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Hosea 4-14
nuBibeln (Swedish Contemporary Bible)
Hosea 4-14
nuBibeln (Swedish Contemporary Bible)
Guds otrogna folk
(4:1—14:10)
Herren anklagar Israel för synd
4 Hör Herrens ord, Israels folk!
Herren går till rätta med landets invånare.
”Det finns ingen sanning och nåd,
ingen kunskap om Gud i landet.
2 Man svär och ljuger,
mördar och stjäl,
begår äktenskapsbrott,
och det ena blodsdådet avlöser det andra.
3 Därför sörjer landet
och alla dess invånare tynar bort.
Både markens djur, himlens fåglar
och fiskarna i havet dör.
4 Ingen får skylla en annan,
ingen får anklaga en annan!
Ditt folk är som de som anklagar en präst.[a]
5 Du ska komma på fall om dagen,
om natten ska profeten komma på fall med dig,
och din mor ska jag förgöra.
6 Mitt folk går under i brist på kunskap.
Du har förkastat kunskapen,
och därför ska jag förkasta dig som min präst.
Du har glömt din Guds lag,
och därför ska jag glömma dina barn.
7 Ju fler präster det blir,
desto mer syndar de mot mig.
Jag ska förvandla deras ära till skam.
8 De lever av mitt folks synd
och längtar efter deras gudlöshet.
9 Sådant folk, sådana präster
ska det bli.
Jag ska straffa dem båda för deras levnadssätt
och vedergälla dem för deras handlingar.
10 De ska äta utan att bli mätta
och leva i otukt men inte föröka sig.
För de har övergett Herren och ägnar sig åt
11 otukt och både gammalt och nytt vin.
Det berövar dem förståndet.
12 Mitt folk frågar sin träbit om råd
och vill ha svar av en stock.
En ande av otukt leder dem vilse,
och de är otrogna mot sin Gud.
13 De förrättar offer på bergstoppar
och tänder rökelse på höjder,
under ekar, popplar och terebinter,
som har en så behaglig skugga.
Så blir era döttrar skökor,
och så begår era svärdöttrar äktenskapsbrott.
14 Jag vill inte straffa era döttrar
för att de är skökor
eller era svärdöttrar
för att de begår äktenskapsbrott.
För männen hänger själva ihop med skökor
och förrättar offer med tempelprostituerade.
Ett folk utan förstånd går under.
15 Även om du, Israel, lever i otukt,
får inte Juda bli skyldigt.
Kom inte till Gilgal,
gå inte upp till Bet Aven!
Svär inte: ’Så sant Herren lever.’
16 Som en motspänstig kviga är Israel.
Skulle Herren då valla dem
som lamm på betesmarker?
17 Efraim har förenat sig med avgudar,
låt honom vara!
18 Även när deras dryckeslag är över
fortsätter de med sin otukt.
Deras härskare är djupt förälskade i det skamlösa.[b]
19 En stormvind ska sopa bort dem,
och deras offer ska bringa dem skam.
Herrens dom över Israel
5 Lyssna, alla präster,
hör, ni israeliter!
Hör, kungahuset!
Domen gäller er!
Ni har varit en snara för Mispa
och ett nät utbrett på Tabor.
2 Upprorsmännen[c] har gått djupt in för blodsdåd.
Men jag ska tillrättavisa dem alla.
3 Jag känner Efraim,
och Israel är inte dolt för mig.
Du, Efraim, har blivit otuktigt,
Israel är orent.
4 Deras gärningar låter dem inte vända
tillbaka till Gud igen,
för inom dem bor en ande av otukt,
och de känner inte Herren.
5 Israels stolthet vittnar mot honom.
Israel och Efraim faller för sin synd,
och Juda faller tillsammans med dem.
6 Med sina flockar och hjordar går de
för att söka Herren,
men de finner honom inte.
Han har dragit sig bort ifrån dem.
7 De har svikit Herren
genom att föda barn som inte är hans.
Deras nymånadsfester ska förtära dem
tillsammans med deras åkerfält.[d]
8 Stöt i horn i Giva,
i trumpet i Rama!
Höj stridsrop i Bet Aven!
Efter dig, Benjamin!
9 Efraim ska läggas öde på straffets dag.
Bland Israels stammar förkunnar jag
det som är sant.
10 Furstarna i Juda är som de
som flyttar gränsstenar.
Jag ska låta min vrede
komma över dem som en flodvåg.
11 Efraim är förtryckt,
krossad av domen.
Han valde att följa människobud[e].
12 Jag är som en mal för Efraim
och som röta för Judas folk.
13 När Efraim såg sin sjukdom
och Juda sitt sår,
gick Efraim till Assyrien
och sände bud till storkungen.
Men han kan inte hela er,
inte bota ert sår.
14 Jag är som ett lejon mot Efraim,
som ett stort lejon mot Juda.
Jag sliter dem i stycken och går,
jag för dem bort, bortom all räddning.
15 Jag går och återvänder hem
tills de inser sin skuld
och söker mig.
I sin nöd kommer de att söka mig.”
Herren gör levande
6 ”Kom, låt oss vända tillbaka till Herren.
Han har slitit sönder oss,
och han ska läka oss.
Han har slagit oss,
och han ska förbinda oss.
2 Efter två dagar ska han göra oss levande,
på tredje dagen resa oss upp igen,
och sedan får vi leva inför honom.
3 Låt oss lära känna
och uppnå kunskap om Herren.
Lika visst som gryningen
träder han fram,
han kommer till oss som regnet,
som vårregnet som vattnar jorden.”
Herren klagar över Efraim
4 ”Vad kan jag göra med dig, Efraim?
