Hosea 3-7
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 3
1Then the Lord said to me, 'Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet is committing adultery, as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.' 2So I purchased her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3Then I said to her, 'You shall live with me for many days. You shall not play the prostitute, nor shall you have another man; so I will also be toward you.' 4For the sons of Israel will live for many days without a king or leader, without sacrifice or memorial stone, and without ephod or household idols. 5Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.Chapter 4
1Listen to the word of the Lord, you sons of Israel, Because the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, For there is no faithfulness, nor loyalty, Nor knowledge of God in the land. 2 There is oath-taking, denial, murder, stealing, and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3Therefore the land mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes Along with the animals of the field and the birds of the sky, And even the fish of the sea disappear. 4Yet let no one find fault, and let no one rebuke; For your people are like those who contend with a priest. 5So you will stumble by day, And the prophet also will stumble with you by night; And I will destroy your mother. 6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Since you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. 8They feed on the sin of My people, And long for their wrongdoing. 9And it will be, like people, like priest; So I will punish them for their ways And repay them for their deeds. 10They will eat, but not have enough; They will play the prostitute, but not increase, Because they gave up devoting themselves to the Lord. 11 Infidelity, wine, and new wine take away the understanding. 12My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them; For a spirit of infidelity has led them astray, And they have been unfaithful, departing from their God. 13They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains And burn incense on the hills, Under oak, poplar, and terebinth, Because their shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, And your brides commit adultery. 14I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, Or your brides when they commit adultery, Because the men themselves slip away with the prostitutes And offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes; So the people without understanding are ruined. 15Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, Judah must not become guilty; Also you are not to go to Gilgal, Nor go up to Beth-aven And take the oath: 'As the Lord lives!' 16Since Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn cow, Will the Lord now pasture them Like a lamb in a large field? 17Ephraim is allied with idols; Leave him alone. 18Their liquor is gone, They prostitute themselves continually; Their rulers dearly love shame. 19The wind wraps them in its wings, And they will be put to shame because of their sacrifices.Chapter 5
1Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, house of Israel! Listen, you of the house of the king! For the judgment applies to you, Because you have been a trap at Mizpah, And a net spread out on Tabor. 2And the rebels have gone deep in depravity, But I will discipline all of them. 3I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; Because now, Ephraim, you have been unfaithful, Israel has defiled itself. 4Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of infidelity is within them, And they do not know the Lord. 5Moreover, the pride of Israel testifies against him, And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their wrongdoing; Judah also has stumbled with them. 6They will go with their flocks and herds To seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them. 7They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, For they have given birth to illegitimate children. Now the new moon will devour them with their land. 8Blow the horn in Gibeah, And the trumpet in Ramah. Sound an alarm at Beth-aven: 'Behind you, Benjamin!' 9Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is trustworthy. 10The leaders of Judah have become like those who displace a boundary marker; On them I will pour out My anger like water. 11Ephraim is oppressed, broken by judgment, Because he was determined to follow man’s command. 12Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim, And like rottenness to the house of Judah. 13When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah his sore, Ephraim then went to Assyria And sent word to King Jareb. But he is unable to heal you, Or to cure you of your sore. 14For I will be like a lion to Ephraim And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, yes I, will tear to pieces and go away, I will carry away, and there will be no one to rescue. 15I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their distress they will search for Me.Chapter 6
1'Come, let’s return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. 2He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. 3So let’s learn, let’s press on to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, As the spring rain waters the earth.' 4What shall I do with you, Ephraim? What shall I do with you, Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud, And like the dew which goes away early. 5Therefore I have cut them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that shines. 6For I desire loyalty rather than sacrifice, And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 7But like Adam they have violated the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously with Me. 8Gilead is a city of wrongdoers, Tracked with bloody footprints. 9And as a band of robbers lie in wait for a person, So a band of priests murder on the way to Shechem; Certainly they have committed an act of infamy. 10In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s infidelity is there, Israel has defiled itself. 11Also, Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you, When I restore the fortunes of My people.Chapter 7
1When I would heal Israel, The wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered, And the evil deeds of Samaria, For they practice deception; The thief enters, A band of robbers attack outside, 2And they do not consider in their hearts That I remember all their wickedness. Now their deeds surround them; They are before My face. 3With their wickedness they make the king happy, And the officials with their lies. 4They are all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker, Who stops stoking the fire From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened. 5On the day of our king, the officials became sick with the heat of wine; He stretched out his hand with scoffers, 6For their hearts are like an oven As they approach their plotting; Their anger smolders all night, In the morning it burns like flaming fire. 7All of them are hot like an oven, And they consume their rulers; All their kings have fallen. None of them calls on Me. 8Ephraim is himself thrown about with the nations; Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over. 9Strangers devour his strength, Yet he does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know it. 10Though the pride of Israel testifies against him, Yet they have not returned to the Lord their God, Nor have they sought Him, despite all this. 11So Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, without sense; They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. 12When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly. 13Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me! I would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me. 14And they do not cry to Me from their heart When they wail on their beds; For the sake of grain and new wine they assemble themselves, They turn against Me. 15Although I trained and strengthened their arms, Yet they devise evil against Me. 16They turn, but not upward, They are like a loose bow; Their officials will fall by the sword Because of the insolence of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.King James Version
Chapter 3
1Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. 2So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for a homer of barley, and a half homer of barley: 3And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. 4For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: 5Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.
3Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
4Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
10For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.
11Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
14I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.
15Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The Lord liveth.
17Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
18Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye.
5And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.
6They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
7They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
8Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin.
9Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
10The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
11Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
12Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.
13When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.
14For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
3Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
4O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
6For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
2And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.
3They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
7They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
8Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
10And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this.
11Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
12When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.
13Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.
Christian Standard Bible
2So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and five bushels of barley.
3I said to her, "You are to live with me many days. You must not be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you."
4For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.
5Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.
Chapter 4
1Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land! 2Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. 3For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear. 4But let no one dispute; let no one argue, for my case is against you priests. 5You will stumble by day; the prophet will also stumble with you by night. And I will destroy your mother.
6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons.
7The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against me. I will change their honor into disgrace.
8They feed on the sin of my people; they have an appetite for their iniquity.
9The same judgment will happen to both people and priests. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
10They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord.
11Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away one’s understanding.
12My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God.
13They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
14I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. People without discernment are doomed.
15Israel, if you act promiscuously, don’t let Judah become guilty! Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives!
16For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow. Can the Lord now shepherd them like a lamb in an open meadow?
17Ephraim is attached to idols; leave him alone!
18When their drinking is over, they turn to promiscuity. Israel’s leaders fervently love disgrace.
19A wind with its wings will carry them off, and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.
Chapter 5
1Hear this, priests! Pay attention, house of Israel! Listen, royal house! For the judgment applies to you because you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread out on Tabor. 2Rebels are deeply involved in slaughter; I will be a punishment for all of them. 3I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. For now, Ephraim, you have acted promiscuously; Israel is defiled. 4Their actions do not allow them to return to their God, for a spirit of promiscuity is among them, and they do not know the Lord. 5Israel’s arrogance testifies against them. Both Israel and Ephraim stumble because of their iniquity; even Judah will stumble with them. 6They go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord but do not find him; he has withdrawn from them.
7They betrayed the Lord; indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children. Now the New Moon will devour them along with their fields.
8Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; raise the war cry in Beth-aven: Look behind you, Benjamin!
9Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment; I announce what is certain among the tribes of Israel.
10The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers; I will pour out my fury on them like water.
11Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow what is worthless.
12So I am like rot to Ephraim and like decay to the house of Judah.
13When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent a delegation to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.
14For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart. I will carry them off, and no one can rescue them.
15I will depart and return to my place until they recognize their guilt and seek my face; they will search for me in their distress.
Chapter 6
1Come, let us return to the Lord. For he has torn us, and he will heal us; he has wounded us, and he will bind up our wounds. 2He will revive us after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up so we can live in his presence. 3Let us strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land. 4What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes. 5This is why I have used the prophets to cut them down; I have killed them with the words from my mouth. My judgment strikes like lightning.
7But they, like Adam, have violated the covenant; there they have betrayed me.
8Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with bloody footprints.
9Like raiders who wait in ambush for someone, a band of priests murders on the road to Shechem. They commit atrocities.
10I have seen something horrible in the house of Israel: Ephraim’s promiscuity is there; Israel is defiled.
11A harvest is also appointed for you, Judah. When I return my people from captivity,
Chapter 7
1when I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim and the crimes of Samaria will be exposed. For they practice fraud; a thief breaks in; a raiding party pillages outside. 2But they never consider that I remember all their evil. Now their actions are all around them; they are right in front of my face.
3They please the king with their evil, the princes with their lies.
4All of them commit adultery; they are like an oven heated by a baker who stops stirring the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
5On the day of our king, the princes are sick with the heat of wine — there is a conspiracy with traitors.
6For they—their hearts like an oven— draw him into their oven. Their anger smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7All of them are as hot as an oven, and they consume their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls on me.
8Ephraim has allowed himself to get mixed up with the nations. Ephraim is unturned bread baked on a griddle.
9Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not notice.
10Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the Lord their God, and for all this, they do not seek him.
11So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove; they call to Egypt, and they go to Assyria.
12As they are going, I will spread my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly.
13Woe to them, for they fled from me; destruction to them, for they rebelled against me! Though I want to redeem them, they speak lies against me.
14They do not cry to me from their hearts; rather, they wail on their beds. They slash themselves for grain and new wine; they turn away from me.
