Hosea Part 3 Draft

Retribution for Israel’s Sin

10 Israel is a [a]luxuriant vine;

He produces fruit for himself.

The more his fruit,

The more altars he made;

The [b]richer his land,

The better [c]he made the sacred pillars.

2 Their heart is [d]faithless;

Now they must bear their guilt.

[e]The Lord will break down their altars

And destroy their sacred pillars.

3 Surely now they will say, “We have no king,

For we do not revere the Lord.

As for the king, what can he do for us?”

4 They speak mere words,

[f]With worthless oaths they make covenants;

And judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria will fear

For the [g]calf of Beth-aven.

Indeed, its people will mourn for it,

And its idolatrous priests [h]will cry out over it,

Over its glory, since it has departed from it.

6 The thing itself will be carried to Assyria

As tribute to [i]King Jareb;

Ephraim will [j]be seized with shame

And Israel will be ashamed of its own counsel.

7 Samaria will be cut off with her king

Like a stick on the surface of the water.

8 Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed;

Thorn and thistle will grow on their altars;

Then they will say to the mountains,

“Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

9 From the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel;

There they stand!

Will not the battle against the sons of iniquity overtake them in Gibeah?

10 When it is My desire, I will [k]chastise them;

And the peoples will be gathered against them

When they are bound for their double guilt.

11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh,

But I will come over her fair neck with a yoke;

I will harness Ephraim,

Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.

12 Sow with a view to righteousness,

Reap in accordance with [l]kindness;

Break up your fallow ground,

For it is time to seek the Lord

Until He comes to [m]rain righteousness on you.

13 You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,

You have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors,

14 Therefore a tumult will arise among your people,

And all your fortresses will be destroyed,

As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,

When mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

15 Thus it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.

At dawn the king of Israel will be completely cut off.

Footnotes

Hosea 10:1 Or degenerate

Hosea 10:1 Or better

Hosea 10:1 Lit they

Hosea 10:2 Lit smooth

Hosea 10:2 Lit He

Hosea 10:4 Or Swearing falsely in making a covenant

Hosea 10:5 So with some ancient versions; Heb calves

Hosea 10:5 Or who used to rejoice over

Hosea 10:6 Or the avenging king or the great king

Hosea 10:6 Lit receive shame

Hosea 10:10 Or bind

Hosea 10:12 Or loyalty

Hosea 10:12 Or teach

God Yearns over His People

11 When Israel was a youth I loved him,

And out of Egypt I called My son.

2 The more [a]they called them,

The more they went from [b]them;

They kept sacrificing to the Baals

And burning incense to idols.

3 Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,

[c]I took them in My arms;

But they did not know that I healed them.

4 I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love,

And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;

And I bent down and fed them.

5 [d]They will not return to the land of Egypt;

But Assyria—he will be [e]their king

Because they refused to return to Me.

6 The sword will whirl against [f]their cities,

And will demolish [g]their gate bars

And consume them because of their counsels.

7 So My people are bent on turning from Me.

Though [h]they call [i]them to the One on high,

None at all exalts Him.

8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?

How can I surrender you, O Israel?

How can I [j]make you like Admah?

How can I treat you like Zeboiim?

My heart is turned over within Me,

[k]All My compassions are kindled.

9 I will not execute My fierce anger;

I will not destroy Ephraim again.

For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst,

And I will not come in [l]wrath.

10 They will walk after the Lord,

He will roar like a lion;

Indeed He will roar

And His sons will come trembling from the west.

11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt

And like doves from the land of Assyria;