Hosea 5–6

Chapter 5

¹Hear this, ye priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ear, O house of the king: for this judgment is for you; for ye have been a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor. ²And they have plunged themselves in the corruption of apostasy, but I will be a chastiser of them all. ³I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me; for now, Ephraim, thou hast committed whoredom; Israel is defiled. ⁴Their doings do not allow them to return unto their God; for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they know not Jehovah. ⁵And Israel’s pride doth testify to his face; and Israel and Ephraim shall fall by their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them. ⁶They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Jehovah; but they shall not find him: he hath withdrawn himself from them. ⁷They have dealt treacherously against Jehovah; for they have begotten strange children: now shall the new moon devour them, with their allotted possessions.

⁸Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; cry aloud at Beth-aven: behind thee, O Benjamin! ⁹Ephraim shall be a desolation in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which is sure. ¹⁰The princes of Judah are become like them that remove the landmark: I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. ¹¹Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because in selfwill he walked after the commandment of man. ¹²And I will be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. ¹³When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sore, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb; but he was unable to heal you, nor hath he removed your sore. ¹⁴For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah. I, I will tear and go away; I will carry off, and there shall be none to deliver. ¹⁵I will go away, I will return to my place, till they acknowledge their trespass, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

Chapter 6

¹Come and let us return unto Jehovah: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. ²After two days will he revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before his face; ³and we shall know, —we shall follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is assured as the morning dawn; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain which watereth the earth.

⁴What shall I do unto thee, Ephraim? What shall I do unto thee, Judah? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that early passeth away. ⁵Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and my judgment goeth forth as the light. ⁶For I delight in loving-kindness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings. ⁷But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. ⁸Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity; it is tracked with blood. ⁹And as troops of robbers lie in wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way of Shechem; yea, they commit lewdness. ¹⁰In the house of Israel have I seen a horrible thing: the whoredom of Ephraim is there; Israel is defiled. ¹¹Also, for thee, Judah, is a harvest appointed, when I shall turn again the captivity of my people.