Hosea 13

Israel is Doomed

The Lord said:

1 When your leaders spoke,
everyone in Israel trembled
and showed great respect.
But you sinned by worshiping Baal,
and you were destroyed.

2  Now you continue to sin
by designing and making
idols of silver
in the shape of calves.
You are told to sacrifice
to these idols —
yes, even to kiss them.

3  And so, all of you will vanish
like the mist or the dew
of early morning,
or husks of grain in the wind
or smoke from a chimney.

4  I, the Lord , have been your God
since the time
you were in Egypt.
I am the only God you know,
the only one who can save.

5  I took care of you
in a thirsty desert.

6  I fed you till you were satisfied,
then you became proud
and forgot about me.

7  Now I will attack like a lion,
ambush you like a leopard,

8  and rip you apart like a bear
robbed of her cubs.
I will gnaw on your bones,
as though I were a lion
or some other wild animal.

9  Israel, you are done for.
Don’t expect help from me.

10  You wanted a king and rulers.
Where is your king now?
What cities have rulers?

11  In my anger, I gave you a king;
in my fury, I took him away.

Israel’s Terrible Fate

The Lord said:

12  Israel, your terrible sins
are written down
and stored away.

13  You are like a senseless child
who refuses to be born
at the proper time.

14  Should I, the Lord , rescue you
from death and the grave?
No! I call death and the grave
to strike you like a plague.
I refuse to show mercy.

15  No matter how much you prosper
more than the other tribes,
I, the Lord , will wipe you out,
just as a scorching desert wind
dries up streams of water.
I will take away
your precious treasures.

16  Samaria will be punished
for turning against me.
It will be destroyed in war—
children will be beaten
against rocks,
and pregnant women
will be ripped open.

Hosea 14

Turn Back to the Lord

1 Israel, return! Come back
to the Lord , your God.
Sin has made you fall.

2  Return to the Lord and say,
“Please forgive our sins.
Accept our good sacrifices
of praise instead of bulls.

3  Assyria can’t save us,
and chariots can’t help.
So we will no longer worship
the idols we have made.
Our Lord , you show mercy
to orphans.”

The Lord Promises to Forgive

4  Israel, you have rejected me,
but my anger is gone;
I will heal you and love you
without limit.

5  I will be like the dew—
then you will blossom like lilies
and have roots like a tree.

6  Your branches will spread
with the beauty
of an olive tree
and with the aroma
of Lebanon Forest.

7  You will rest in my shade,
and your grain will grow.
You will blossom
like a vineyard
and be famous as the wine
from Lebanon.

8  Israel, give up your idols!
I will answer your prayers
and take care of you.
I am that glorious tree,
the source of your fruit.

9  If you are wise, you will know
and understand what I mean.
I am the Lord , and I lead you
along the right path.
If you obey me,
we will walk together,
but if you are wicked,
you will stumble.

Joel 1

1 I am Joel the son of Pethuel. And this is the message the Lord gave to me.

Locusts Cover the Land

2  Listen, you leaders
and everyone else
in the land.
Has anything like this
ever happened before?

3  Tell our children!
Let it be told
to our grandchildren
and their children too.

4  Swarm after swarm of locusts
has attacked our crops,
eating everything in sight.

5  Sober up, you drunkards!
Cry long and loud;
your wine supply is gone.

6  A powerful nation
with countless troops
has invaded our land.
They have the teeth and jaws
of powerful lions.

7  Our grapevines and fig trees
are stripped bare;
only naked branches remain.

8  Grieve like a young woman
mourning for the man
she was to marry.

9  Offerings of grain and wine
are no longer brought
to the Lord ’s temple.
His servants, the priests,
are deep in sorrow.

10  Barren fields mourn;
grain, grapes, and olives
are scorched and shriveled.

11  Mourn for our farms
and our vineyards!
There’s no wheat or barley
growing in our fields.

12  Grapevines have dried up
and so has every tree—
figs and pomegranates,
date palms and apples.
All happiness has faded away.

Return to God

13  Mourn, you priests who serve
at the altar of my God.
Spend your days and nights
wearing sackcloth.
Offerings of grain and wine
are no longer brought
to the Lord ’s temple.

14  Tell the leaders and people
to come together
at the temple.
Order them to go without eating
and to pray sincerely.

15  We are in for trouble!
Soon the Lord All-Powerful
will bring disaster.

16  Our food is already gone;
there’s no more celebrating
at the temple of our God.

17  Seeds dry up in the ground;
no harvest is possible.
Our barns are in bad shape,
with no grain
to store in them.

18  Our cattle wander aimlessly,
moaning for lack of pasture,
and sheep are suffering.

19  I cry out to you, Lord .
Grasslands and forests are eaten
by the scorching heat.

20  Wild animals have no water
because of you;
rivers and streams are dry,
and pastures are parched.