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

Give ear to this, O priests; give attention, O Israel, and you, family of the king; for you are to be judged; you have been a deceit at Mizpah and a net stretched out on Tabor.

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

They have gone deep in the evil ways of Shittim, but I am the judge of all.

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

I have knowledge of Ephraim, and Israel is not secret from me; for now, O Ephraim, you have been false to me, Israel has become unclean.

4 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.

Their works will not let them come back to their God, for a false spirit is in them and they have no knowledge of the Lord.

5 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.

And the pride of Israel gives an answer to his face; and Ephraim will have a fall through his sins, and the fall of Judah will be the same as theirs.

6 With their flock and with their herd, They go to seek Jehovah, and do not find, He hath withdrawn from them.

They will go, with their flocks and their herds, in search of the Lord, but they will not see him; he has taken himself out of their view.

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

They have been false to the Lord; they have given birth to strange children; now the new moon will make them waste with their fields.

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

Let the horn be sounded in Gibeah and in Ramah; give a loud cry in Beth-aven, They are after you, O Benjamin.

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

Ephraim will become a waste in the day of punishment; I have given knowledge among the tribes of Israel of what is certain.

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

The rulers of Judah are like those who take away a landmark; I will let loose my wrath on them like flowing water.

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

Ephraim is troubled; he is crushed by his judges, because he took pleasure in walking after deceit.

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

And so to Ephraim I am like a wasting insect, and a destruction to the children of Judah.

13 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.

When Ephraim saw his disease and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to the great king; but he is not able to make you well or give you help for your wound.

14 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.

For I will be to Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the children of Judah; I, even I, will give him wounds and go away; I will take him away, and there will be no helper.

15 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!'

I will go back to my place till they are made waste; in their trouble they will go after me early and will make search for me.