< 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, spake, there was terror, exalted was, he, in Israel, —but, when he became guilty with Baal, then he 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.
Now, therefore they go on to sin, and have made them a Molten Thing out of their silver, after the notion of idols, the workmanship of craftsmen, all of it! Of them, are they saying—Ye sacrificers of men! The Great Calf, shall ye surely kiss!
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, shall they become like the morning cloud, and like the dew early departing, —like chaff storm-driven out of the threshing-floor, and like smoke out of a chimney.
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, I, Yahweh, have been thy God from the land of Egypt, —and, god beside me, shalt thou not acknowledge, for, saviour, is there none besides me.
5 I have known you in a wilderness, In a land of droughts.
I, tended thee in the desert, —in a land parched with drought:
6 They are satiated according to their feedings, They have been satiated, And their heart is lifted up, Therefore they have forgotten Me,
Whenever they were pastured, then were they satisfied, They were satisfied, and their heart, was lifted up, —because of this, they forgat me.
7 And I am to them as a lion, I look out as a leopard by the way.
Therefore am I become to them as a lion, —As a leopard by the way, do I watch.
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 as a bear bereaved, and will read asunder the enclosure of their heart, —that I may devour them there, like a lioness, the wild beast of the field, shall tear them in pieces.
9 You have destroyed yourself, O Israel, But in Me [is] your help;
It hath utterly destroyed thee, O Israel, for it was against me, as thy 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?
Where is thy king, then, that he may save thee throughout all thy cities? and thy judges, concerning whom thou saidst, Oh give me a king and rulers?
11 I give to you a king in My anger, And I take away in My wrath.
I might give thee a king in mine anger, and take him away in my wrath.
12 Bound up [is] the iniquity of Ephraim, Hidden [is] his sin,
Bound up, is the iniquity of Ephraim, stored away, his sin.
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 a woman in labour, shall overtake him, —he, is a son, not wise, for, now, he cannot stand still, when children are about to be born.
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 )
Out of the hand of hades, will I ransom them, out of death, will I redeem them, —Where is thy pestilence, O death? Where thy plague, O hades? Repentance, shall be hid from mine eyes. (Sheol )
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, among brethren, be fruitful, there shall come in an east wind, the blast of Yahweh out of the desert coming up, that his spring, may dry up, and his fountain, be exhausted, he, will rob the treasure-house of all the vessels of delight.
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, shall be held guilty, for she hath rebelled against her God, By the sword, shall they fall, their infants, shall be dashed to the ground, and, his women with child, shall be ripped up.