Vad kan jag göra med dig, Juda?
Er lojalitet är som morgondimman,
som daggen som tidigt försvinner.
5 Därför har jag huggit ner dem
genom profeterna,
dödat dem med mina ord.
Domen över dig
kommer fram som ljuset.
6 Jag vill hellre ha nåd än slaktoffer,
kunskap om Gud hellre än brännoffer.
7 Som Adam[f] bröt de förbundet där
och var trolösa mot mig.
8 Gilead är en ogärningsmäns stad
med blodiga fotspår.
9 Prästernas hop ligger i bakhåll
som rövare.
De mördar utmed vägen till Shekem
och begår skamliga brott.
10 Jag har sett förfärliga saker
bland israeliterna.
Där bedriver Efraim prostitution,
och där orenar sig Israel.
11 Även för dig, Juda, är skördetiden bestämd.
Då återställer jag mitt folk.
7 När jag helar Israel
avslöjas Efraims synd
och Samariens brott.
För de handlar bedrägligt,
tjuvar bryter sig in
och rövarband härjar där ute.
2 Men innerst inne tänker de inte på
att jag kommer ihåg all deras ondska.
Nu omges de av sina förbrytelser
som är uppenbara för mig.
3 Med sin ondska gläder de kungen
och med sina lögner furstarna.
4 De är äktenskapsbrytare allesammans,
heta som bagarens ugn,
som han slutar elda
från det han blandar degen
tills den har jäst.[g]
5 På vår kungs högtidsdag
drack furstarna sig febersjuka av vin.
Själv räckte han bespottarna handen.
6 De låter sig närmas,
deras hjärtan är som en ugn,
fulla av intriger.
Hela natten sover deras bagare
men flammar upp på morgonen
som en eldslåga.
7 Alla är de heta som en ugn,
de förtär sina domare
och deras kungar faller,
men ingen av dem åkallar mig.
8 Efraim beblandar sig med andra folk.
Efraim är en brödkaka som inte vänts.
9 Främlingarna har förtärt hans styrka
men det förstår han inte.
Han har blivit gråhårig,
men det inser han inte.
10 Israels stolthet vittnar mot honom,
men ändå vänder de inte tillbaka
till Herren, sin Gud,
eller söker honom i allt detta.
11 Efraim är som
en enfaldig, vettlös duva.
De ropar på Egypten,
de går till Assyrien.
12 När de går
kastar jag mitt nät över dem,
drar ner dem som fåglar ur skyn,
och fångar dem
när jag hör dem flockas.[h]
13 Ve dem, de som har flytt bort från mig!
Fördärv över dem,
för de har vänt sig mot mig!
Jag ville befria dem,
men de har talat lögner mot mig.
14 De ropar inte till mig av hjärtat,
utan klagar från sina bäddar.
De kommer samman[i] för säd och vin
men vänder sig bort från mig.
15 Jag har fostrat dem och gjort dem starka,
men ändå vänder de sig mot mig med onda anslag.
16 De vänder sig,
men inte uppåt.
De är som en obrukbar pilbåge.
Deras furstar ska falla för svärd
för sina fräcka tungors skull,
och hela Egypten ska håna dem.[j]
Israel döms för sin avgudadyrkan
8 Sätt hornet till din mun!
Som en örn slår fienden ner
på Herrens hus,
därför att de har brutit mitt förbund
och trotsat min lag.
2 De ropar till mig:
’Min Gud! Vi i Israel känner dig.’
3 Israel har förkastat det goda,
och nu förföljer fienden det.
4 De har valt kungar utan mitt samtycke
och furstar utan min vetskap.
Av sitt silver och guld
har de tillverkat åt sig avgudar,
till sitt eget fördärv.
5 Förkastlig är din tjurkalv, Samarien!
Min vrede brinner mot dem.
Hur länge ska de vara oförmögna till någon renhet?
6 Och kalven har kommit från Israel!
En hantverkare har gjort den,
någon gud är den inte.
Den ska krossas i bitar,
denna Samariens kalv.
7 De sår vind
och skördar storm.
Deras säd är tomma strån utan ax.
De kan inte ge mjöl,
och om de skulle ge något,
slukas det av främlingar.
8 Israel är uppslukat,
och bland nationerna ska det betraktas
som ett värdelöst kärl.
9 De gick till Assyrien,
likt en ensam vildåsna på vandring.
Efraim har köpta älskare.
10 Men även om de köpslår bland folken
ska jag samla ihop dem.
De ska börja tyna bort
under storkungens börda.[k]
11 ”Eftersom Efraim har byggt många altaren för att synda,
har dessa också blivit honom till synd.
12 Jag har skrivit mycket i mina lagar för honom,
men det har man betraktat som något främmande.
13 De offrar kött till mig
och äter av köttet,[l]
men Herren är inte nöjd med dem.
Han minns nu deras skuld
och straffar deras synder.
De måste återvända till Egypten.
14 Israel har glömt bort sin skapare
och byggt palats.
Juda har byggt många befästa städer.
Men jag ska sända en eld mot dess städer
och bränna upp dess fästningar.”
Israels straff
9 Gläd dig inte, Israel,
jubla inte som andra folk.
För du har varit otrogen din Gud
och älskat en skökas lön
på varje tröskplats.
2 Tröskplatsen och vinpressen kan inte livnära dem,
och vinet slår fel för dem.
3 De får inte bo kvar i Herrens land,
utan Efraim ska föras tillbaka till Egypten
och äta oren mat i Assyrien.
4 De ska inte få hälla ut vin
som drickoffer åt Herren,
och deras slaktoffer kan inte behaga honom.