15I trained and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against me.
16They turn, but not to what is above; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their insolent tongue. They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt.
New Living Translation
2So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.
3Then I said to her, 'You must live in my house for many days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual relations with anyone, not even with me. '
4This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols!
5But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness.
Chapter 4
1Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel! The Lord has brought charges against you, saying: 'There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. 2You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere — one murder after another. 3That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing.
4'Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you.
5So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother.
6My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.
7The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols.
8'When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin!
9‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds.
10They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the Lord
11to worship other gods. 'Wine has robbed my people of their understanding.
12They ask a piece of wood for advice! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God.
13They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and terebinth trees. 'That is why your daughters turn to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
14But why should I punish them for their prostitution and adultery? For your men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You refuse to understand, so you will be destroyed.
15'Though you, Israel, are a prostitute, may Judah not be guilty of such things. Do not join the false worship at Gilgal or Beth-aven, and do not take oaths there in the Lord’s name.
16Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. So should the Lord feed her like a lamb in a lush pasture?
17Leave Israel alone, because she is married to idolatry.
18When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking, off they go to find some prostitutes. They love shame more than honor.
19So a mighty wind will sweep them away. Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame.
Chapter 5
1'Hear this, you priests. Pay attention, you leaders of Israel. Listen, you members of the royal family. Judgment has been handed down against you. For you have led the people into a snare by worshiping the idols at Mizpah and Tabor. 2You have dug a deep pit to trap them at Acacia Grove. But I will settle with you for what you have done. 3I know what you are like, O Ephraim. You cannot hide yourself from me, O Israel. You have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband; you are utterly defiled. 4Your deeds won’t let you return to your God. You are a prostitute through and through, and you do not know the Lord.
5'The arrogance of Israel testifies against her; Israel and Ephraim will stumble under their load of guilt. Judah, too, will fall with them.
6When they come with their flocks and herds to offer sacrifices to the Lord, they will not find him, because he has withdrawn from them.
7They have betrayed the honor of the Lord, bearing children that are not his. Now their false religion will devour them along with their wealth.
8'Sound the alarm in Gibeah! Blow the trumpet in Ramah! Raise the battle cry in Beth-aven ! Lead on into battle, O warriors of Benjamin!
9One thing is certain, Israel : On your day of punishment, you will become a heap of rubble.
10'The leaders of Judah have become like thieves. So I will pour my anger on them like a waterfall.
11The people of Israel will be crushed and broken by my judgment because they are determined to worship idols.
12I will destroy Israel as a moth consumes wool. I will make Judah as weak as rotten wood.
13'When Israel and Judah saw how sick they were, Israel turned to Assyria — to the great king there — but he could neither help nor cure them.
14I will be like a lion to Israel, like a strong young lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces! I will carry them off, and no one will be left to rescue them.
15Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and turn to me. For as soon as trouble comes, they will earnestly search for me.'
Chapter 6
1'Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. 2In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. 3Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.'
4'O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?' asks the Lord. 'For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.
5I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces — to slaughter you with my words, with judgments as inescapable as light.
6I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
7But like Adam, you broke my covenant and betrayed my trust.
8'Gilead is a city of sinners, tracked with footprints of blood.
9Priests form bands of robbers, waiting in ambush for their victims. They murder travelers along the road to Shechem and practice every kind of sin.
10Yes, I have seen something horrible in Ephraim and Israel: My people are defiled by prostituting themselves with other gods!
Chapter 7
1'I want to heal Israel, but its sins are too great. Samaria is filled with liars. Thieves are on the inside and bandits on the outside! 2Its people don’t realize that I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them, and I see them all.
3'The people entertain the king with their wickedness, and the princes laugh at their lies.
4They are all adulterers, always aflame with lust. They are like an oven that is kept hot while the baker is kneading the dough.
5On royal holidays, the princes get drunk with wine, carousing with those who mock them.
6Their hearts are like an oven blazing with intrigue. Their plot smolders through the night, and in the morning it breaks out like a raging fire.
7Burning like an oven, they consume their leaders. They kill their kings one after another, and no one cries to me for help.
8'The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake!
9Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don’t even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don’t realize they’re old and weak.
10Their arrogance testifies against them, yet they don’t return to the Lord their God or even try to find him.
11'The people of Israel have become like silly, witless doves, first calling to Egypt, then flying to Assyria for help.
12But as they fly about, I will throw my net over them and bring them down like a bird from the sky. I will punish them for all the evil they do.
13'What sorrow awaits those who have deserted me! Let them die, for they have rebelled against me. I wanted to redeem them, but they have told lies about me.
14They do not cry out to me with sincere hearts. Instead, they sit on their couches and wail. They cut themselves, begging foreign gods for grain and new wine, and they turn away from me.
