Hosea 11:12–14:9

12 k Ephraim surrounds me with lies, l

the house of Israel, with deceit.

Judah still wanders with God

and is faithful to the holy ones. m n

God’s Case against Jacob’s Heirs

12 Ephraim chases o the wind p

and pursues the east wind. q

He continually multiplies lies and violence.

He makes a covenant with Assyria, r

and olive oil is carried to Egypt. s

2 The Lord also has a dispute with Judah.

He is about to punish Jacob according to his ways; t

He will repay him based on his actions.

3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, u

and as an adult he wrestled with God. v

4 Jacob struggled with the Angel and prevailed;

he wept and sought His favor. w

He found him x at Bethel, y

and there He spoke with him. z a

5 * Yahweh is the God of * Hosts;

Yahweh is His name. b

6 But you must return to your God. c

Maintain love and justice, d

and always put your hope in God. e

7 A merchant loves to extort f

with dishonest scales in his hands. g

8 But Ephraim says:

“How rich I have become; h

I made it all myself.

In all my earnings,

no one can find any crime in me i

that I can be punished for!” j

Judgment on Apostate Israel

9 I have been Yahweh your God

ever since k the land of Egypt. l

I will make you live in tents again, m

as in the festival days.

10 I spoke through the prophets n

and granted many visions;

I gave parables through the prophets. o

11 Since Gilead is full of evil, p

they will certainly come to nothing.

They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal; q

even their altars will be like heaps of rocks r

on the furrows of a field.

Further Indictment of Jacob’s Heirs

12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram. s

Israel worked to earn a wife; t

he tended flocks for a wife. u

13 The Lord brought Israel from Egypt by a prophet, v

and Israel was tended by a prophet.

14 Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, w

so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him x

and repay him for his contempt. y

13 When Ephraim spoke, z there was trembling;

he was exalted in Israel. a

But he incurred * guilt through * Baal b and died.

2 Now they continue to sin

and make themselves a cast image, c

idols skillfully made from their silver, d

all of them the work of craftsmen. e

People say about them,

“Let the men who sacrifice f kiss the calves.” g

3 Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, h

like the early dew that vanishes,

like chaff blown from a threshing floor, i

or like smoke from a window. j

Death and Resurrection

4 I have been * Yahweh your God k

ever since l the land of Egypt;

you know no God but Me, m

and no Savior exists besides Me. n

5 I knew o you in the wilderness, p

in the land of drought.

6 When they had pasture,

they became satisfied; q

they were satisfied,

and their hearts became proud. r

Therefore they forgot Me. s

7 So I will be like a lion t to them;

I will lurk like a leopard u on the path.

8 I will attack them

like a bear robbed of her cubs

and tear open the rib cage over their hearts.

I will devour them there like a lioness, v

like a wild beast that would rip them open.

9 I will destroy you, Israel;

you have no help but Me. w x

10 Where now is your king, y z

that he may save you in all your cities,

and the a rulers b c you demanded, saying,

“Give me a king and leaders”?

11 I give you a king in My anger d

and take away a king in My wrath. e

12 Ephraim’s guilt is preserved;

his sin is stored up. f

13 Labor pains come on him. g

He is not a wise son; h

when the time comes,

he will not be born. i j

14 I will ransom them from the power of * Sheol.

I will redeem k them from death. l

Death, where are your barbs?

Sheol, where is your sting? m

Compassion is hidden from My eyes. n

The Coming Judgment

15 Although he flourishes among his brothers, o p

an east wind will come, q

a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert.

His water source will fail,

and his spring will run dry. r

The wind s will plunder the treasury t

of every precious item.

16 u Samaria v will bear her guilt w

because she has rebelled against her God. x

They will fall by the sword; y

their little ones will be dashed to pieces, z

and their pregnant women ripped open. a

A Plea to Repent

14 Israel, return to * Yahweh your God, b

for you have stumbled in your sin. c

2 Take words of repentance with you d

and return to the Lord.

Say to Him: “Forgive all our sin

and accept what is good,

so that we may repay You

with praise e from our f lips. g

3 Assyria will not save us, h

we will not ride on horses, i

and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods!’ j

to the work of our hands. k

For the fatherless receives compassion in You.” l

A Promise of Restoration

4 I will heal their apostasy; m

I will freely love them, n

for My anger will have turned from him. o

5 I will be like the dew to Israel; p

he will blossom like the lily q

and take root like the cedars of Lebanon. r

6 His new branches will spread,

and his splendor will be like the olive tree, s

his fragrance, like the forest of Lebanon. t

7 The people will return and live beneath his shade. u

They will grow grain v

and blossom like the vine.

His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 Ephraim, why should I w have anything more

to do with idols? x

It is I who answer and watch over him.

I am like a flourishing pine tree; y

your fruit comes from Me. z

9 Let whoever is wise a understand these things,

and whoever is insightful recognize them.

For the ways of the Lord are right, b

and the righteous walk in them, c

but the rebellious stumble in them. d