Sådana ska vara för dem som sorgebröd.
Alla som äter av det blir orena.
Deras bröd är bara för dem själva
och ska inte komma in i Herrens hus.
5 Vad ska ni göra på festdagen,
på Herrens högtidsdag?
6 Om de kommer undan förödelsen
ska Egypten samla dem
och Memfis begrava dem.
Deras skatter av silver ska tistlar ta över,
och törnen ska växa i deras tält.[m]
7 Tiden är inne för straffet,
tiden är inne för vedergällningen,
det ska Israel veta.
Profeten är dum,
andens man vansinnig
för din stora synd
och ditt stora hat.
8 Tillsammans med min Gud
är Efraims väktare profeten,
men snaror är lagda på alla hans vägar,
och hat råder i hans Guds hus.
9 De har sjunkit i djupt fördärv,
som en gång i tiden i Giva.
Han minns deras ondska
och straffar deras synder.
10 Som druvor i öknen
fann jag Israel,
era förfäder såg jag som säsongens allra första frukter
på ett fikonträd.
Men när de kom till Baal-Pegor
invigde de sig åt skamguden.
De blev lika vidriga
som den de älskade.
11 Efraims ära flyger bort som en fågel,
inget barnafödande,
ingen graviditet,
ingen befruktning.
12 Och även om de föder barn,
ska jag ta varenda av dem ifrån dem.
Ve dem,
när jag vänder mig bort ifrån dem!
13 Jag har sett Efraim, likt Tyros,
planterad på en skön äng,[n]
men Efraim ska få leda sina barn
till den som slaktar dem.”
14 Ge dem, Herre, vad du ska ge dem!
Ge dem ofruktsamma moderliv
och förtorkade bröst.
15 ”För all deras ondska vid Gilgal
började jag hata dem där.
För deras onda gärningars skull
ska jag driva ut dem ur mitt hus.
Jag kan inte längre älska dem.
Alla deras ledare är upproriska.
16 Efraim är slagen,
deras rot är förtorkad,
och de bär inte mer frukt.
Även om de föder barn
ska jag döda deras dyrbara livsfrukt.”
17 Min Gud förkastar dem,
därför att de inte har lyssnat till honom,
och de ska bli flyktingar bland folken.
Hosea predikar straffdom
10 Israel var en grönskande vinstock,
som bar frukt.
Men ju mer frukt han bar,
desto mer offeraltaren byggde han.
Ju rikare hans land blev,
desto fler utsmyckade stoder reste han.
2 Deras hjärtan var bedrägliga,
så nu får de bära sin skuld.
Herren ska bryta ner deras altaren
och krossa deras stoder.
3 Då ska de säga: ”Vi har ingen kung,
för vi har inte fruktat Herren.
Men vad gör det?
Vad skulle kungen kunna uträtta för oss?”
4 De talar och talar,
de svär eder
och sluter förbund.
Domen skjuter upp
som giftigt ogräs i åkerns fåror.
5 Samariens invånare fruktar
för kalven[o] i Bet Aven.
Dess folk sörjer över den,
dess avgudapräster klagar,
de som gladde sig över dess ära,
för den har förts bort i exil.
6 Också den ska släpas bort till Assyrien
som tribut till den store kungen.
Efraim ska komma på skam,
Israel får skämmas för sin plan[p].
7 Samarien med dess kung ska flyta bort
som en pinne på vattnet.
8 Ondskans[q] offerhöjder läggs öde
– de var Israels synd.
Törne och tistel ska växa på deras altaren,
och de ska säga till bergen: ”Dölj oss!”
och till höjderna: ”Fall över oss!”
9 ”Sedan tiden i Giva
har du, Israel, syndat.
Där har de blivit kvar.
Men nådde inte kriget de onda i Giva?
10 När jag vill straffar jag dem.
Folken ska samlas mot dem
för att binda dem
för deras dubbla synd.[r]
11 Efraim är en kviga,
van vid och villig att tröska,
så jag ska lägga ett ok
på dess vackra nacke.
Jag ska driva Efraim,
Juda ska plöja
och Jakob ska harva.
12 Så åt er rättfärdighet,
skörda efter nådens bud,
bryt er ny mark!
Nu är det dags att söka Herren,
så att han kan komma
och låta rättfärdighet regna över er.
13 Ni har plöjt ondska
och skördat orättfärdighet,
ni har ätit lögnens frukt.
För du har förlitat dig på din egen väg
och på dina många soldater.
14 Därför ska ett stridslarm uppstå mot ditt folk,
och alla dina fästningar
ska ödeläggas,
så som när Shalman ödelade Bet Arbel,
när striden bröt ut
och mödrar och barn krossades.
15 Så gör man mot er, Betel,
på grund av er stora ondska.
När dagen gryr
är det slut med Israels kung.
Som en fars kärlek
11 När Israel var ung
älskade jag honom,
och ut ur Egypten
kallade jag min son.
2 Men ju mer jag har kallat på dem,[s]
desto längre bort har de gått från mig.
De offrar till baalsgudar
och tänder rökelse till avgudar.
3 Ändå är det jag som lärde Efraim gå
och bar dem i mina armar.
Men de insåg inte
att jag helade dem.
4 Jag ledde dem med mänskliga band,
med kärlekens band.
Jag var för dem
som en som lyfter av oket över deras nackar,
och jag böjde mig ner för att ge dem mat.[t]
5 Ska de inte vända tillbaka till Egypten?
Ska inte Assyrien härska över dem,
eftersom de vägrar att vända tillbaka till mig?
