Bible in 90 Days
The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks[a]
Chapter 9
According to the Word Revealed to Jeremiah . . . 1 In the first year of Darius, son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who became ruler of the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the Scriptures and reflecting on the seventy years that, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, had to pass before the desolation of Jerusalem would come to an end.
3 Then I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord, my God, and made this confession, saying:
Lord, Have Mercy.[b] “O Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your covenant and show your steadfast love to those who love you and observe your commandments: 5 we have sinned and done what is wrong, we have acted wickedly and rebelled, we have rejected your commandments and your laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the Prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 “Righteousness is on your side, O Lord. As for us, we are filled with shame even to this day—we, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the countries to which you have dispersed us because of the treachery that we have committed against you.
8 “O Lord, we are filled with shame—our kings, our princes, and our fathers—for having sinned against you. 9 But you, O Lord, our God, are always prepared to show compassion and forgiveness. Yet we rebelled against you 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, our God, by following your laws that you have given to us through your servants the Prophets.
11 “All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away from you, refusing to obey your commands. Therefore, the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down upon us because we have sinned against you. 12 You confirmed your threats, which you made against us and our rulers by bringing upon us in Jerusalem the greatest calamity that the world has ever experienced.
13 “Just as it is written[c] in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us. We failed to entreat the favor of the Lord, our God, by renouncing our wickedness and reflecting upon his fidelity. 14 Therefore, the Lord has watched us carefully, and now he has brought this disaster upon us. The Lord is just in all of his dealings with us, but we have not listened to his voice.
15 “And now, O Lord, our God, who led your people out of the land of Egypt with your mighty hand and caused your name to be renowned, even to this very day: we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. 16 Lord, in keeping with your saving deeds, we beg you to allow your anger and wrath to turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. As a result of our sins and the crimes of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of scorn to all those who surround us.
17 “Now therefore, our God, listen to the prayers and supplications of your servant, and for your own sake, O Lord, let your face shine upon your desolate sanctuary. 18 Incline your ear, O my God, and listen. Open your eyes and look upon our desolation and upon the city that bears your name. We present our petition to you, relying not upon our upright deeds but rather upon your great mercy.
19 “Listen to us, O Lord! Forgive us, O Lord! Do not delay, O my God, for your own sake, because your city and your people bear your name.”
20 Seventy Weeks Are Decreed.[d] While I was still speaking, still occupied with my prayer and confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel and presenting my supplication to the Lord, my God, on behalf of his holy mountain— 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously in a vision, swooped down on me in rapid flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.
22 He then spoke these words to me: “Daniel, I have now come down to you to give you understanding. 23 As you began your supplications, an answer was given, and I have come to make it known to you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore, consider carefully the answer and comprehend the vision.
24 “Seventy weeks are decreed
for your people and your holy city:
for bringing an end to transgression,
for putting an end to sin,
for expiating iniquity,
for introducing everlasting righteousness,
for ratifying vision and prophecy,
and for anointing the Holy of Holies.
25 “Know therefore, and understand this:
From the time that the message was sent:
‘Return and rebuild Jerusalem,’
until the coming of an anointed prince,
there shall be seven weeks.
During sixty-two weeks
it shall be rebuilt and restored
with streets and trenches
in a troubled time.
26 “After the sixty-two weeks
an anointed one will be cut off
and have nothing.
And the troops of a leader who is to come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
Then the end will come like a torrent,
and until the end there will be war,
the devastation that has been decreed.
27 “During the space of one week
he will make a firm alliance with many people,
and for the space of half a week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and oblation.
And on the temple wing
will be the terrible abomination
until the end that has been decreed
is poured out upon the desolate city.”
Israel’s Suffering and Deliverance[e]
Chapter 10
Vision of the Hellenistic Wars. 1 In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel, who had been given the name Belteshazzar. The revelation, which dealt with a great conflict, was valid, and its meaning was disclosed to him in a vision.
2 At that time I, Daniel, had been mourning for three weeks.
3 I refrained from eating any choice food, abstaining from consuming meat or wine, and I did not anoint myself until those three weeks had passed.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I stood on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face shone like lightning, and his eyes were like fiery torches. His arms and his feet gleamed like burnished bronze, and the sound of his voice was like the roar of a multitude.
7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw this vision. Those who were with me did not see the vision, but they were seized with such great fear that they fled and hid themselves. 8 Thus I was left alone to behold this great vision. My strength drained away, and I was powerless, as my face turned deathly pale. 9 Then I heard the sound of his voice and as I did so I fell into a trance with my face to the ground.
10 The Mission of the Angel Gabriel. But then I felt a hand touch me, and as I trembled I was raised to my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you are greatly loved. Pay close attention to the words that I am about to speak to you. Stand up now, for I have been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you resolved to gain understanding and to humble yourself before God, your prayer was heard. It is because of your resolve that I have come to you. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia thwarted me for twenty-one days, but finally Michael,[f] one of the chief princes, came to help me. I left him there to confront the prince of the kingdom of Persia, 14 and I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the final days. For there is yet a further vision for those days.”
15 While he was speaking these words to me, I prostrated myself on the ground and was speechless. 16 Then someone who looked like a man touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the person standing before me, “My lord, anguish has overcome me at this vision, and I no longer have any further strength. 17 How can I, my lord’s servant, speak to you now that I have no strength left in me and my breath fails me?”
