewdness; She that bore them hath brought upon herself shame; For she said, I will go after my lovers, Who give me my food and my water, My wool and my flax, my oil and my strong drink. 6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will enclose her with a wall, So that she shall not find her paths. 7 When she followeth after her lovers, she shall not overtake them; When she seeketh them, she shall not find them. Then shall she say, I will go back to my former husband, For then it was better with me than now. 8 For she did not consider that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, And multiplied silver unto her, And gold, of which they made images of Baal. 9 Therefore will I take back my corn in its time, And my new wine in its season, And I will take away my wool and my flax, Which covered her nakedness. 10 And now will I reveal her shame before the eyes of her lovers, And none shall deliver her out of my hand. 11 And I will cause all her joy to cease; Her feasts, and new moons, and sabbaths, And all her festal days. 12 I will destroy her vines, and her fig-trees, Of which she said, These are my hire, Which my lovers have given me; And I will make them a forest, And the wild beasts shall eat them. 13 I will punish her for the days of the Baals, When she burned incense to them, And decked herself with her rings and her jewels, And went after her lovers, And forgot me, saith Jehovah. 14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, And will lead her to the desert, And will speak kindly to her; 15 And thence will I give her her vineyards, And the valley of Achor for a door of hope; And there shall she sing, as in the days of her youth! As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 16 At that time, saith Jehovah, Thou shalt call me, MY HUSBAND; Thou shalt no more call me, MY BAAL; 17 For I will take away the name of the Baals out of her mouth, And their name shall no more be uttered. 18 At that time will I make for them a covenant With the beasts of the forest, and with the birds of heaven, And with the creeping things of the ground. The bow and the sword and the battle will I break from the land, And I will cause them to lie down in safety. 19 I will betroth thee to me forever; Yea, I will betroth thee to me in righteousness, and in justice, And in kindness, and in tender love. 20 Yea, I will betroth thee to me in faithfulness, And thou shalt know Jehovah. 21 At that time will I hear, saith Jehovah; I will hear the heavens; And they shall hear the earth, 22 And the earth shall hear the corn, and the new wine, and the oil, And they shall hear Jezreel. 23 And I will plant her for myself in the land; And I will have pity upon her that was called Unpitied; And I will say to them called Not-my-people, Thou art my people; And they shall say, Thou art my God.

3  1 And Jehovah said to me, Go again, love a woman that is loved by another, and is an adulteress; even as Jehovah loveth the sons of Israel, who turn themselves to other gods, and love raisin-cakes. 2 So I bought her for me for fifteen shekels of silver, and a homer and a half of barley. 3 And I said to her, Thou shalt wait for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be with any man; so will I also wait for thee. 4 For the sons of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim. 5 Afterward shall the sons of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and turn with fear to Jehovah and his goodness in future times.

4  1 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye sons of Israel! For Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; For there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. 2 Perjury, and falsehood, and murder, And theft, and adultery have broken forth, And blood reacheth to blood. 3 Therefore shall the land mourn, And every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, Together with the beasts of the forest, and the birds of heaven; Yea, even the fishes of the sea shall perish. 4 Yet let no man rebuke, and let no man reprove; For thy people are like those that contend with the priest, 5 Therefore shalt thou Fall by day, And the prophet shall fall with thee by night, And I will destroy thy mother. 6 My people is destroyed for lack of knowledge; Since thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, so that thou shalt no more be my priest; Since thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children. 7 As they have become great, so have they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed upon the sins of my people, And incline their hearts to their iniquity. 9 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; I will punish them for their ways, And requite them for their doings. 10 They shall eat and shall not be satisfied; They shall commit fornication, and shall not increase, For they have left off giving heed to Jehovah. 11 Fornication and wine and new wine take away the understanding; 12 My people ask counsel of their stocks, And their staff revealeth to them. For the spirit of fornication causeth them to err; Yea, they commit fornication, forsaking their God. 13 On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice, And on the hills they burn incense, Under the oak, and the poplar, and the terebinth, Because their shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters commit fornication, And your daughters-in-law commit adultery; 14 I will not punish your daughters, when they commit fornication, Nor your daughters-in-law, when they commit adultery; For ye yourselves go aside with harlots, And sacrifice with prostitutes; Therefore the people that hath not understanding shall fall. 15 Though thou play the harlot, O Israel, Yet let not Judah offend! Come ye not to Gilgal, Neither go ye up to Bethaven. And swear ye not, saying, As Jehovah liveth! 16 For like a refractory heifer is Israel become refractory, Therefore will Jehovah feed them, like a lamb in a wide place. 17 Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone! 18 When their carousal is over, They give themselves up to lasciviousness; Their rulers love shame. 19 The wind hath bound them up with its wings, And they shall be brought to shame on account of their sacrifices.

