Hosea 13

Chapter 13

The LORD’s Anger against Israel

1 When the tribe of Ephraim spoke,
the people shook with fear,
for that tribe was important in Israel.
But the people of Ephraim sinned by worshiping Baal
and thus sealed their destruction.2 Now they continue to sin by making silver idols,
images shaped skillfully with human hands.
“Sacrifice to these,” they cry,
“and kiss the calf idols!”3 Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist,
like dew in the morning sun,
like chaff blown by the wind,
like smoke from a chimney.4 “I have been the LORD your God
ever since I brought you out of Egypt.
You must acknowledge no God but me,
for there is no other savior.5 I took care of you in the wilderness,
in that dry and thirsty land.6 But when you had eaten and were satisfied,
you became proud and forgot me.7 So now I will attack you like a lion,
like a leopard that lurks along the road.8 Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away,
I will tear out your heart.
I will devour you like a hungry lioness
and mangle you like a wild animal.9 “You are about to be destroyed, O Israel—
yes, by me, your only helper.10 Now where ist your king?
Let him save you!
Where are all the leaders of the land,
the king and the officials you demanded of me?11 In my anger I gave you kings,
and in my fury I took them away.12 “Ephraim’s guilt has been collected,
and his sin has been stored up for punishment.13 Pain has come to the people
like the pain of childbirth,
but they are like a child
who resists being born.
The moment of birth has arrived,
but they stay in the womb!14 “Should I ransom them from the gravet?
Should I redeem them from death?
O death, bring on your terrors!
O grave, bring on your plagues!t
For I will not take pity on them.15 Ephraim was the most fruitful of all his brothers,
but the east wind—a blast from the LORD—
will arise in the desert.
All their flowing springs will run dry,
and all their wells will disappear.
Every precious thing they own
will be plundered and carried away.16 tThe people of Samaria
must bear the consequences of their guilt
because they rebelled against their God.
They will be killed by an invading army,
their little ones dashed to death against the ground,
their pregnant women ripped open by swords.”

HOSEA 13

Israel Is Doomed

The [Lord] said:

1 When your leaderst 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 idolst —
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  t I took care of you
in a thirsty desert.t

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.t

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

11  t 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  t 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 if you prosper
more than the other tribes, t
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 Samariat 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.