18 The one who looked like a man touched me again and strengthened me, saying, 19 “Do not be afraid, greatly beloved. You have been specially chosen. Peace be with you. Have courage and be strong.” 20 As he spoke to me, I once again felt strong, and I said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
Then he asked, “Do you know why I have come to you? I must first return to fight against the king of Persia, and when I have overcome him, the prince of Greece will appear. 21 But I have been delegated to tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth. There is no one to lend me support except Michael, your prince.
Chapter 11
1 “As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I came forth to support and strengthen him.
Early Struggles between Seleucids and Ptolemies.[g] 2 “Now I shall tell you the truth about these things. Three more kings shall arise in Persia. Then a fourth will appear who will be far richer than all of them, and when he has enhanced his power through his wealth, he will mobilize the entire empire against the kingdom of Greece.[h]
3 “Then a powerful king[i] shall arise who will govern a vast empire and do whatever he pleases. 4 But as his power continues to increase, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out to the four winds of heaven. However, it will not be inherited by his descendants, nor will it be ruled in the same fashion, for his kingdom will be uprooted and pass to others rather than to his descendants.
5 “The king of the south shall grow strong, but one of his princes shall grow even stronger and rule an empire greater than his. 6 After some years the two will enter into an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north. However, she will not be able to retain her power, and his offspring will not endure. She will be handed over, along with her attendants and her child and her husband.[j]
7 “Later on, a descendant[k] from her line will arise to take her place. He shall penetrate the defenses of the king of the north, enter his stronghold, and succeed in conquering them. 8 He will even carry away into Egypt, as spoils of war, their gods, with their molten images and precious vessels of silver and gold. For several years he will refrain from attacking the king of the north.
9 “After that, the latter will invade the kingdom of the king of the south, but then return to his own country. 10 However, his sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army that will sweep forth like a flood and advance as far as the enemy’s fortress.[l]
11 “The king of the south will then become enraged and set out to engage in battle with the king of the north. The latter will muster an immense army that will suffer a crushing defeat and be carried off.[m] 12 The heart of the king of the south shall be exalted, and he shall slaughter tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.[n] 13 For the king of the north will once again raise another army, even larger than before, and finally, after some years, he will advance with a huge force and a great abundance of supplies.
14 “During those times many will take up arms against the king of the south. However, those among your own people who are lawless will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but they will fail. 15 Then the king of the north will come and erect siege-works and capture the well-fortified city. The army of the south will not be able to withstand him, and not even the elite forces will be strong enough to resist.
16 “The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand him. He will establish a stronghold in the glorious land, and it shall fall completely into his power. 17 He will set his mind on conquering the entire kingdom and will make a treaty with the king of the south. Further, he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but this will not succeed or be to his advantage.[o]
18 “Next he will focus his attention on the coastlands and capture many of them, but a commander will put a stop to his outrageous conduct and turn his insolence back upon him.[p] 19 He shall then turn back to the strongholds of his own land, but he will stumble and fall, never to be seen again. 20 His successor[q] shall send forth a tax collector throughout the glorious kingdom, but within a short time this king will also be overthrown and meet his end, although not in anger or in battle.
21 Antiochus IV Epiphanes.“His place shall be taken by a despicable creature upon whom the royal insignia shall not be conferred. Rather, he will come forth without any warning and seize the kingdom through stealth and fraud. 22 A powerful army shall be completely routed and crushed by him. Both it and the prince of the covenant[r] will be destroyed.
23 “After he enters into an alliance, he will act deceitfully, and by treacherous means he will rise to power with only a few supporters. 24 Without advance warning he will invade the most prosperous provinces and do what his fathers or his grandfathers had never done, lavishing plunder, spoil, and riches among them, yet all the while devising plans against their strongholds, but only for a time.
25 “He shall arouse his strength and courage to lead a great army against the kingdom of the south. Meanwhile the king of the south will wage war with a much greater and more powerful army, but he will not succeed because of the plots devised against him. 26 Even those who shared his food will seek to destroy him. His army will be swept away, and many will be slain in battle.[s]
27 “The two kings, their hearts bent on evil though seated at the same table, will exchange lies, but they will not succeed, because the end will not take place until the appointed time. 28 Then the king of the north will return to his land with great riches, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will devise his future plans and return to his own land.
29 “At the appointed time he shall return again to the south, but this time the outcome will not be as it was before. 30 For ships of the Kittim shall come against him, and he will lose heart and withdraw. As he retreats he will vent his fury and direct his energy against the holy covenant, and he will once again show his favor to those who forsake that holy covenant.
31 “Armed forces of his shall obey his command to desecrate the sanctuary, abolish the daily sacrifice, and install the abomination that causes desolation.[t] 32 He will seduce by his deceit those who break the covenant, but those people who are loyal to their God will stand firm and take action.
33 “Wise leaders of the nation shall instruct many, although for a time they will fall by the sword and fire or suffer captivity and exile. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, but many will have ulterior motives in offering support. 35 Some of the wise leaders will stumble so that they may be tested, refined, and purified, until the end time, which is still appointed to come.
36 “The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and considering himself to be greater than any god. He will utter monstrous blasphemies against the God of gods, and he will prosper until the period of divine wrath is completed, for what has been determined must be fulfilled. 37 He shall have no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the god beloved by women[u] or for any other god, for he shall consider himself greater than all.
38 “Instead of these, he will honor the god of fortresses, a god unknown to his ancestors. This god he shall honor with gold and silver, precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will assign the people of a foreign god to defend the fortresses, and he will confer great honors on those whom he favors by appointing them as rulers over many people and distributing land to them as a reward.[v]
40 The End Time.[w]“When the time comes for the end, the king of the south will prepare to attack the king of the north, but the latter will overwhelm him with chariots and cavalry and a large fleet. He will invade countries and sweep over them like a flood. 41 He will invade the beautiful land, and many countries will fall, but Edom and Moab and the leaders of the Ammonites will escape from his power.