6 Svärdet ska svingas över deras städer,
förgöra deras bommar[u]
och göra slut på deras onda planer.
7 Mitt folk har bestämt sig
för att vända sig bort från mig,
och även om de ropar till den Högste,
är det ingen som upphöjer honom.[v]
8 Men hur skulle jag kunna lämna dig, Efraim,
överge dig, Israel,
göra med dig som med Adma,
låta det gå med dig som med Sevojim?
Mitt hjärta vänder sig inom mig,
all min medkänsla väcks upp.
9 Jag vill inte ge utlopp för min brinnande vrede.
Jag vill inte vända mig för att förgöra Efraim.
För jag är Gud och inte en människa,
den Helige ibland er,
och jag kommer inte med vrede[w].
10 De ska följa Herren,
och han ska ryta som ett lejon.
När han ryter,
kommer hans barn bävande västerifrån.
11 Likt fåglar kommer de
bävande från Egypten,
ja, som duvor från Assyrien.
Jag ska låta dem återvända hem igen,
säger Herren.”
Efraims synd
12 Efraim har omgett mig med lögn,
israeliterna med svek,
och Juda vacklar mot Gud,
mot den trofaste, den Helige.[x]
12 Efraim jagar efter vind,
strävar efter östanvind dagen lång
och ökar lögn och våld.
De sluter förbund med Assyrien
och sänder olja till Egypten.
2 Men Herren ska gå till rätta med Juda,
straffa Jakob för hans levnadssätt
och vedergälla honom för vad han gjort.
3 I moderlivet grep han tag i sin brors häl,[y]
och som vuxen man kämpade han med Gud.
4 Han kämpade med ängeln och vann seger.
Han grät och bad honom om nåd.
I Betel mötte han Gud,
där talade han med honom[z].
5 Herren, härskarornas Gud,
Herren är hans namn.
6 Men du måste återvända till din Gud,
bevara nåd och rätt
och alltid hoppas på din Gud.
7 Köpmannen[aa] väger upp sina varor med falska vikter
och älskar orätt vinning.
8 Efraim skryter:
”Jag är så rik, jag har skaffat mig en förmögenhet!
I all min rikedom kan man inte finna
någon orätt eller synd hos mig.”
9 ”Jag är Herren, din Gud,
alltsedan Egypten.
Jag ska låta dig bo i tält igen,
som vid högtiderna.
10 Jag talade till profeterna,
jag gav dem många syner
och talade genom dem i liknelser.”
11 Är Gilead fullt av orätt?
De ska bli till intet.
Offrar de tjurar i Gilgal?
Deras altaren ska bli som stenrösen
på en plöjd åker.[ab]
12 Jakob flydde till Arams land,
Israel tjänade som slav för en kvinnas skull,
för en kvinnas skull vaktade han får.
13 Genom en profet förde Herren ut sitt folk ur Egypten,
genom en profet tog han hand om dem.
14 Men Efraim har provocerat fram bitter vrede från Herren,
som nu ska lägga på honom hans blodskuld
och låta hans smädelser drabba honom själv.
Herrens vrede mot Israel
13 När Efraim talade bävade man,
för han var upphöjd i Israel.
Men han gjorde sig skyldig till baalsdyrkan och dog.
2 Nu syndar de mer och mer
och gjuter åt sig gudabilder av sitt silver,
skickligt formade avgudar,
hantverkares verk alltsammans.
Man säger till dem som offrar
att de ska kyssa kalvar.[ac]
3 Därför ska de bli som morgondimman,
dagg som snabbt dunstar bort,
agnar som blåser bort från tröskplatsen,
rök ur en fönsteröppning.
4 ”Jag är Herren, din Gud,
alltsedan Egypten.
Du ska inte veta av någon annan Gud,
för det finns ingen annan som räddar utom jag.
5 Jag tog hand om dig i öknen,
i den brännande hettans land.
6 När de betade blev de mätta,
och när de blev mätta
blev de övermodiga
och glömde bort mig.
7 Så har jag blivit för dem som ett lejon,
som en leopard lurar jag längs vägen.
8 Jag anfaller dem som en björnhona
som berövats sina ungar,
ja, som en lejonhona uppslukar jag dem,
som ett vilddjur sliter jag dem i stycken.
9 Du förgörs, Israel,
eftersom du är emot mig, din hjälpare.
10 Var är din kung,
han som skulle rädda dig?
Var är dina domare i alla dina städer,
de om vilka du sa:
’Ge mig en kung och furstar!’?
11 I min vrede gav jag dig en kung,
och i min förbittring tog jag bort honom.
12 Efraims skuld har bevarats,
hans synd är i förvar.
13 Födslovärkarna kommer över honom,
men han är en son utan visdom;
när tiden är inne
kommer han inte fram till öppningen.
14 Jag ska lösa dem ur dödsrikets grepp,
rädda dem från döden.[ad]
Du död, var är dina plågor?
Du dödsrike, var är din ödeläggelse?
Jag kommer inte att visa något medlidande.
15 Även om han blomstrar bland sina bröder,[ae]
ska östanvinden komma,
Herrens vind blåsa från öknen.
Hans brunn ska torka upp,
hans källa sina.
Ur hans förrådshus
ska alla skatter plundras.
14 Samarien måste bära sin skuld
för sitt uppror mot sin Gud.
De ska falla för svärd,
deras nyfödda barn ska krossas
och havande kvinnor skäras upp.”
Omvändelse leder till upprättelse
2 Återvänd, Israel, till Herren, din Gud.
Du har kommit på fall för din synd.
3 Ta till orda,
återvänd till Herren
och säg till honom:
”Förlåt oss all vår synd.
Ta emot oss med godhet,
så ska vi offra tackoffer med våra läppar.[af]
4 Assyrien kan inte rädda oss,
och själva ska vi inte stiga till häst.
Aldrig mer ska vi säga: ’Vår Gud’
till ting som vi gjort med våra egna händer,
för det är hos dig
som den faderlöse finner barmhärtighet.”
5 ”Jag ska bota deras avfällighet
och älska dem av fri vilja,
för min vrede har vänt sig från dem.
6 Jag ska bli som dagg för Israel,
som ska blomstra som en lilja
och vara djupt rotad som en ceder i Libanon,
7 med nya, växande skott.
Hans prakt ska vara som ett olivträds
och hans doft som Libanons.
8 De ska åter få bo i hans skugga.
De ska grönska som säd
och blomstra som en vinstock.
Man ska minnas honom som vin från Libanon.
9 O Efraim! Vad har jag
med dina avgudar att göra?
Jag är den som svarar honom
och tar hand om honom.
Jag är som en grönskande cypress,
och hos mig finner du din frukt.”
10 Den som är vis förstår detta,
den som är förståndig inser det.
Herrens vägar är rätta.
De rättfärdiga vandrar på dem,
men de upproriska kommer på fall.
Footnotes
- 4:4 Sista satsen i versen är svårtolkad i grundtexten.
- 4:18 Grundtextens innebörd är oviss och översättningen högst osäker.
- 5:2 Kan ev. läsas som ortnamn Shittim, och i så fall blir betydelsen: Shittim har gått djupt in för blodsdåd…eller Shittim har gjort sig till ett djup för blodsdåd…Grundtexten är svårtolkad.
- 5:7 I versens senare hälft är grundtextens innebörd osäker.
- 5:11 Det hebreiska ordets betydelse är osäker.
- 6:7 Adam skulle ev. kunna tolkas som ett ortnamn, I Adam… (jfr följande vers med staden Gilead).
- 7:4 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker; spec. svår är v. 5.
- 7:12 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker.
- 7:14 Grundtextens innebörd är oviss. Enligt en del hebreiska handskrifter och Septuaginta: De ristar sig blodiga…, vilket man gjorde i baalskulten och var förbjudet för israeliterna (5 Mos 14:1).
- 7:16 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker.
- 8:10 I versens senare del är grundtextens innebörd osäker.
- 8:13 Satsens början är svårförståelig i grundtexten och översättningen därför osäker.
- 9:6 Grundtexten är svårförståelig och dess innebörd osäker.
- 9:13 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker i versens första del.
- 10:5 Egentligen kvigor; här följer översättningen bl.a. Septuaginta.
- 10:6 Ordet kan också syfta på en avgud av trä.
- 10:8 Eller: Avens offerhöjder.
- 10:10 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker.
- 11:2 Mer ordagrant: Ju mer de har kallat på dem…eller ev. Ju mer de har blivit kallade…Fortsättningen visar dock att det är Herren som har kallat dem, och den tanken återfinns också i Septuaginta.
- 11:4 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker.
- 11:6 Ordet kan också syfta på tomt prat, ev. orakelpräster.
- 11:7 Grundtextens innebörd är oviss.
- 11:9 Eller: …kommer inte in i staden.Det är osäkert hur det sista ordet ska tolkas.
- 11:12 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker i versens senare hälft.
- 12:3 Eller …bedrog han sin bror (gripa tag i någons häl var ett uttryck för bedrägeri/svek).
- 12:4 Enligt den masoretiska texten med oss. Här följer översättningen Septuaginta.
- 12:7 Grundtextens ord Kanaan kan också lämnas oöversatt och tolkas som ett namn som symboliserade det hedniska som israeliterna tagit över; kanaanéerna var dock kända för sin handel. Ordet kan ha använts i dubbel betydelse här.
- 12:11 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker.
- 13:2 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker i versens sista del.
- 13:14 Eller: Ska jag lösa dem ur dödsrikets grepp, rädda dem från döden?
- 13:15 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker.
- 14:3 Grundtextens innebörd är osäker. Mer ordagrant lyder slutet av versen: …offra våra läppars tjuroffer.
Hosea 4-14
New International Version
Hosea 4-14
New International Version
The Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge(A) to bring
against you who live in the land:(B)
“There is no faithfulness,(C) no love,
no acknowledgment(D) of God in the land.(E)
2 There is only cursing,[a] lying(F) and murder,(G)
stealing(H) and adultery;(I)
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.(J)
3 Because of this the land dries up,(K)
and all who live in it waste away;(L)
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.(M)
4 “But let no one bring a charge,
let no one accuse another,
for your people are like those
who bring charges against a priest.(N)
5 You stumble(O) day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother(P)—
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.(Q)
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law(R) of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
7 The more priests there were,
the more they sinned against me;
they exchanged their glorious God[b](S) for something disgraceful.(T)
8 They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.(U)
9 And it will be: Like people, like priests.(V)
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.(W)
10 “They will eat but not have enough;(X)
they will engage in prostitution(Y) but not flourish,
because they have deserted(Z) the Lord
to give themselves 11 to prostitution;(AA)
old wine(AB) and new wine
take away their understanding.(AC)
12 My people consult a wooden idol,(AD)
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.(AE)
A spirit of prostitution(AF) leads them astray;(AG)
they are unfaithful(AH) to their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,(AI) poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.(AJ)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution(AK)
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.(AL)
14 “I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots(AM)
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes(AN)—
a people without understanding(AO) will come to ruin!(AP)
15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;(AQ)
do not go up to Beth Aven.[c](AR)
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’(AS)
16 The Israelites are stubborn,(AT)
like a stubborn heifer.(AU)
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs(AV) in a meadow?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18 Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19 A whirlwind(AW) will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.(AX)
Judgment Against Israel
5 “Hear this, you priests!
Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
This judgment(AY) is against you:
You have been a snare(AZ) at Mizpah,
a net(BA) spread out on Tabor.
2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.(BB)
I will discipline all of them.(BC)
3 I know all about Ephraim;
Israel is not hidden(BD) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
Israel is corrupt.(BE)
4 “Their deeds do not permit them
to return(BF) to their God.
A spirit of prostitution(BG) is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge(BH) the Lord.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies(BI) against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(BJ) in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.(BK)
6 When they go with their flocks and herds
to seek the Lord,(BL)
they will not find him;
he has withdrawn(BM) himself from them.
7 They are unfaithful(BN) to the Lord;
they give birth to illegitimate(BO) children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,(BP)
he will devour[d](BQ) their fields.
8 “Sound the trumpet(BR) in Gibeah,(BS)
the horn in Ramah.(BT)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven[e];(BU)
lead on, Benjamin.
9 Ephraim will be laid waste(BV)
on the day of reckoning.(BW)
Among the tribes of Israel
I proclaim what is certain.(BX)
10 Judah’s leaders are like those
who move boundary stones.(BY)
I will pour out my wrath(BZ) on them
like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
trampled in judgment,
intent on pursuing idols.[f](CA)
12 I am like a moth(CB) to Ephraim,
like rot(CC) to the people of Judah.
13 “When Ephraim(CD) saw his sickness,
and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria,(CE)
and sent to the great king for help.(CF)
But he is not able to cure(CG) you,
not able to heal your sores.(CH)
14 For I will be like a lion(CI) to Ephraim,
like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces(CJ) and go away;
I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.(CK)
15 Then I will return to my lair(CL)
until they have borne their guilt(CM)
and seek my face(CN)—
in their misery(CO)
they will earnestly seek me.(CP)”
Israel Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us return(CQ) to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces(CR)
but he will heal us;(CS)
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.(CT)
2 After two days he will revive us;(CU)
on the third day(CV) he will restore(CW) us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,(CX)
like the spring rains that water the earth.(CY)”
4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim?(CZ)
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.(DA)
5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth(DB)—
then my judgments go forth like the sun.[g](DC)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(DD)
and acknowledgment(DE) of God rather than burnt offerings.(DF)
7 As at Adam,[h] they have broken the covenant;(DG)
they were unfaithful(DH) to me there.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,(DI)
stained with footprints of blood.
9 As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,(DJ)
so do bands of priests;
they murder(DK) on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes.(DL)
10 I have seen a horrible(DM) thing in Israel:
There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
Israel is defiled.(DN)
11 “Also for you, Judah,
a harvest(DO) is appointed.
“Whenever I would restore the fortunes(DP) of my people,
7 1 whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.(DQ)
They practice deceit,(DR)
thieves break into houses,(DS)
bandits rob in the streets;(DT)
2 but they do not realize
that I remember(DU) all their evil deeds.(DV)
Their sins engulf them;(DW)
they are always before me.
3 “They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.(DX)
4 They are all adulterers,(DY)
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5 On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,(DZ)
and he joins hands with the mockers.(EA)
6 Their hearts are like an oven;(EB)
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,(EC)
and none of them calls(ED) on me.
8 “Ephraim mixes(EE) with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9 Foreigners sap his strength,(EF)
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,(EG)
but despite all this
he does not return(EH) to the Lord his God
or search(EI) for him.
11 “Ephraim is like a dove,(EJ)
easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,(EK)
now turning to Assyria.(EL)
12 When they go, I will throw my net(EM) over them;
I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13 Woe(EN) to them,
because they have strayed(EO) from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak about me(EP) falsely.(EQ)
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts(ER)
but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[i] appealing to their gods
for grain and new wine,(ES)
but they turn away from me.(ET)
15 I trained(EU) them and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil(EV) against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;(EW)
they are like a faulty bow.(EX)
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent(EY) words.
For this they will be ridiculed(EZ)
in the land of Egypt.(FA)
Israel to Reap the Whirlwind
8 “Put the trumpet(FB) to your lips!
An eagle(FC) is over the house of the Lord
because the people have broken my covenant(FD)
and rebelled against my law.(FE)
2 Israel cries out to me,
‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3 But Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.(FF)
4 They set up kings without my consent;
they choose princes without my approval.(FG)
With their silver and gold
they make idols(FH) for themselves
to their own destruction.
5 Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!(FI)
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?(FJ)
6 They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
it is not God.(FK)
It will be broken in pieces,
that calf(FL) of Samaria.(FM)
7 “They sow the wind
and reap the whirlwind.(FN)
The stalk has no head;
it will produce no flour.(FO)
Were it to yield grain,
foreigners would swallow it up.(FP)
8 Israel is swallowed up;(FQ)
now she is among the nations
like something no one wants.(FR)
9 For they have gone up to Assyria(FS)
like a wild donkey(FT) wandering alone.
Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.(FU)
10 Although they have sold themselves among the nations,
I will now gather them together.(FV)
They will begin to waste away(FW)
under the oppression of the mighty king.
11 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
these have become altars for sinning.(FX)
12 I wrote for them the many things of my law,
but they regarded them as something foreign.(FY)
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me,
and though they eat(FZ) the meat,
the Lord is not pleased with them.(GA)
Now he will remember(GB) their wickedness
and punish their sins:(GC)
They will return to Egypt.(GD)
14 Israel has forgotten(GE) their Maker(GF)
and built palaces;
Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire on their cities
that will consume their fortresses.”(GG)
Punishment for Israel
9 Do not rejoice, Israel;
do not be jubilant(GH) like the other nations.
For you have been unfaithful(GI) to your God;
you love the wages of a prostitute(GJ)
at every threshing floor.
2 Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people;
the new wine(GK) will fail them.
3 They will not remain(GL) in the Lord’s land;
Ephraim will return to Egypt(GM)
and eat unclean food in Assyria.(GN)
4 They will not pour out wine offerings(GO) to the Lord,
nor will their sacrifices please(GP) him.
Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners;(GQ)
all who eat them will be unclean.(GR)
This food will be for themselves;
it will not come into the temple of the Lord.(GS)
5 What will you do(GT) on the day of your appointed festivals,(GU)
on the feast days of the Lord?
6 Even if they escape from destruction,
Egypt will gather them,(GV)
and Memphis(GW) will bury them.(GX)
Their treasures of silver(GY) will be taken over by briers,
and thorns(GZ) will overrun their tents.
7 The days of punishment(HA) are coming,
the days of reckoning(HB) are at hand.
Let Israel know this.
Because your sins(HC) are so many
and your hostility so great,
the prophet is considered a fool,(HD)
the inspired person a maniac.(HE)
8 The prophet, along with my God,
is the watchman over Ephraim,[j]
yet snares(HF) await him on all his paths,
and hostility in the house of his God.(HG)
9 They have sunk deep into corruption,(HH)
as in the days of Gibeah.(HI)
God will remember(HJ) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.(HK)
10 “When I found Israel,
it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
it was like seeing the early fruit(HL) on the fig(HM) tree.
But when they came to Baal Peor,(HN)
they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol(HO)
and became as vile as the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim’s glory(HP) will fly away like a bird(HQ)—
no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.(HR)
12 Even if they rear children,
I will bereave(HS) them of every one.
Woe(HT) to them
when I turn away from them!(HU)
13 I have seen Ephraim,(HV) like Tyre,
planted in a pleasant place.(HW)
But Ephraim will bring out
their children to the slayer.”(HX)
14 Give them, Lord—
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that are dry.(HY)
15 “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,(HZ)
I hated them there.
Because of their sinful deeds,(IA)
I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;(IB)
all their leaders are rebellious.(IC)
16 Ephraim(ID) is blighted,
their root is withered,
they yield no fruit.(IE)
Even if they bear children,
I will slay(IF) their cherished offspring.”
17 My God will reject(IG) them
because they have not obeyed(IH) him;
they will be wanderers among the nations.(II)
10 Israel was a spreading vine;(IJ)
he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
he built more altars;(IK)
as his land prospered,(IL)
he adorned his sacred stones.(IM)
2 Their heart is deceitful,(IN)
and now they must bear their guilt.(IO)
The Lord will demolish their altars(IP)
and destroy their sacred stones.(IQ)
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
because we did not revere the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
what could he do for us?”
4 They make many promises,
take false oaths(IR)
and make agreements;(IS)
therefore lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds(IT) in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear
for the calf-idol(IU) of Beth Aven.[k](IV)
Its people will mourn over it,
and so will its idolatrous priests,(IW)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
because it is taken from them into exile.(IX)
6 It will be carried to Assyria(IY)
as tribute(IZ) for the great king.(JA)
Ephraim will be disgraced;(JB)
Israel will be ashamed(JC) of its foreign alliances.
7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed,(JD)
swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places(JE) of wickedness[l](JF) will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns(JG) and thistles will grow up
and cover their altars.(JH)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”(JI)
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”(JJ)
9 “Since the days of Gibeah,(JK) you have sinned,(JL) Israel,
and there you have remained.[m]
Will not war again overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish(JM) them;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke(JN)
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow(JO) righteousness(JP) for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;(JQ)
for it is time to seek(JR) the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness(JS) on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,(JT)
you have eaten the fruit of deception.(JU)
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,(JV)
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated(JW)—
as Shalman(JX) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.(JY)
15 So will it happen to you, Bethel,
because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.(JZ)
God’s Love for Israel
11 “When Israel was a child,(KA) I loved(KB) him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.(KC)
2 But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.[n](KD)
They sacrificed to the Baals(KE)
and they burned incense to images.(KF)
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;(KG)
but they did not realize
it was I who healed(KH) them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.(KI)
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed(KJ) them.(KK)
5 “Will they not return to Egypt(KL)
and will not Assyria(KM) rule over them
because they refuse to repent?(KN)
6 A sword(KO) will flash in their cities;
it will devour(KP) their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn(KQ) from me.(KR)
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.
8 “How can I give you up,(KS) Ephraim?(KT)
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?(KU)
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion(KV) is aroused.(KW)
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,(KX)
nor will I devastate(KY) Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man(KZ)—
the Holy One(LA) among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the Lord;
he will roar(LB) like a lion.(LC)
When he roars,
his children will come trembling(LD) from the west.(LE)
11 They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria,(LF) fluttering like doves.(LG)
I will settle them in their homes,”(LH)
declares the Lord.
Israel’s Sin
12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,(LI)
Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
even against the faithful(LJ) Holy One.[o](LK)
12 [p]1 Ephraim(LL) feeds on the wind;(LM)
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.(LN)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(LO)
and sends olive oil to Egypt.(LP)
2 The Lord has a charge(LQ) to bring against Judah;(LR)
he will punish(LS) Jacob[q] according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.(LT)
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(LU)
as a man he struggled(LV) with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(LW)
and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is his name!(LX)
6 But you must return(LY) to your God;
maintain love and justice,(LZ)
and wait for your God always.(MA)
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales(MB)
and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,(MC)
“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(MD)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
any iniquity or sin.”
9 “I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt;(ME)
I will make you live in tents(MF) again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables(MG) through them.”(MH)
11 Is Gilead wicked?(MI)
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(MJ)
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.(MK)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[r];(ML)
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.(MM)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(MN)
by a prophet he cared for him.(MO)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(MP)
and will repay him for his contempt.(MQ)
The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;(MR)
he was exalted(MS) in Israel.
But he became guilty of Baal worship(MT) and died.
2 Now they sin more and more;
they make(MU) idols for themselves from their silver,(MV)
cleverly fashioned images,
all of them the work of craftsmen.(MW)
It is said of these people,
“They offer human sacrifices!
They kiss[s](MX) calf-idols!(MY)”
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears,(MZ)
like chaff(NA) swirling from a threshing floor,(NB)
like smoke(NC) escaping through a window.
4 “But I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.(ND)
You shall acknowledge(NE) no God but me,(NF)
no Savior(NG) except me.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness,(NH)
in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;(NI)
then they forgot(NJ) me.(NK)
7 So I will be like a lion(NL) to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs,(NM)
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion(NN) I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart.(NO)
9 “You are destroyed, Israel,
because you are against me,(NP) against your helper.(NQ)
10 Where is your king,(NR) that he may save you?
Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?(NS)
11 So in my anger I gave you a king,(NT)
and in my wrath I took him away.(NU)
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
his sins are kept on record.(NV)
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth(NW) come to him,
but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time(NX) arrives,
he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.(NY)
14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;(NZ)
I will redeem them from death.(OA)
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?(OB)
“I will have no compassion,
15 even though he thrives(OC) among his brothers.
An east wind(OD) from the Lord will come,
blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
and his well dry up.(OE)
His storehouse will be plundered(OF)
of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria(OG) must bear their guilt,(OH)
because they have rebelled(OI) against their God.
They will fall by the sword;(OJ)
their little ones will be dashed(OK) to the ground,
their pregnant women(OL) ripped open.”[t]
Repentance to Bring Blessing
14 [u]Return,(OM) Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins(ON) have been your downfall!(OO)
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive(OP) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(OQ)
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[v](OR)
3 Assyria cannot save us;(OS)
we will not mount warhorses.(OT)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(OU)
to what our own hands have made,(OV)
for in you the fatherless(OW) find compassion.”
4 “I will heal(OX) their waywardness(OY)
and love them freely,(OZ)
for my anger has turned away(PA) from them.
5 I will be like the dew(PB) to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.(PC)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(PD)
he will send down his roots;(PE)
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(PF)
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(PG)
7 People will dwell again in his shade;(PH)
they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(PI) like the vine—
Israel’s fame will be like the wine(PJ) of Lebanon.(PK)
8 Ephraim, what more have I[w] to do with idols?(PL)
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(PM)
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:2 That is, to pronounce a curse on
- Hosea 4:7 Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Text me; / I will exchange their glory
- Hosea 4:15 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 5:7 Or Now their New Moon feasts / will devour them and
- Hosea 5:8 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Hosea 6:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Hosea 6:7 Or Like Adam; or Like human beings
- Hosea 7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together
- Hosea 9:8 Or The prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, / the people of my God
- Hosea 10:5 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 10:8 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see verse 5.
- Hosea 10:9 Or there a stand was taken
- Hosea 11:2 Septuagint; Hebrew them
- Hosea 11:12 In Hebrew texts this verse (11:12) is numbered 12:1.
- Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
- Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
- Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Hosea 13:2 Or “Men who sacrifice / kiss
- Hosea 13:16 In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.
- Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
- Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
- Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim
Hosea 4-14
King James Version
Hosea 4-14
King James Version
4 Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
4 Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
5 Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.
8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.
9 And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.
10 For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.
11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.
15 Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The Lord liveth.
16 For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place.
17 Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
18 Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye.
19 The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
5 Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
2 And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.
5 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.
6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
7 They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
8 Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.
9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
10 The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
12 Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.
14 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 none shall rescue him.
15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
6 Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
4 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.
9 And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.
10 I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
11 Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.
7 When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.
2 And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.
3 They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
4 They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
5 In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.
6 For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.
7 They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
8 Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
10 And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this.
11 Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
12 When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.
13 Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.
14 And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.
15 Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.
16 They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.
8 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
2 Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.
3 Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
4 They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
5 Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
6 For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
9 For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
10 Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
11 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
12 I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
9 Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.
2 The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.
3 They shall not dwell in the Lord's land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
4 They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the Lord.
5 What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the Lord?
6 For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.
7 The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.
8 The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.
10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.
12 Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!
13 Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer.
14 Give them, O Lord: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.
16 Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.
17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.
10 Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.
2 Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.
3 For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord; what then should a king do to us?
4 They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.
6 It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.
8 The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.
9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.
10 It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.
11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.
12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Betharbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.
15 So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.
11 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
2 As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.
4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, and the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.
6 And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.
7 And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.
8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
9 I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.
10 They shall walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.
11 They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the Lord.
12 Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.
12 Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
2 The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
5 Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial.
6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment and wait on thy God continually.
7 He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
8 And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
9 And I that am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
11 Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
12 And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
13 And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
14 Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.
13 When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
2 And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
3 Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.
4 Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.
5 I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.
6 According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.
7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.
9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.
10 I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?
11 I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.
12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid.
13 The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.
14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
15 Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.
16 Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.
14 O israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.
9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
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