5  1 Hear ye this, O ye priests, And hearken, O house of Israel, And give ear, O house of the king! For judgment is coming upon you, Because ye have been a snare at Mizpah, And an outspread net upon Tabor. 2 By their sacrifices they commit deep transgression, And I will bring chastisement upon them all. 3 I know Ephraim, And Israel is not hidden from me; For thou committest fornication, O Ephraim, And Israel is defiled. 4 They will not frame their doings To return to their God; For a spirit of fornication is within them, And they have no regard to Jehovah. 5 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face; Therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. 6 With their flocks and with their herds shall they go to seek Jehovah, And shall not find him; He hath withdrawn himself from them. 7 They have been false to Jehovah, For they have begotten strange children; Now shall the new moon consume them with their possessions. 8 Blow ye the trumpet in Gibeah, And the cornet in Ramah; Cry aloud at Bethaven! Look behind thee, O Benjamin! 9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel do I make known what is sure. 10 The princes of Judah are like them that remove the land mark; I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. 11 Ephraim is oppressed; he is crushed with punishment, Because he willingly walked after the decree. 12 I am as a moth to Ephraim, And as rottenness to the house of Judah. 13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah his wound, Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, And Judah sent to the hostile king; But he will not be able to heal you, Nor will he cure you of your wound. 14 For I will be as a lion to Ephraim, And as a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear, and will depart; I will take away, and none shall rescue. 15 I will go back to my place, Till they have suffered for their sin, and seek my face! In their affliction they will seek me early.

6  1 “Come, and let us return to Jehovah! For he hath torn, and he will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us, On the third day he will raise us up, And we shall live in his presence, 3 Let us, therefore, know him; Let us ever strive to know Jehovah, His coming forth is sure as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter rain which watereth the earth.” 4 O Ephraim, what shall I do to thee? O Judah, what shall I do to thee? For your goodness is like the morning cloud, And like the early dew, which vanisheth away. 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth, And my judgments have gone forth like the light. 6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings. 7 But they, after the manner of men, have transgressed the covenant; Even therein have they dealt unfaithfully with me. 8 Gilead is a city of them that do iniquity; She is full of footsteps of blood. 9 As troops of robbers lying in wait for a man, so is the company of priests; They murder in the way to Shechem; Yea, they commit heinous wickedness. 10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; There Ephraim committeth fornication, Israel is polluted. 11 For thee also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.