42 “He will extend his power over many countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 He will seize control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be subject to him.
44 “However, reports from the east and the north shall be a cause of alarm to him, and he will set out in great fury to bring ruin and total destruction to many. 45 He will pitch the tents of the royal pavilion between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.
Chapter 12
1 “At that time there shall arise
Michael, the great prince,
the guardian of your people.
Then there will be a period
that will be unsurpassed in distress
since nations first came into existence.
At that time your own people will be spared,
everyone whose names are found written in the book.
2 “Many of those shall awake
who sleep in the dust of the earth.
Some shall gain everlasting life;
others will earn shame and everlasting disgrace.
3 However, the wise will shine
like the brightness of the heavens,
and those who lead many to righteousness
will be as bright as the stars forever and ever.
4 As for you, Daniel,
keep these words secret,
and seal the book until the time of the end.
Many shall fall away,
and evils shall increase.”
Daniel’s Final Revelation.[x] 5 I, Daniel, then looked and saw two others standing, one on the bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was upstream, “How long shall it be until these incredible events take place?”
7 The man robed in linen who was upstream raised both his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, “It will be for a year, for two years, and half a year, and then all these things will cease when the power of the destroyer of the holy people will come to an end.”
8 I heard what was said but I did not understand, so I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of all these things?” 9 He replied, “Go on your way, Daniel, for these words are to be kept secret and remain sealed until the end time.
10 “Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will persist in their evil ways. 11 From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the appalling abomination is set up, one thousand two hundred and ninety days will elapse.
12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres and attains one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 But you, go on your way and rest. Then you will rise for your reward at the end of the ages.”
Appendix[y]
The Chaste Susanna
Chapter 13
Attempted Seduction of the Virtuous Susanna. 1 Dwelling in Babylon was a man whose name was Joakim. 2 He had married the daughter of Hilkiah, named Susanna, a God-fearing woman of remarkable beauty. 3 Her parents were devout Jews who had raised their daughter according to the law of Moses. 4 Joakim was a wealthy individual, and adjoining his home was a lovely garden. He was visited frequently by the Jews because they greatly respected him above everyone else.
5 During that year there were appointed two elders of the people to serve as judges. In their regard the Lord had said, “Wickedness has arisen in Babylon through the elders designated to govern the people in the role of judges.” 6 Those two elders were often present at Joakim’s house, and people would come to them there for a hearing of their legal cases.
7 The people would depart at midday, and then Susanna would stroll through her husband’s garden. 8 Each day the two elders would see her as she was entering the garden, and walking around, and they began to lust for her. 9 They ignored the light of reason, averting their eyes from heaven and forsaking their duty to act justly. 10 Although overcome with passion for her, they did not admit this failing to each other, 11 for they were ashamed to reveal the lust they harbored to seduce her. 12 Day by day they waited eagerly to catch a glimpse of her.
13 One day they said to each other, “Let us return to our homes. It is time for lunch.” So they parted and headed off, 14 but both then returned. When they encountered each other and asked the reason, they admitted their lustful desires. From that time they plotted to find an opportunity to surprise her when she was alone.
15 While they were waiting for a favorable opportunity, Susanna entered the garden for her usual stroll, accompanied by two maids; and inasmuch as it was quite warm, she decided to bathe there. 16 No one else was present, aside from the two elders who were watching her from their concealed hiding place. 17 She instructed the maids, “Bring me some oil and soap and then shut the garden doors so that I may bathe.” 18 The maids followed her instructions: they closed the doors and left the garden by a side entrance to obtain what she had requested them to bring, unaware of the presence of the elders who remained in hiding.
19 No sooner had the maids departed than the two elders sprang up and ran over to Susanna. 20 “Look,” they pleaded with her, “the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us. We are burning with desire for you; consent and give yourself to us. 21 Should you refuse, we shall swear under oath that you were here with a young man in the garden, and that this was the reason why you sent the maids away.”
22 Susanna then cried out in anguish, “No matter what I decide, I am trapped. If I yield, it means death for me. If I refuse, I cannot evade your hands. 23 But I choose not to succumb to your evil desire. I much prefer to remain innocent and fall into your power than to commit a sin against God’s law.”
24 Then Susanna began to scream, and the two elders shouted against her, 25 as one of them ran to open the garden doors. 26 On hearing the noisy uproar in the garden, the people in the house rushed in through the side entrance to see what was happening. 27 When the elders told their story, the servants were stunned, for no such allegation had ever been raised against Susanna.
28 Susanna Falsely Accused and Condemned to Death. The next day the townspeople assembled at the home of Susanna’s husband Joakim. The two elders also were present, determined to pursue their wicked plot to have Susanna condemned to death. 29 In the presence of the people they ordered, “Bring before us Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, the wife of Joakim.” When she was summoned, 30 she came, accompanied by her parents and children and all her relatives. 31 Possessed of a delicate grace and beauty, 32 Susanna was veiled; the wicked elders ordered her veil to be removed so that they could further sate themselves with her loveliness. 33 All of her relatives and the onlookers were weeping.
34 The two elders stood up in the midst of all present and placed their hands on her head, 35 while the tearful Susanna looked up to heaven, for she placed her complete trust in the Lord. 36 The elders then testified, “We were walking by ourselves in the garden when this woman entered with two maids. After shutting the garden doors, she sent the maids away. 37 Then a young man who had been hiding in the garden went over to her, and they lay together. 38 From the corner of the garden where we were, we observed the crime taking place, and we ran toward them. 39 We surprised them lying together, but we were unable to subdue the man because he was much too strong for us. He flung open the doors and escaped. 40 However, we did seize this woman, but when we demanded that she reveal the identity of the young man, 41 she refused to tell us. We testify to this.” Since they were elders and judges of the people, those who were assembled there accepted their testimony and condemned her to death.
42 However, Susanna cried out in a loud voice, “O eternal God, no secret is hidden from you, and you are aware in advance of everything that will happen. 43 You know that these elders have perjured themselves in their testimony against me. And now I am condemned to die, even though I bear no guilt in regard to any of their wicked charges against me.” 44 And the Lord heard her cry.
45 Susanna Rescued and Acquitted. As Susanna was being led off to the place of execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young man named Daniel, 46 inspiring him to shout out in protest, “I will bear no responsibility for the death of this woman.”
47 On hearing this, all the people turned toward him and asked, “What do you mean by that?” 48 Standing in their midst, he replied: “Are you complete fools, O Israelites, in condemning a daughter of Israel without making a thorough investigation to determine the truth? 49 Reopen the inquiry, for they have testified falsely in her regard.”
50 All the people hurried back, and the remaining elders said to Daniel, “Come and sit with us and explain your thoughts, since God has given you the wisdom of an elder.” 51 He replied, “Separate these two men and keep them far apart from one another while I question them.”
52 After they had been separated, Daniel summoned one of them and said, “You have grown ever more wicked with age. Behold, the sins you committed in the past are coming to the light: 53 pronouncing unjust sentences, condemning innocent people, and acquitting those who were guilty, although the Lord has said, ‘You must not put an innocent and righteous person to death.’ 54 [z]Now, then, if you really saw this woman, tell me under what tree you observed her and the young man lying together.” He replied, 55 “Under a mastic tree.” Daniel replied, “Excellent. That lie will cost you your head, for the angel of God has already received the sentence from God and will cut you in two.”
56 Placing that elder off to the side, Daniel then commanded the other one to be brought forward. “Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,” Daniel said to him, “beauty has seduced you and lust has perverted your heart. 57 This is the manner in which you have been treating the daughters of Israel, and because of their terror they gave in to you. However, here is a daughter of Judah who would not put up with your iniquity. 58 [aa]Now, then, tell me under what tree you discovered them lying with each other.” 59 He replied, “Under an oak tree.” “Indeed,” said Daniel. “That lie will also cost you your life. The angel of God is waiting with a sword to split you in two and to destroy both of you.”
60 Then the entire assembly gave forth a great shout of thanksgiving and blessed God, who saves those who hope in him. 61 And they rose up against the two elders whom Daniel had convicted on the basis of their own perjured testimony and inflicted on them the identical penalty that they in their wickedness had intended to inflict on their neighbor. 62 In accordance with the law of Moses, they put them to death. Thus an innocent life was spared that day.
63 Hilkiah and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, as did her husband Joakim and all her relatives, inasmuch as she had been declared innocent of a shameful deed. 64 And from that day forward Daniel was held in the highest esteem among the people.
Bel and the Dragon[ab]
Chapter 14
A God without Life. 1 After King Astyages was laid to rest with his ancestors, Cyrus the Persian succeeded him as king. 2 Daniel was a close associate of the king and the most highly respected of all his friends.[ac]
3 The Babylonians had an idol called Bel,[ad] and every day they provided it with an offering of twelve bushels of the finest flour, forty sheep, and six measures of wine. 4 Even the king revered this idol and went each day to worship it. But Daniel adored only his own God.
5 So the king asked him, “Why do you refuse to adore Bel?” Daniel replied: “Because I do not worship idols that were fashioned by human hands. I worship only the living God who created heaven and earth and has dominion over all living creatures.”
6 The king persisted: “Do you not believe that Bel is a living god? Can you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?” 7 Laughing, Daniel said, “Do not be deceived, O king. This idol of yours is composed of nothing but clay inside and bronze outside. It has never eaten or drunk anything.”
8 On hearing these words the king became infuriated. He summoned the priests of Bel and said to them, “If you do not tell me who is consuming these provisions, you shall die. 9 However, if you can prove that it is Bel who is eating and drinking them, then Daniel shall be put to death for his blasphemy against Bel.” Daniel said to the king, “Let it be as you say.”
10 Now there were seventy priests of Bel, in addition to their wives and children. The king, accompanied by Daniel, entered the temple of Bel, 11 and the priests of Bel said to him, “We will now take our leave. We ask you, O king, to set out the food yourself and the wine you have prepared. Then lock the door and seal it with your signet ring. 12 When you return in the morning, if you do not discover that Bel has consumed all of it, order us to be put to death. If such is not the case, then Daniel must die for his blasphemy in making false charges against us.” 13 They were not worried about the outcome because beneath the table they had constructed a secret entrance through which they always used to come in and consume all the provisions.
14 After the priests had departed and the king had set out the food for Bel, Daniel ordered his servants to bring some ashes and to scatter them throughout the temple, in the presence of the king. They then all went outside, sealed the locked door with the royal signet ring, and departed. 15 The priests, as was their custom, came by night with their wives and children, and they ate and drank everything.
16 Early the next morning the king rose and came with Daniel. 17 The king asked, “Are the seals unbroken Daniel?” “They are unbroken, O king,” he replied. 18 As soon as the door was opened, the king looked at the table and cried out, “Great are you, O Bel. There is no deceit in you.” 19 But Daniel laughed as he restrained the king from entering.
“Look at the floor,” he said, “and take note whose footprints these are.” 20 The king replied, “I see the footprints of men, women, and children.”
21 Enraged, the king ordered the priests to be arrested together with their wives and children. They showed him the secret door through which they used to enter to consume the provisions on the table. 22 The king ordered them to be put to death, and he handed over Bel to Daniel, who destroyed both the idol and its temple.
23 Again among the Lions. The Babylonians also worshiped a huge dragon.[ae] 24 The king said to Daniel, “You surely cannot deny that this is a living god. Therefore, I command you to adore it.” 25 Daniel replied, “I adore only the Lord, my God, for he is the living God. 26 If you give me permission, O king, I shall kill this dragon without using either sword or club.” “I grant you permission,” said the king.
27 Then Daniel gathered some pitch, fat, and hair. He boiled them together and formed the mixture into cakes, which he placed into the mouth of the dragon. When the dragon swallowed them, he burst open. Daniel said, “Behold what you have been worshiping.”
28 When the Babylonians learned about this, they became enraged and turned their anger against the king. “The king has become a Jew,” they said. “He has destroyed Bel, slain the dragon, and put the priests to death.” 29 Therefore, they went to the king and demanded, “Hand Daniel over to us, or else we shall slay you and your family.” 30 Faced with this violent threat, the king was compelled to turn over Daniel to them.
31 They threw Daniel into the den of lions, and, he was left there for six days. 32 In that den there were seven lions, and each day two human carcasses and two sheep had usually been fed to them. Now, however, they were given nothing, to ensure that they would devour Daniel.
33 In Judea at that time, there was the prophet Habakkuk. Having prepared a stew and mixed it in a bowl with some bread, he was on his way to take it to the reapers in the field. 34 The angel of the Lord instructed him, “Take the meal you have prepared to Daniel who is in Babylon in the lions’ den. 35 Habakkuk replied, “Sir, I have never been to Babylon, and I do not have any idea where the den is.” 36 Thereupon the angel of the Lord grasped him by the crown of his head and, carrying him by his hair, with the speed of the wind, set him down in Babylon above the den.
37 Habakkuk shouted, “Daniel, Daniel, take the food that God has sent to you.” 38 Daniel said, “You have remembered me, O God. You have not abandoned those who love you.” 39 He then got up and began to eat. Meanwhile the angel of the Lord immediately carried Habakkuk back to his own country.
40 On the seventh day the king came to weep for Daniel. When he arrived at the den and looked in, he saw Daniel sitting there. 41 The king cried aloud, “You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and there is no other god but you.” 42 He then had Daniel lifted out of the den and ordered those who had plotted Daniel’s destruction to be thrown into it. Those individuals were devoured before his eyes in an instant.
Prologue
The Word of the Lord
Chapter 1
1 This is the word of the Lord[af] that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel.
The Marriage of Hosea Is a Symbol[ag]
The Harlot and Her Children[ah]
2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea:
“Go forth and take a harlot for a wife,
and father children of harlotry,
for the people have devoted themselves to adultery
and turned away from the Lord.”
3 Therefore, Hosea went forth and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the Lord said to him:
“Name the boy Jezreel,
for in a short time
I will punish the house of Jehu
for the blood shed at Jezreel,
and I will bring an end to the kingdom
of the house of Israel.
5 On that day I will demolish the bow of Israel
in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6 When Gomer conceived again and bore him a daughter, the Lord said to him:
“Give her the name Lo-ruhama,
for I no longer have compassion for the house of Israel,
nor do I wish to forgive them.
7 However, I do have pity on the house of Judah,
and I will save them by the Lord, their God.
But I will not deliver them by war,
nor by sword or bow,
nor by horses or horsemen.”[ai]
8 After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhama, she conceived and bore him a son. 9 Then the Lord said:
“Give him the name Lo-ammi,
for you are not my people,
and I am not your God.”
Chapter 2
To Conjure Up One’s Destiny
1 The Israelites will be as numerous
as the sands of the sea,
which can be neither measured nor numbered.
And in the very place where it was said to them,
“You are not my people,”
they will be called, “Children of the Living God.”
2 The people of Judah and of Israel
shall be gathered together.
They will choose one person to be their leader,
and they shall enlarge their boundaries,
for great will be the day of Jezreel.
3 Say to your brothers, “You are my people,”
and to your sisters, “You are beloved.”
Repudiation and Return to First Love[aj]
I Shall Strip Her Bare[ak]
4 Insist that your mother repent,[al]
for she is no longer my wife,
and I am not her husband.
If she does not cease her harlotry
and the use of her breasts in adulterous acts,
5 I shall strip her bare,[am]
leaving her as naked as the day she was born.
I shall make her as barren as the wilderness
and as parched as the desert,
leaving her to die of thirst.
6 Nor will I feel any pity for her children,
since they are the offspring of adultery.
7 Yes, their mother has been a whore;
she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, “I will go after my lovers;
they will supply me with my bread and my water,
my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.”
8 That is why I will block her path with thornbushes
and erect a wall to hinder her,
so that she cannot proceed on her journey.
9 Although she pursues her lovers,[an]
she will not be able to overtake them.
If she looks for them,
she will not find them.
Finally she will say,
“I will return to my first husband,
since I was far better off then than I am now.”
10 She has never realized
that I was the one who gave her
the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished upon her the silver and gold
that they used for Baal.
11 For this reason I intend to take back
my grain when it is ready for the harvest
and my new wine during the time of vintage.
And I will retrieve the wool and the flax
with which her nakedness was to be covered.
12 Now I will reveal her lewdness
before the eyes of her lovers,
and no one shall rescue her from my hands.
13 I will put an end to all her merrymaking,
her festivals, her new moons, and her sabbaths,
and all of her solemn festivals.
14 I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees,
about which she said,
“These are the payment
I have received from my lovers.”
I shall allow them to grow wild,
and ferocious beasts will devour them.
15 I will inflict punishment on her
for the festival days of the Baals,
when she burned incense to them,
and adorned herself with her rings and jewels
and ran after her lovers
while she forgot me, says the Lord.
I Intend To Allure Her . . . and Speak Tenderly to Her[ao]
16 As a result, now I intend to allure her,
lead her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
17 From there I will restore her vineyards to her
and make the Valley of Achor[ap] a gateway of hope.
There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt.
18 On that day, says the Lord,
she will call me “My husband,”
and never again call me “My Baal.”
19 I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth;
never again shall their names be invoked.
20 On that day I will make for you
a covenant with the wild animals,
with the birds of the air,
and the things that creep on the ground.
I will destroy bows and swords and warfare
and banish them from the land
so that you may lie down in security.
21 I will betroth you to myself forever;
I will espouse you in righteousness and in justice,
in steadfast love and in mercy.
22 I will take you for my wife in fidelity,
and you will know the Lord.
23 On that day I will respond,
says the Lord.
I will respond to the heavens,
and they will respond to the earth,
24 and the earth will respond to the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel.
25 I will sow her for myself in the land,
and I will have pity on Lo-ruhama.
I will say to Lo-ammi, “You are my people,”
and he will say, “You are my God.”
The Triumph of Love[aq]
Chapter 3
1 The Lord said to me:
“Go forth and offer your love to a woman
who has a lover and is an adulteress,
just as I, the Lord, love the people of Israel
even though they turn to other gods
and love raisin cakes.”[ar]
2 Therefore, I purchased her for fifteen shekels of silver, a homer of barley, and a measure of wine, 3 and I said to her:
“You must remain in my house for a long time,
and you shall not continue to play the harlot.
You shall not have relations with anyone else,
nor even with me.”
4 For the Israelites shall spend a long time
without a king or leader,
without sacrifice or sacred pillar,
without ephod or household idols.
5 Afterward the Israelites shall return
and seek the Lord, their God,
and David, their king.[as]
They will come trembling to the Lord
to beg for his bounty in the final days.
God Puts an Adulterous People on Trial
Chapter 4
A Deep Corruption of Morals
1 Hear the word of the Lord,
people of Israel,
for the Lord has decreed an indictment
against the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or loyalty,
nor any knowledge of God in the land.
2 Instead, people swear oaths and break them;
they lie, murder, steal, and commit adultery,
with never-ceasing bloodshed.
3 Therefore, the land is in mourning,
and all who dwell in it languish,
including the wild beasts and the birds of the air;
even the fish of the sea are perishing.
My Quarrel Is with You, O Priests
4 But let no one protest
or make accusations;
my quarrel is with you, O priests.
5 You shall stumble in the daylight,
while the prophets will stumble with you at night,
and I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are perishing
for want of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I will reject you as my priests.
And since you have forsaken the law of your God,
I will also reject your children.
7 The more the number of priests increased,
the more they sinned against me,
turning their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sins of my people;
they are insatiable in their hunger for iniquity.
9 The priests and the people will share the same fate;
I shall punish them for their conduct
and repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat but never be satisfied;
they will engage in prostitution but never have children,
because they have abandoned the Lord
11 to devote themselves to immorality.
Idolatry and Debauchery
Wine, both old and new,
deprives my people of understanding.
12 They consult a piece of wood for advice,
and their divining rod[at] provides the answers they seek.
For a spirit of promiscuity has led them astray,
and their immorality causes them to forsake their God.
13 They offer sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn incense on the hills,
beneath oak and poplar and terebinth
because the shade they afford is pleasant.
14 I shall not punish your daughters for becoming prostitutes
or your daughters-in-law for committing adultery.
For your men themselves consort with harlots
and offer sacrifice with temple prostitutes;
a people thus devoid of understanding is doomed.
15 Though you, O Israel, play the whore,
do not allow Judah to incur such guilt.
Do not come to Gilgal
or go up to Beth-aven,
and do not swear, “As the Lord lives!”[au]
16 For Israel is as stubborn as a heifer;
will the Lord now feed them
like lambs in a broad meadow?
17 Ephraim has associated with idols;
let them alone.
18 When their drinking binge has ended,
they indulge in sexual orgies,
preferring lewdness to their glory.
19 The wind has carried them off in its wings,
and their sacrifices will only bring them shame.
Chapter 5
I Shall Punish Them All
1 Hear this, O priests!
Listen closely, O house of Israel!
Give heed, O house of the king,
for you will be called to judgment!
For you have been a snare at Mizpah,[av]
and a net spread out upon Tabor,
2 and a deep pit at Shittim;
I shall punish all of them.
3 I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from me.
Despite this, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot,
and Israel is defiled.
4 Their deeds do not allow them
to return to their God.
For the spirit of immorality has possessed them,
and they no longer know the Lord.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them;
Ephraim stumbles in their guilt,
and Judah stumbles with them.
6 With their sheep and their cattle,
they shall go forth to seek the Lord.
However, they will not find him,
for he has withdrawn from them.
7 They have betrayed the Lord,
for they have borne illegitimate children.[aw]
Now the new moon shall devour them
along with their fields.
