Hosea 13

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

When Ephraim used to speak there was trembling; a prince was he in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal and died.

2 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.

And now they go on sinning. They make for themselves molten gods – idols of silver, skilfully made, wholly the work of smiths. Yet to such they sacrifice! And they who sacrifice kiss calf idols!

3 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.

Therefore they shall be like the morning mist, like the dew that early disappears, like the chaff which blows away from the threshing floor, like the smoke from the window.

4 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.

Yet it was I, the Lord your God, ever since the land of Egypt, you know no other god but me, nor has there been any saviour except me.

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

It was I who shepherded you in the wilderness, in the land of burning heat.

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

When they were pastured they became full, when they were full their hearts became proud. Therefore they forgot me!

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

So now I will be to them like a lion, like a leopard will I lay in wait by the path.

8 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.

I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will tear open their chests, like a lion will devour them, and like a wild beast will tear them in pieces.

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

You are destroyed, Israel, by me, your only helper.

10 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?

I want to rule you! Where are your princes in your cities, those of whom you demanded, ‘Give me kings and princes.’

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

I give you kings in my anger, and take them away in my wrath.

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

Ephrahn’s iniquity is gathered up, his sin is laid by in store.

13 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.

The pangs of childbirth come upon him, but he is an unwise child. For this is no time to refuse to leave the womb!

14 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)

Should I deliver them from the power of Sheol? Should I redeem them from death? Death, where are your plagues? Sheol, where is your pestilence? Compassion is forever hidden from my eyes. (Sheol h7585)

15 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.

Though he is flourishing among his brothers, there will come an east wind, the Lord’s wind, coming up from the wilderness. His fountain will dry up, his spring shall be parched. The wind will strip the treasury, all the precious things.

16 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!”

Samaria will bear her guilt, for she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, their children dashed to pieces, their pregnant women ripped open.