Hosea 5

1 “Hear this, priests! Pay attention, house of Israel! Listen, house of the king! For judgment is coming against you all. You have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread over Tabor.

'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, a snare ye have been on Mizpah, And a net spread out on Tabor.

2 The rebels stand deep in slaughter, but I will punish all of them.

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

3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, now you have become like a prostitute; Israel is defiled.

I have known Ephraim, And Israel hath not been hid from me, For now thou hast gone a-whoring, Ephraim, Defiled is Israel.

4 Their deeds will not allow them to turn to God, for the mind of adultery is in them, and they do not know Yahweh.

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

5 The pride of Israel testifies against him; so Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their guilt; and Judah also will stumble with them.

And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And Israel and Ephraim stumble by their iniquity, Stumbled also hath Judah with them.

6 They will go with their flocks and herds to seek Yahweh, but they will not find him, for he has withdrawn himself from them.

With their flock and with their herd, They go to seek Jehovah, and do not find, He hath withdrawn from them.

7 They were unfaithful to Yahweh, for they have borne illegitimate children. Now the new moon festivals will devour them with their fields.

Against Jehovah they dealt treacherously, For strange sons they have begotten, Now consume them doth a month [with] their portions.

8 Blow the horn in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah. Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven: 'We will follow you, Benjamin!'

Blow ye a cornet in Gibeah, a trumpet in Ramah, Shout, O Beth-Aven, after thee, O Benjamin.

9 Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment. Among the tribes of Israel I have declared what is certain to happen.

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

10 The leaders of Judah are like those who move a boundary stone. I will pour my wrath on them like water.

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

11 Ephraim is crushed; he is crushed in judgment, because he has willingly walked after idols.

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

12 So I will be like a moth to Ephraim, and like rot to the house of Judah.

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

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and Judah sent messengers to the great king. But he was not able to cure you people or heal your wound.

And see doth Ephraim his sickness, and Judah his wound, And Ephraim goeth unto Asshur, And sendeth unto a warlike king, And he is not able to give healing to you, Nor doth he remove from you a scar.

14 So I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry them off, and there will be no one to rescue them.

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

15 I will go and return to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, until they earnestly seek me in their distress.”

I go — I turn back unto My place, Till that they are desolate, and have sought My face. In their distress they do seek Me speedily!'