War between Israel and Judah[ax]
8 Blow the horn in Gibeah,[ay]
the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound the alarm at Beth-aven:
“Look behind you, O Benjamin!”
9 Ephraim shall become a wasteland
on the day of punishment.
Against the tribes of Israel
I have decreed certain doom.
10 The rulers of Judah act like men
who move their neighbor’s boundary line.
On them I will pour out
my wrath like a flood.
11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
being intent on pursuing idols.
12 Therefore, I am like an infectious sore for Ephraim,
like maggots for the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim realized that he was ill
and Judah noted that he was covered with sores,
Ephraim went to Assyria,
and Judah sent envoys to the great king.
However, he has no power to cure you
or to heal your sores.
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will maul them and depart;
I will carry them off,
and no one will be able to rescue them.
15 I shall go back to my dwelling place
until they acknowledge their guilt
and seek my presence.[az]
In their affliction,
they will beseech my favor.
Chapter 6
Steadfast Love Rather than Sacrifice Is What Pleases Me
1 [ba]“Come, let us return to the Lord;
he has wounded us, but he will heal us;
he has struck us down, but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day[bb] he will raise us up
to live in his presence.
3 Let us know the Lord;
let us strive to know him.
His coming is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like a shower,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like a morning mist,
like the dew that quickly evaporates.
5 That is the reason why I cut them to pieces
by means of the prophets.
I have slaughtered them by the word of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth like the dawn.
6 For steadfast love rather than sacrifice is what pleases me,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Their Wicked Deeds Are Constantly before My Eyes
7 But in their land[bc] they broke the covenant;
it was there that they were unfaithful to me.
8 Gilead[bd] is a city of evildoers,
stained with bloody footprints.
9 Like robbers waiting in ambush,
priests are banded together.
They commit murder on the road to Shechem,
perpetrating monstrous crimes.
10 I have witnessed a horrible thing
in the house of Israel.
There Ephraim engages in prostitution
and Israel is defiled.
11 And for you also, O Judah,
a harvest of reprisal has been designated.[be]
Chapter 7
1 Whenever I decide to restore the fortunes of my people
and prepare to heal Israel,
the guilt of Ephraim confronts me
as well as the wicked deeds of Samaria.
They practice deceit;
thieves break into houses
while bandits plunder in the streets.[bf]
2 But they somehow fail to remind themselves
that I remember all their wickedness.
I will not forget their wicked deeds;
they are constantly before my eyes.
The Conspirators
3 They delight the king with their wickedness
and the princes with their treachery.
4 All of them are adulterers;
they are like an oven all ablaze
whose fire the baker does not need to stoke
from the kneading of the dough until it has risen.
5 On the festal day of their king,
the princes become inflamed with wine
while the king extends his hand
to those who mock him.[bg]
6 For they are heated like ovens
while their heart burns within them.
All through the night their passion slumbers;
in the morning it blazes forth like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are as hot as ovens,
and they consume their rulers.
All their kings have fallen;
not one of them calls out to me.
They Call upon Egypt, They Turn to Assyria
8 Ephraim mixes with the nations;
Ephraim is a half-baked cake.[bh]
9 Foreigners have sapped his strength,
but he is unaware of it.
His hair is beginning to turn gray,
but he does not realize it.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them,
but despite all this,
they do not return to the Lord, their God,
nor do they seek him.
11 Ephraim has become like a dove,
silly and without any sense.
They call upon Egypt;
they turn to Assyria.
12 Wherever they turn,
I will cast my net over them.
I will bring them down
like birds of the sky.
I will discipline them
because of their evil deeds.
13 Woe to them,
for they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them,
for they have rebelled against me!
I longed to redeem them,
but they continued to tell lies about me.
14 They have not cried out to me from their hearts
while they wailed upon their beds.
When they gash themselves to obtain grain and new wine,[bi]
they are still rebelling against me.
15 Even though I supported and strengthened them,
they devise evil plots against me.
16 Everything they devise is of no avail;
they are like a defective bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent words.
As a result, they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.
Chapter 8
When Israel Sows the Wind, It Will Reap the Whirlwind
1 Put the trumpet to your lips!
An eagle is circling over the sanctuary of the Lord.
The people have broken my covenant
and been unfaithful to my law.
2 Israel cries out to me,
“We acknowledge you to be our God.”
3 However, Israel has rejected what is good;
the enemy will pursue them.
4 [bj]They anointed kings, but not by my authority;
they appointed princes, but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves,
idols for their own destruction.
5 I reject your calf-idol, O Samaria!
My anger burns against them.
How long will it be
before they regain their innocence?
6 The calf was made in Israel;
it is no god at all,
for it was fashioned by a craftsman.
The calf of Samaria
will be broken to pieces.
7 When Israel sows the wind,
it will reap the whirlwind.
When the standing grain has no heads,
it will yield no flour.
And if it were to yield flour,
foreigners would devour it.
8 Israel is swallowed up;
now they are among the nations
like something of no value.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria
like a wild ass wandering on its own;
Ephraim has bargained for lovers.
10 Because they have bargained with the nations,
I will now gather them up.
They will soon begin to suffer
under the weight of kings and princes.
11 Although Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
those altars became occasions for sin.
12 I provided Ephraim with many written laws,
but they regarded such laws as irrelevant.
13 Although they offer sacrifices to me
and eat the meat,
the Lord does not accept them.
On the contrary, he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
they will be forced to return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten his Maker
and built palaces;
Judah also has fortified many cities.
However, I will send fire upon his cities
that will devour their citadels.
