Hosea 5

1 “Hear this, O priests, and attend, O house of Israel, And, O house of the king, give ear, For the judgment [is] for you, For you have been a snare on Mizpah, And a net spread out on Tabor.

Hear this, O ye priests, and attend, ye house of Israel, and give ear, O house of the king, for unto you pertaineth the judgment; for ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.

2 And to slaughter sinners have gone deep, And I [am] a chain to them all.

And they that fall away are gone deep in making slaughter; and I am rejected of them all.

3 I have known Ephraim, And Israel has not been hid from Me, For now you have gone whoring, Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

I, even I, know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from Me; for now, O Ephraim, thou hast committed harlotry, Israel is defiled.

4 They do not give up their habitual doings, To turn back to their God, For a spirit of whoredoms [is] in their midst, And YHWH they have not known.

Their doings will not suffer them to return unto their God; for the spirit of harlotry is within them, and they know not the LORD.

5 And humbled has been the excellence of Israel to his face, And Israel and Ephraim stumble by their iniquity, Judah has also stumbled with them.

But the pride of Israel shall testify to his face; and Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in their iniquity, Judah also shall stumble with them.

6 With their flock and with their herd, They go to seek YHWH, and do not find, He has withdrawn from them.

With their flocks and with their herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them.

7 Against YHWH they dealt treacherously, For they have begotten strange sons, Now a month consumes them [with] their portions.

They have dealt treacherously against the LORD, for they have begotten strange children; now shall the new moon devour them with their portions.

8 Blow a horn in Gibeah, a trumpet in Ramah, Shout, O Beth-Aven, after you, O Benjamin.

Blow ye the horn in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah; sound an alarm at Beth-aven: 'Behind thee, O Benjamin!'

9 Ephraim is for a desolation in a day of reproof, I have made known a sure thing among the tribes of Israel.

Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel do I make known that which shall surely be.

10 Princes of Judah have been as those removing a border, I pour out My wrath as water on them.

The princes of Judah are like them that remove the landmark; I will pour out My wrath upon them like water.

11 Ephraim is oppressed, broken in judgment, When he pleased he went after the command.

Oppressed is Ephraim, crushed in his right; because he willingly walked after filth.

12 And I [am] as a moth to Ephraim, And as a rotten thing to the house of Judah.

Therefore am I unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

13 And Ephraim sees his sickness, and Judah his wound, And Ephraim goes to Asshur, And sends to a warlike king, And he is not able to give healing to you, Nor does he remove a scar from you.

And when Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to King Contentious; but he is not able to heal you, neither shall he cure you of your wound.

14 For I [am] as a lion to Ephraim, And as a young lion to the house of Judah, I tear and go, I carry away, and there is no deliverer.

For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away, I will take away, and there shall be none to deliver.

15 I go—I return to My place, Until they are desolate, and have sought My face. In their distress they seek Me speedily!”

I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their guilt, and seek My face; in their trouble they will seek Me earnestly: