Hosea 5

Judgment Against Israel

5“Hear this, you priests!

Pay attention, you Israelites!

Listen, royal house!

This judgment^s is against you:

You have been a snare^t at Mizpah,

a net^u spread out on Tabor.

²The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.^v

I will discipline all of them.^w

³I know all about Ephraim;

Israel is not hidden^x from me.

Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;

Israel is corrupt.^y

⁴“Their deeds do not permit them

to return^z to their God.

A spirit of prostitution^a is in their heart;

they do not acknowledge^b the Lord.

⁵Israel’s arrogance testifies^c against them;

the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble^d in their sin;

Judah also stumbles with them.^e

⁶When they go with their flocks and herds

to seek the Lord,^f

they will not find him;

he has withdrawn^g himself from them.

⁷They are unfaithful^h to the Lord;

they give birth to illegitimateⁱ children.

When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,^j

he will devour^ak their fields.

⁸“Sound the trumpet^l in Gibeah,^m

the horn in Ramah.ⁿ

Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven^b;^o

lead on, Benjamin.

⁹Ephraim will be laid waste^p

on the day of reckoning.^q

Among the tribes of Israel

I proclaim what is certain.^r

¹⁰Judah’s leaders are like those

who move boundary stones.^s

I will pour out my wrath^t on them

like a flood of water.

¹¹Ephraim is oppressed,

trampled in judgment,

intent on pursuing idols.^cu

¹²I am like a moth^v to Ephraim,

like rot^w to the people of Judah.

¹³“When Ephraim^x saw his sickness,

and Judah his sores,

then Ephraim turned to Assyria,^y

and sent to the great king for help.^z

But he is not able to cure^a you,

not able to heal your sores.^b

¹⁴For I will be like a lion^c to Ephraim,

like a great lion to Judah.

I will tear them to pieces^d and go away;

I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.^e

¹⁵Then I will return to my lair^f

until they have borne their guilt^g

and seek my face^h—

in their miseryⁱ

they will earnestly seek me.^j”