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.

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

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 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 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 hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And Israel and Ephraim stumble by their iniquity, Stumbled also hath Judah 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6 With their flock and with their herd, They go to seek Jehovah, and do not find, He hath withdrawn from them.

With their flocks and with their herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them.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 Jehovah they dealt treacherously, For strange sons they have begotten, Now consume them doth a month [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 ye a cornet in Gibeah, a trumpet in Ramah, Shout, O Beth-Aven, after thee, 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, Among the tribes of Israel I have made known a sure thing.

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, On them I do pour out as water My wrath.

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

11 Oppressed is Ephraim, 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 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.

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