7  1 When I was about to deliver my people from captivity, When I would have healed Israel, Then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, And the wickedness of Samaria; For they practise fraud, And the thief entereth in, And the band of robbers spoileth without. 2 And they think not in their hearts, That I remember all their wickedness. Now shall their doings encompass them; They are before my face. 3 With their wickedness they gladden the king, And with their falsehoods the princes; All of them are adulterers; 4 They are as an oven heated by the baker; He ceaseth to stir the fire, Until the dough which he hath kneaded be leavened. 5 On the feast-day of our king, the princes are sick with the heat of wine, And he stretcheth out his hand with revilers. 6 For they make ready their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait; All night the baker sleepeth; In the morning it gloweth like a flaming fire. 7 They all glow as an oven; They have devoured their judges; All their kings have fallen; And none among them calleth upon me. 8 Ephraim hath mixed himself with the nations; Ephraim is a cake not turned. 9 Strangers have devoured his strength, And he knoweth it not; Yea, gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, Yet he knoweth it not. 10 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face; Yet do not they return to Jehovah their God, Nor seek him, for all this. 11 Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding; They call upon Egypt; they go to Assyria. 12 When they go, I will spread my net over them; As birds of heaven will I bring them down. I will chastise them, as hath been proclaimed in their congregation. 13 Woe to them, for they have wandered from me! Destruction upon them, for they have rebelled against me! Though I myself would redeem them, they speak falsely to me. 14 They cry not to me from their heart, But howl upon their beds; For corn and wine they assemble themselves; They rebel against me. 15 I have chastened them; I have also strengthened their arms; Yet do they devise evil against me. 16 They return, but not to the Most High; They are like a deceitful bow; Their princes shall fall by the sword for the haughtiness of their tongues; This shall be their reproach in the land of Egypt.

8  1 Put the trumpet to thy mouth! Like an eagle cometh an enemy against the house of Jehovah, Because they have transgressed my covenant, And have rebelled against my law. 2 They shall say to me, My God, we know thee, we, thine Israel! 3 Israel hath cast away what is good; The enemy shall pursue him. 4 They have set up kings, but not by me; They have made princes, and I knew it not. Of their silver and their gold have they made themselves idols, That they may be brought to destruction. 5 An abomination is thy calf, O Samaria! Mine anger is kindled against them; How long will it be ere they can attain to purity! 6 For from Israel it came; The workman made it, and it is no God; Yea, into fragments shall the calf of Samaria be broken. 7 They have sown the wind, And they shall reap the whirlwind. They shall have no standing harvest; The ear shall yield no meal; If perchance it yield, strangers shall devour it. 8 Israel is swallowed up; Soon shall they become among the nations As a vessel which no one desireth. 9 For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a solitary wild-ass; Ephraim hireth lovers; 10 But though they hire among the nations, Soon will I gather the nations against them; Then shall they rest a little while from the burden of their king, and their princes! 11 Ephraim hath built many altars for sin, Therefore shall he have altars for sin. 12 Though I write for him many laws, They are accounted as a strange thing; 13 As to the sacrifices which they should offer me, they slay flesh and eat it; Jehovah hath no pleasure in them. Now will he remember their iniquity, And punish their sins; To Egypt shall they return. 14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and builded palaces, And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities; But I will send a fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces.

9  1 Rejoice not, O Israel, Exult not, like the nations! For thou committest fornication, forsaking thy God! Thou lovest hire on every corn-floor. 2 The floor and the vat shall not feed them, And the new wine shall deceive them. 3 They shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah; To Egypt shall Ephraim go back, And eat unclean things in Assyria. 4 They shall pour out no offerings of wine to Jehovah, Nor shall their sacrifices please him; They shall be to them as the bread of mourners; All that eat thereof shall be polluted. Their bread shall be for their own hunger; It shall not come into the house of Jehovah. 5 What will ye do in the festal day, In the day of the feast of Jehovah? 6 For, behold, they go forth from a wasted land; Egypt shall gather them; Memphis shall bury them; The precious places of their silver, Nettles shall possess them; Thorns shall spring up in their habitations. 7 The days of visitation are come; The days of retribution are come— Israel shall know that the prophet was foolish, That the man of the spirit was mad— For the greatness of` thy iniquity, and thy great hatred. 8 If Ephraim seek an answer from my God, The prophet is as the snare of the fowler in all his ways, A net in the house of his God. 9 They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity; He will requite their sins. 10 I found Israel as grapes in the wilderness; As the early fruit on the fig-tree, at its first time of bearing, I saw your fathers. But they went to Baal Peor, And separated themselves to shame, And had abominable idols according to their love. 11 The glory of Ephraim shall fly away as a bird; They shall not bring forth, nor bear in the womb, nor conceive; 12 Yea, if they bring up children, I will utterly bereave them; Yea, woe to them when I depart from them! 13 I have seen Ephraim planted, like Tyre, in a rich pasture, Yet shall Ephraim bring out his children to the murderer. 14 Give them, O Jehovah! What wilt thou give them? Give them a miscarrying womb, And dry breasts! 15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal; Yea, there have I hated them for the wickedness of their doings; I will drive them from my house; I will love them no more; All their princes are revolters. 16 Ephraim is smitten; Their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit; Yea, though they should beget children, I will destroy the beloved fruit of the womb. 17 My God shall cast them away, Because they have not hearkened to him, And they shall be wanderers among the nations.

