Hosea 13

1 While Ephraim was speaking, a horror entered Israel, and he offended by Baal, and he died.

“When Ephraim speaks tremblingly, He has been lifted up in Israel, When he becomes guilty in Ba‘al he dies.

2 And now they add that they will be sinning more. And they have made themselves an image cast from their silver, just like the image of idols; but the whole thing has been made by craftsmen. These say to them, “Sacrifice men, you who adore calves.”

And now they sin, And make for themselves a molten image of their silver, By their own understanding—idols, A work of artisans—all of it, Of them they say, who [are] sacrificers among men, The calves let them kiss.

3 For this reason, they will be like the morning clouds, and like the morning dew that passes away, just like the dust that is driven by a whirlwind away from the threshing floor, and like the smoke from a chimney.

Therefore they are as a cloud of the morning, And as dew, rising early, going away, As chaff tossed about out of a floor, And as smoke out of a window.

4 But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt, and you will not know God apart from me, and there is no Savior except me.

And I [am] your God YHWH from the land of Egypt, And you do not know a God besides Me, And a Savior—there is none except Me.

5 I knew you in the desert, in the land of solitude.

I have known you in a wilderness, In a land of droughts.

6 According to their pastures, they have been filled up and have been satisfied. And they have lifted up their heart, and they have forgotten me.

They are satiated according to their feedings, They have been satiated, And their heart is lifted up, Therefore they have forgotten Me,

7 And I will be to them like a lioness, like a leopard in the way of the Assyrians.

And I am to them as a lion, I look out as a leopard by the way.

8 I will run to meet them like a bear that has been robbed of her young, and I will split open the middle of their liver. And I will devour them there like a lion; the beast of the field will tear them apart.

I meet them as a bereaved bear, And I tear the enclosure of their heart, And I consume them there as a lioness, A beast of the field tears them.

9 Perdition is yours, Israel. Your help is only in me.

You have destroyed yourself, O Israel, But in Me [is] your help;

10 Where is your king? Now, especially, let him save you in all your cities, and from your judges, about whom you said, “Give me kings and princes.”

Where [is] your king now—And he saves you in all your cities? And your judges of whom you said, Give a king and heads to me?

11 I will give you a king in my wrath, and I will take him away in my indignation.

I give to you a king in My anger, And I take away in My wrath.

12 The iniquity of Ephraim has been bound; his sin has been engulfed.

Bound up [is] the iniquity of Ephraim, Hidden [is] his sin,

13 The pains of giving birth will reach him. He is an unwise son. For now he will not remain firm during the contrition of his sons.

Pangs of a travailing woman come to him, He [is] not a wise son, For he does not remain [at] the time for the breaking forth of sons.

14 I will free them from the hand of death; from death I will redeem them. Death, I will be your death. Hell, I will be your deadly wound. Consolation is hidden from my eyes. (Sheol h7585)

Will I ransom them from the hand of Sheol? Will I redeem them from death? Where [is] your plague, O death? Where your destruction, O Sheol? Comfort is hid from My eyes. (Sheol h7585)

15 For he will make a division among brothers. The Lord will bring a burning wind, rising up from the desert, and it will dry up his streams, and it will make his fountain desolate, and he will tear apart every collection of desirable useful things.

Though he produces fruit among brothers, An east wind comes in, a wind of YHWH, From a wilderness it is coming up, And it dries up his fountain, And his spring becomes dry, It—it spoils a treasure—every desirable vessel.

16 Let Samaria perish, because she has urged her God towards bitterness. Let them perish by the sword, let their little ones be thrown down, and let their pregnant women be cut in two.

Samaria becomes desolate, Because she has been rebellious against her God, They fall by sword, Their sucklings are dashed in pieces, And its pregnant ones are ripped up!”