Osee 13

1 According to the word of Ephraim he adopted ordinances for himself in Israel; and he established them for Baal, and 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 have sinned increasingly, and have made for themselves a molten image of their silver, according to the fashion of idols, the work of artificers accomplished for them: they say, Sacrifice men, for the calves have come to an end.

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 Therefore shall they be as a morning cloud, and as the early dew that passes away, as chaff blown away from the threshing floor, and as a vapor from tears.

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 that establishes the heaven, and creates the earth, whose hands have framed the whole host of heaven: but I showed them not to you that you should go after them: and I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but me; and there is no Saviour beside 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 tended you as a shepherd in the wilderness, in an uninhabited land.

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

6 According to their pastures, so they were completely filled; and their hearts were exalted; therefore they forgot 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 as a panther, and as a leopard.

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

8 I will meet them by the way of the Assyrians, as a she-bear excited, and I will rend the caul of their heart, and the lions' whelps of the thicket shall devour them there; the wild beasts of the field shall rend them in pieces.

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 O Israel, who will aid [you] in your destruction?

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

10 Where is this your king? let him even save you in all your cities: let him judge you, of whom you said, Give me a king and a prince.

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 And I gave you a king in mine anger, and kept [him] back in my wrath.

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

12 Ephraim [has framed] a conspiracy of unrighteousness, his sin is hidden.

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

13 Pains as of a woman in travail shall come upon him: he is your wise son, because he shall not stay in the destruction of [your] children.

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 deliver [them] out of the power of Hades, and will redeem them from death: where is your penalty, O death? O Hades, where is your sting? comfort is hidden from mine 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 Forasmuch as he will cause a division among [his] brethren, the Lord shall bring upon him an east wind from the desert, and shall dry up his veins [and] quite drain his fountains: he shall dry up his land, and [spoil] all his precious vessels.

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 Samaria shall be utterly destroyed: for she has resisted her God; they shall fall by the sword, and their sucklings shall be dashed against the ground, and their women with child ripped up.

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!”