Hosea 5; Hosea 6; Hosea 7; Hosea 8

1 "Listen to me, you priests! Pay attention, people of Israel! Listen, you members of the royal family! Here is my decision against you. You have been like a trap at Mizpah. You have been like a net spread out on Mount Tabor.

2 You refuse to obey me. You offer sacrifices to other gods. So I will punish all of you.

3 People of Ephraim, I know all about you. What you are doing is not hidden from me. Now you have joined yourselves to other gods. You have made yourselves 'unclean.'

4 "You can't return to me because you have done so many evil things. In your hearts you long to act like prostitutes. You do not recognize me as the Lord.

5 Israel, your pride witnesses that you are guilty. People of Ephraim, you trip and fall because you have sinned. Judah, you fall down along with them.

6 Israel, you will come to worship me. You will bring your animals to offer as sacrifices. But you will not find me. I have turned away from you.

7 You are not faithful to me. Your children do not belong to me. The way you act at your New Moon Feasts will destroy you and your fields.

8 "My people, blow trumpets in Gibeah! Blow horns in Ramah! Shout the battle cry in Bethel! Say to Benjamin, 'The Assyrian army is coming!'

9 People of Ephraim, you will be completely destroyed when it is time for me to punish you. You can be sure it will happen. I am announcing it among your tribes.

10 Judah, your leaders have stolen some land. They have moved their borders farther north. So I will pour out my anger on you like a flood of water.

11 Ephraim, you will soon be crushed. The Assyrians will stomp all over you. It will happen because you have made up your minds to chase after other gods.

12 Ephraim, I will be like a moth to you. Judah, I will cause you to rot away.

13 "Ephraim, you saw how sick you were. Judah, you saw that you were wounded. Ephraim, you turned to Assyria for help. You sent gifts to the great King Tiglath-Pileser. But he is not able to make you well. He can't heal your wounds.

14 Ephraim, I will be like a lion to you. Judah, I will attack you like a powerful lion. I will tear you to pieces. I will drag you off. Then I will leave you. No one will be able to save you.

15 I will go back to my home in heaven. I will stay there until you admit you have sinned. Then you will turn to me. You will suffer so much that you will really want me to help you."

1 The people say, "Come. Let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces. But he will heal us. He has wounded us. But he'll bandage our wounds.

2 After two days he will give us new life. On the third day he'll make us like new again. Then we will enjoy his blessing.

3 Let's recognize him as the Lord. Let's keep trying to really know him. You can be sure the sun will rise. And you can be just as sure the LORD will appear. He will come to renew us like the winter rains. He will be like the spring rains that water the earth."

4 The LORD says, "Ephraim, what can I do with you? And what can I do with you, Judah? Your love for me vanishes like the morning mist. It soon disappears like the early dew.

5 So I used the words of my prophets to cut you in pieces. I used my words to put you to death. When I judged you, I struck you like lightning.

6 I want mercy and not sacrifice. I want you to recognize me as God instead of bringing me burnt offerings.

7 Just as Adam disobeyed me, you have broken the covenant I made with you. You were not faithful to me in the land I gave you.

8 Ramoth Gilead is a city where sinful people live. It is stained with footprints of blood.

9 On the road to Shechem, groups of priests act like robbers. They hide and wait to attack people. They murder them and commit other shameful crimes.

10 People of Israel, I have seen a horrible thing in your land. People of Ephraim, you have joined yourselves to other gods. You have made yourselves 'unclean.'

11 "People of Judah, I have appointed a time for you to be destroyed. "My people, I would like to bless you with great success again."

1 The LORD says, "I would like to heal Israel. But when I try to, Ephraim's sins are brought out into the open. The crimes of Samaria are made known to everyone. The people tell lies. They break into houses and steal. They rob others in the streets.

2 But they do not realize that I remember all of the evil things they do. Their sins pile up and cover them. I am always aware of those sins.

3 "Their evil conduct even makes the king glad. Their lies make the princes happy.

4 But all of the people are unfaithful to the king. Their anger against him burns like the coals in an oven. The baker does not even need to stir up the fire until the dough is ready."

5 On special days to honor our king, the princes get drunk with wine. And the king enjoys the party. He joins hands with those who pretend to be faithful to him.

6 Their hearts are as hot as an oven. They make evil plans to get rid of him. Their anger burns like a slow fire all night. In the morning it blazes out like a flaming fire.

7 All of them are as hot as an oven. They destroy their rulers. All of their kings fall from power. But none of them calls on the LORD for help.

8 The people of Ephraim mix with the nations. They are like a flat cake that is baked on only one side.

9 People from other lands make them weaker and weaker. But they don't realize it. Their hair is becoming gray. But they don't even notice it.

10 The pride of Israel witnesses that they are guilty. But in spite of everything, they don't return to the LORD their God. They don't go to him for help.

11 The LORD says, "The people of Ephraim are like a dove. They are easily tricked. They do not have any sense at all. First they call out to Egypt for help. Then they turn to Assyria.

12 When they send for help, I will throw my net over them. I will capture them like birds of the air. I will punish them, just as I warned them I would.

13 How terrible it will be for them! They have wandered away from me. So they will be destroyed. They have refused to obey me. I long to save them. But they tell lies about me.

14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts. Instead, they just lie on their beds and sob. They cut themselves when they pray to Baal for grain and fresh wine. So they turn away from me.

15 I brought them up and made them strong. But they make evil plans against me.

16 I am the Most High God. But they do not turn to me. They are like a bow that does not shoot straight. Their leaders will be killed with swords. They will die because they have spoken too proudly. The people of Egypt will make fun of them."

1 The LORD said to me, "Put a trumpet to your lips! Give a warning to my people! Assyria is like an eagle. It is ready to attack my land. My people have broken the covenant I made with them. They have refused to obey my law.

2 Israel shouts to me, 'We recognize you as our God!'

3 But they have turned away from what is good. So an enemy will chase them.

4 My people appoint kings I do not want. They choose princes without my permission. They use their silver and gold to make statues of gods. That is how they destroy themselves."

5 The LORD says, "People of Samaria, throw out your god that looks like a calf! My anger burns against you. How long will it be until you are able to remain faithful to me?

6 Your calf is not God. A skilled worker from Israel made it. But it will be broken to pieces."

7 The LORD says, "Worshiping other gods is like worshiping the wind. It is like planting worthless seeds. Assyria is like a windstorm. That is all my people will harvest. There are no heads of grain on the stems that will come up. So they will not produce any flour. Even if they did produce grain, the Assyrians would eat all of it up.

8 So the people of Israel are swallowed up. Now they are like a worthless pot to me among the nations.

9 They have gone up to Assyria for help. They are like a wild donkey that wanders around by itself. Ephraim's people have sold themselves to their Assyrian lovers.

10 They have sold themselves to the nations to get their help. But now I will gather them together. They will get weaker and weaker. The mighty kings of Assyria will crush them.

11 "Ephraim built many altars where they sacrificed sin offerings to other gods. So their altars have become places where they commit sin.

12 I wrote down many things in my law for their good. But they considered my laws as something strange.

13 They offer sacrifices to me. They eat the meat of the animals they bring. But I am not pleased with any of that. I will remember the evil things they have done. I will punish them for their sins. And they will return to Egypt.

14 Israel has forgotten the One who made them. They have built palaces for themselves. Judah has built forts in many towns. But I will send fire down on their cities. It will burn up their forts."