15I trained them and made them strong, yet now they plot evil against me.
16They look everywhere except to the Most High. They are as useless as a crooked bow. Their leaders will be killed by their enemies because of their insolence toward me. Then the people of Egypt will laugh at them.
English Standard Version
Chapter 3
1And the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins." 2So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3And I said to her, "You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you." 4For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.Chapter 4
1 Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; 2 there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. 4 Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. 5You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. 6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. 9 And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10 They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the Lord to cherish 11whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. 12My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. 13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery. 14I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin. 15Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, and swear not, "As the Lord lives." 16Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the Lord now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture? 17 Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone. 18When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame. 19 A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.Chapter 5
1 Hear this, O priests! Pay attention, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For the judgment is for you; for you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread upon Tabor. 2And the revolters have gone deep into slaughter, but I will discipline all of them. 3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; for now, O Ephraim, you have played the whore; Israel is defiled. 4 Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. For the spirit of whoredom is within them, and they know not the Lord. 5 The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt; Judah also shall stumble with them. 6 With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them. 7 They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord; for they have borne alien children. Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields. 8 Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven; we follow you, O Benjamin! 9Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of punishment; among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. 10The princes of Judah have become like those who move the landmark; upon them I will pour out my wrath like water. 11Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth. 12But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah. 13When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound. 14For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. 15 I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.Chapter 6
1"Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. 2After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. 3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." 4What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. 5Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. 6For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 7But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. 8 Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood. 9As robbers lie in wait for a man, so the priests band together; they murder on the way to Shechem; they commit villainy. 10In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim 's whoredom is there; Israel is defiled. 11For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed. When I restore the fortunes of my people,Chapter 7
1 when I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed, and the evil deeds of Samaria, for they deal falsely; the thief breaks in, and the bandits raid outside. 2But they do not consider that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds surround them; they are before my face. 3By their evil they make the king glad, and the princes by their treachery. 4 They are all adulterers; they are like a heated oven whose baker ceases to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. 5On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with mockers. 6For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire. 7All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings have fallen, and none of them calls upon me. 8Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned. 9 Strangers devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not. 10 The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him, for all this. 11Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense, calling to Egypt, going to Assyria. 12As they go, I will spread over them my net; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens; I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation. 13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. 14 They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me. 15Although I trained and strengthened their arms, yet they devise evil against me. 16They return, but not upward; they are like a treacherous bow; their princes shall fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.New International Version
2So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.
3Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you."
4For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods.
5Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.
Chapter 4
1Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.
4"But let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.
5You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother—
6my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
7The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful.
8They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness.
9And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
10"They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the Lord to give themselves
11to prostitution; old wine and new wine take away their understanding.
12My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.
15"Though you, Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty. "Do not go to Gilgal; do not go up to Beth Aven. And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’
16The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the Lord pasture them like lambs in a meadow?
17Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!
18Even when their drinks are gone, they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19A whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them shame.
Chapter 5
1"Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor. 2The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them.
3I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt.
4"Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord.
5Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them.
6When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them.
7They are unfaithful to the Lord; they give birth to illegitimate children. When they celebrate their New Moon feasts, he will devour their fields.
8"Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah. Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven ; lead on, Benjamin.
9Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain.
10Judah’s leaders are like those who move boundary stones. I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water.
11Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols.
12I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah.
13"When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores.
14For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.
15Then I will return to my lair until they have borne their guilt and seek my face— in their misery they will earnestly seek me."
Chapter 6
1"Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.
3Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."
4"What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.
5Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth— then my judgments go forth like the sun.
6For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
7As at Adam, they have broken the covenant; they were unfaithful to me there.
8Gilead is a city of evildoers, stained with footprints of blood.
9As marauders lie in ambush for a victim, so do bands of priests; they murder on the road to Shechem, carrying out their wicked schemes.
10I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: There Ephraim is given to prostitution, Israel is defiled.
11"Also for you, Judah, a harvest is appointed. "Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people,
2but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.
3"They delight the king with their wickedness, the princes with their lies.
4They are all adulterers, burning like an oven whose fire the baker need not stir from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5On the day of the festival of our king the princes become inflamed with wine, and he joins hands with the mockers.
6Their hearts are like an oven; they approach him with intrigue. Their passion smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7All of them are hot as an oven; they devour their rulers. All their kings fall, and none of them calls on me.
8"Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it. His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice.
10Israel’s arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the Lord his God or search for him.
11"Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless— now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria.
12When they go, I will throw my net over them; I will pull them down like the birds in the sky. When I hear them flocking together, I will catch them.
13Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely.
14They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slash themselves, appealing to their gods for grain and new wine, but they turn away from me.
15I trained them and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against me.
16They do not turn to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their insolent words. For this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.
New King James Version
2So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.
3And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”
4For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim.
5Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.
