Hosea 13

Baal Worshipers and Calf Worshipers to be Destroyed

1 When Ephraims spoke,t there was terror;t
he was exalteds in Israel,
but he became guilty by worshiping Baal and died.

2 Even now they persist in sin!t
They make metal images for themselves,
idols that they skillfully fashiont from their own silver;
all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen!
There is a saying about them:t
“Those who sacrificet to the calf idol are calf kissers!”t

3 Therefore they will disappear liket the morning mist,t
like early morning dew that evaporates,t
like chaff that is blown awayt from a threshing floor,
like smoke that disappears through an open window.

Well-Fed Israel Will Be Fed to Wild Animals

4 But I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of Egypt.
Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me;
except me there is no Savior.

5 I careds for you in the wilderness,
in the dry desert where no water was.t

6 When they were fed,s they became satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;t
as a result, they forgot me!

7 Sot I will pounce on them like a lion;t
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.

8 I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs –
I will rip open their chests.
I will devour them there like a lion –
like a wild animal would tear them apart.

Israel’s King Unable to Deliver the Nation

9 I will destroy you,s O Israel!
Whos is there to help you?

10 Wheres then is your king,
that he may save you in all your cities?
Where aret your rulers for whom you asked, saying,
“Give me a king and princes”?

11 I grantedt you a king in my anger,
and I will take him away in my wrath!

Israel’s Punishment Will Not Be Withheld Much Longer

12 The punishmentt of Ephraim has been decreed;t
his punishment is being stored up for the future.

13 The labor pains of a woman will overtake him,
but the baby will lack wisdom;
when the time arrives,
he will not come out of the womb!

The Lord Will Not Relent from the Threatened Judgment

14 Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not!t
Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not!
O Death, bring on your plagues!t
O Sheol, bring on your destruction!ts
My eyes will not show any compassion!t

The Capital of the Northern Empire Will Be Destroyed

15 Even though he flourishes like a reed plant,st
a scorching east wind will come,
a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert.
As a result, his spring will dry up;s
his well will become dry.
That windt will spoil all his delightful foods
in the containers in his storehouse.

16 s Samaria will be held guilty,t
because she rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword,
their infants will be dashed to the ground –
theirt pregnant women will be ripped open.

Hosea 13

The Lord's Anger Against Israel

1 When Ephraim spoke, men trembled;
he was exalted in Israel.
But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.

2 Now they sin more and more;
they make idols for themselves from their silver,
cleverly fashioned images,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of these people,
“They offer human sacrifice
and kiss the calf-idols.”

3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears,
like chaff swirling from a threshing floor,
like smoke escaping through a window.

4 “But I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me,
no Savior except me.

5 I cared for you in the desert,
in the land of burning heat.

6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.

7 So I will come upon them like a lion,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.

8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs,
I will attack them and rip them open.
Like a lion I will devour them;
a wild animal will tear them apart.

9 “You are destroyed, O Israel,
because you are against me, against your helper.

10 Where is your king, that he may save you?
Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?

11 So in my anger I gave you a king,
and in my wrath I took him away.

12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
his sins are kept on record.

13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him,
but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time arrives,
he does not come to the opening of the womb.

14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?

“I will have no compassion,

15 even though he thrives among his brothers.
An east wind from the Lord will come,
blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
and his well dry up.
His storehouse will be plundered
of all its treasures.

16 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt,
because they have rebelled against their God.
They will fall by the sword;
their little ones will be dashed to the ground,
their pregnant women ripped open.”