Hosea 5–6

5Hear this, priests!^a

Pay attention, house of Israel!

Listen, royal house!

For the judgment applies to you

because you have been a snare at Mizpah^b

and a net spread out on Tabor.

²Rebels^c are deeply involved in slaughter;^d

I will be a punishment for all of them.^C

³I know Ephraim,^e

and Israel is not hidden from me.

For now, Ephraim,^f

you have acted promiscuously;

Israel is defiled.

⁴Their actions do not allow them

to return to their God,^g

for a spirit of promiscuity is among them,^h

and they do not know the Lord.ⁱ

⁵Israel’s arrogance testifies against them.^Ej

Both Israel and Ephraim stumble

because of their iniquity;^k

even Judah will stumble with them.^l

⁶They go with their flocks and herds

to seek the Lord^m

but do not find him;ⁿ

he has withdrawn from them.^o

⁷They betrayed the Lord;^p

indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children.^q

Now the New Moon^r will devour them

along with their fields.^s

⁸Blow the trumpet in Gibeah,^t

the trumpet in Ramah;^u

raise the war cry in Beth-aven:^v

Look behind you,^F Benjamin!^w

⁹Ephraim will become a desolation^x

on the day of punishment;^y

I announce what is certain

among the tribes of Israel.^z

¹⁰The princes of Judah are like those

who move boundary markers;^aa

I will pour out my fury^ab on them like water.^ac

¹¹Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,^ad

for he is determined to follow what is worthless.^A

¹²So I am like rot to Ephraim^ae

and like decay to the house of Judah.

¹³When Ephraim saw his sickness

and Judah his wound,

Ephraim went to Assyria^af

and sent a delegation to the great king.^Bag

But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.^ah

¹⁴For I am like a lion to Ephraim^ai

and like a young lion to the house of Judah.

Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart.^aj

I will carry them off,

and no one can rescue them.^ak

¹⁵I will depart and return to my place

until they recognize their guilt and seek my face;^al

they will search for me in their distress.^am

A CALL TO REPENTANCE

6Come, let’s return to the Lord.^an

For he has torn us,^ao

and he will heal us;^ap

he has wounded us,

and he will bind up our wounds.^aq

²He will revive us after two days,^ar

and on the third day he will raise us up

so we can live in his presence.^as

³Let’s strive to know the Lord.^at

His appearance is as sure as the dawn.^au

He will come to us like the rain,^av

like the spring showers that water the land.

THE LORD’S FIRST LAMENT

⁴What am I going to do with you, Ephraim?^aw

What am I going to do with you, Judah?

Your love is like the morning mist^ax

and like the early dew that vanishes.

⁵This is why I have used the prophets

to cut them down;^Cay

I have killed them with the words from my mouth.

My judgment strikes like lightning.^D

⁶For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice,

the knowledge of God^az rather than burnt offerings.^ba

⁷But they, like Adam,^E have violated the covenant;^a

there they have betrayed me.^b

⁸Gilead is a city of evildoers,^c

tracked with bloody footprints.^d

⁹Like raiders who wait in ambush for someone,^e

a band of priests murders on the road to Shechem.^f

They commit atrocities.^g

¹⁰I have seen something horrible^h in the house of Israel:

Ephraim’s promiscuity is there;ⁱ Israel is defiled.

¹¹A harvest is also appointed for you, Judah.^j

When I return my people from captivity,^k