10  1 Israel is a luxuriant vine, That bringeth forth fruit; But according to the abundance of his fruit hath he abounded in altars; According to the goodness of his land hath he made goodly images. 2 Their heart is divided; now shall they suffer for it; He will break down their altars, And destroy their images. 3 For soon shall they say, We have no king, Because we fear not Jehovah; What can a king do for us? 4 They utter empty words, Swearing falsely, making covenants, And now judgment springeth up, as hemlock in the furrows of the field. 5 For the calf of Bethaven shall the inhabitants of Samaria be in fear; Yea, its people shall grieve for it, And its priests shall tremble for it, Because its glory has departed from it. 6 It shall be carried to Assyria, As a present to the hostile king. Ephraim shall be covered with confusion, And Israel shall be ashamed of his doings, 7 Samaria shall be brought to destruction; Her king shall be as a twig upon the waters. 8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; The thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars. And they shall say to the mountains, Cover us! And to the hills, Fall on us! 9 More than in the days of Gibeah hast thou sinned, O Israel! There they stood; The battle in Gibeah against the sons of iniquity did not overtake them. 10 Now will I chastise them according to my pleasure, And the nations shall be gathered together against them, When I shall bind them for their two iniquities. 11 Ephraim is a trained heifer, that loveth to tread out the corn; But I will lay the yoke upon her fair neck; I will cause Ephraim to draw, Judah shall plough, Jacob shall harrow. 12 Sow for yourselves to righteousness, and ye shall reap according to your piety; Break up your fallow ground; For it is a time to seek Jehovah, Till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13 Ye plough wickedness, ye shall reap injustice; Ye shall eat the fruit of falsehood. Because thou trustest in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men, 14 There shall arise a tumult among thy people, And all thy fortresses shall be destroyed, As Shalman destroyed Betharbel in the day of battle, When the mother was dashed in pieces with her children. 15 Such things shall Bethel bring upon you Because of your great wickedness. In the morning shall the king of Israel be destroyed.

11  1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, And called my son out of Egypt, 2 But they turned away from those that called them. They sacrificed to images of Baal; They burned incense to idols. 3 I helped Ephraim to go, Yea, I took them up in my arms; Yet they marked not that I healed them. 4 I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I was to them as those who lift up the yoke from their jaws; I dealt gently with them, and gave them food. 5 They shall no more go down to Egypt; For the Assyrian shall be their king, Because they refuse to return to me. 6 The sword shall fall upon their cities, It shall consume their bars, and devour Because of their devices. 7 For my people persevere in turning away from me; Though they are called to the Most High, None will exalt him. 8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I abandon thee, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim? My heart is changed within me; Yea, my compassion is kindled. 9 I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in the midst of thee, And I will not come in anger. 10 They shall walk after Jehovah, when he shall roar like a lion, When he shall roar, then shall their sons hasten from the west; 11 They shall hasten as a bird from Egypt, And as a dove from the land of Assyria, And I will place them in their houses, saith Jehovah. 12 Ephraim compasseth me about with falsehood, And the house of Israel with deceit; Judah also is inconstant toward God, Toward the holy and faithful one.

12  1 Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind; Every day he multiplieth falsehood and violence; They make a league with Assyria, And oil is carried into Egypt. 2 Therefore Jehovah hath a controversy with Judah. And he will punish Jacob for his ways, And requite him according to his doings. 3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his strength he contended with God; 4 Yea, he contended with the angel, and prevailed; He wept, and made supplication to him. At Bethel he found him, And there he spake with us. 5 And Jehovah, the God of hosts, Jehovah is his name. 6 Therefore turn thou to thy God; Observe mercy and justice, And hope in thy God always! 7 He is a Canaanite; in his hands are the balances of deceit; He loveth to oppress. 8 Yet Ephraim saith, Lo, I have become rich; I have found myself substance; In all my earnings can be found no transgression in which there is guilt. 9 Yet I, Jehovah, have been thy God from the land of Egypt; I will again cause thee to dwell in tents, as in the days of the solemn feast. 10 I have also spoken to the prophets, And I have given many visions, And by the prophets I have used similitudes. 11 Behold, Gilead is full of iniquity; Surely they have become corrupt; In Gilgal they sacrifice oxen, And their altars are like the heaps in the furrows of the field. 12 Jacob fled into the country of Syria, And Israel served for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep. 13 By a prophet Jehovah brought up Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet was he preserved. 14 Ephraim hath provoked his Lord most bitterly; Therefore will he leave his blood upon him, And recompense to him his reproach.

13  1 Once when Ephraim spake, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel; But he offended through Baal, and died. 2 And now they sin more and more, And have made to themselves molten images; Of their silver by their skill have they made idols; All of it is the work of artificers. They say concerning them, Whoever will sacrifice, let him kiss the calves! 3 Therefore shall they be as the morning cloud, And as the early dew, which passeth away; As chaff driven with a whirlwind from the thrashing-floor, And as smoke from the chimney. 4 Yet I, Jehovah, have been thy God from the land of Egypt, And thou hast known no God but me; Yea, there was no saviour besides me. 5 I cared for thee in the desert, In the land of great drought. 6 As they were fed, so they were filled; They were filled, and their heart was lifted up; Therefore they forgot me. 7 Therefore have I become to them as a lion; As a leopard I watch for them in the way; 8 I will meet them as a bear bereaved of her whelps, And I will rend the caul of their heart, And there will I devour them as a lioness; The wild beast shall tear them. 9 It hath been thy destruction, O Israel, That against me, against thy help, thou hast rebelled! 10 Where is now thy king? Let him save thee in all thy cities! And where thy judges, In regard to whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes! 11 I gave thee a king in mine anger, And I have taken him away in my wrath; 12 the iniquity of Ephraim is treasured up; His guilt is laid up in store. 13 The pangs of a travailing woman shall come upon him; He is an unwise son, For else would he not tarry long in the place of the breaking forth of children. 14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death; O death, where is thy plague? O grave, where is thy destruction? Repentance is hidden from mine eyes. 15 Though he be fruitful among his brethren, An east wind shall come, A wind of Jehovah shall come up from the desert, And his spring shall become dry, And his fountain shall be dried up, And the treasure of all his pleasant vessels shall be spoiled. 16 Samaria shall suffer for her guilt, For she hath rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword; Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, And their women with child shall be ripped up.

14  1 Return, O Israel, to Jehovah thy God; For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 2 Take with you words, And return to Jehovah, saying, “Forgive all our iniquity, and receive us graciously, And we will render to thee the sacrifices of our lips! 3 Assyria shall not help us; We will not ride on horses; And no more will we say to the work of our hands, Ye are our Gods! For from thee the fatherless obtaineth mercy.” 4 “I will heal their rebellion; I will love them freely; For my anger is turned away from them. 5 I will be as the dew to Israel; He shall blossom as the lily, And strike his roots like Lebanon. 6 His sprouts shall spread forth, And his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, And his fragrance as Lebanon. 7 They that dwell under his shadow Shall revive as the corn; They shall shoot forth as the vine; Their name shall be like the wine of Lebanon. 8 Ephraim shall say, What have I more to do with idols? I will hear him; I will care for him; I will be like a green cypress-tree; From me shall thy fruit be found.” 9 Who is wise, that he may understand these things, Prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of Jehovah are right, And the righteous walk in them; But in them transgressors stumble.