Chapter 9
Such Sacrifice Will Be Like Mourners’ Bread
1 Do not rejoice, O Israel!
Do not exult like the other nations!
For you have been unfaithful to your God;
you have loved the wages of a prostitute
upon every threshing floor.[bk]
2 Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed them,
and the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not remain in the land of the Lord;
Ephraim will return to Egypt[bl]
and eat unclean food in Assyria.
4 No longer will they pour libations of wine to the Lord,
nor will their sacrifices please him.
To them such sacrifice will be like mourners’ bread
that defiles all who eat of it.
Whatever food they have will be for them alone;
it cannot enter the house of the Lord.
5 What will you do on the solemn feasts,
on the festival day of the Lord?[bm]
6 Even if the people escape destruction,
Egypt will gather them
and Memphis[bn] will bury them.
Weeds will swallow up their treasures of silver,
and thorns will overrun their tents.
The Prophet Is Ridiculed
7 The days of punishment have come;
the days of retribution are here.
Israel cries out,
“The prophet is a fool,
the inspired man is a maniac.”
Because your iniquity is great,
all the greater is your hostility.
8 The prophet has been appointed by God
to serve as a watchman over Ephraim.
Yet snares await him on all his paths
and he incurs hostility in the house of his God.
9 They have immersed themselves in corruption
as in the days of Gibeah.[bo]
God will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.
At the Roots of the Evil of Israel[bp]
The Crimes of Baal-peor and Gilgal
10 It was like finding grapes in the desert
when I found Israel.
When I saw your fathers,
it was like seeing the early frost on a fig tree.
However, when they came to Baal-peor,
they consecrated themselves to a shameful idol,
and they became as loathsome as the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird—
no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.
12 Even if they were to bear children,
I will take away from them every single one.
Woe to them
when I turn away from them!
13 Ephraim once seemed to me like Tyre,
planted in a beautiful meadow.
But now Ephraim will be required
to lead out his children for slaughter.
14 Give them, O Lord—
what will you give?
Give them wombs that miscarry[bq]
and dried-up breasts.
15 All of their wickedness had its root in Gilgal;[br]
it was there that I came to hate them.
Because of their evil deeds,
I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;
all of their rulers are rebels.
16 Ephraim is stricken;
their root is withered,
and they yield no fruit.
Even if they bring forth children,
I will slay the cherished offspring of their womb.
17 My God will cast them off
because they have not listened to him;
they will become wanderers among the nations.
Chapter 10
Duplicity of Heart
1 Israel is a luxuriant vine
bringing forth a great bounty of fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built.
The more prosperous his land became,
the richer he made the sacred pillars.
2 Their heart is false;
now they must pay the penalty for the guilt.
God himself will destroy their altars
and demolish their sacred pillars.
3 Then they will say,
“We have no king
because we did not serve the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
what could he do for us?”
4 They make many empty promises,
swear false oaths and draw up treaties.
Thus litigation spreads like poisonous weeds
in the furrows of the fields.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
for the calf of Beth-aven.
The people mourn for it,
and its idolatrous priests mourn over it,
over its glory that has departed from it.
6 It will be carried to Assyria
as an offering to the great king.
Ephraim will be disgraced,
and Israel will be shamed by his schemes.
7 The king of Samaria will float away
like a flimsy twig drifting on the water.
8 The high places of Aven will be destroyed,
the shrines where Israel sinned.
Thorns and thistles shall flourish
and cover their altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 Since the days of Gibeah,
you have sinned, O Israel,
and there you have remained.
Did not war overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 I have come to confront the rebels
and to chastise them.
Nations shall mass against them
to punish them for their two crimes.
11 Ephraim was a trained heifer
that loved to thresh grain.
I myself laid a yoke
upon her fair neck.
However, I will harness Ephraim;
Judah will be forced to plow,
and Jacob will harrow the land.
12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,
and reap a harvest of steadfast love.
Break up your fallow ground;
it is time to seek the Lord
so that he may come and rain down righteousness upon you.
13 However, you have plowed wickedness
and reaped depravity;
you have eaten the fruit of falsehood.
Because you have trusted in your chariots
and in your multitude of warriors,
14 the tumult of war will engulf your people,
and all your fortresses will be destroyed,
as Salman[bs] devastated Beth-arbel on the day of battle
when mothers were dashed to pieces with their children.
15 Thus shall it be done to you, O Bethel,
because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel
will be utterly destroyed.
Chapter 11
With Human Attachments and with Bonds of Love
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.[bt]
2 But the more I called them,
the further they went from me.
They offered sacrifice to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I who took them up in my arms.
However, they did not know
that I was the one caring for them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with bonds of love.
I lifted them to my cheek as I would an infant,
and I bent down to feed them.
5 They shall return to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria will be their king
because they refused to return to me.
6 The sword shall be brandished in their cities;
it will destroy the bars of their gates
and devour them because of their evil schemes.
7 My people are determined to ignore me;
if they are summoned to approach me,
not one of them makes any attempt to do so.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?[bu]
How can I make you like Zeboiim?
My heart is overwhelmed within me;
tender compassion is enkindled in my heart.
9 I will not give rein to my fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim again.
For I am God and not a mortal.
I am the Holy One in your midst;
I will not come to you in wrath.
10 [bv]They will follow the Lord
who roars like a lion.
And when he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like sparrows from Egypt,
like doves from Assyria.
I will resettle them in their homes,
says the Lord.
Chapter 12
Israel Ever Deceitful
1 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit.
But Judah still remains aligned with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.
2 Ephraim chases the wind,
ever pursuing the east wind throughout the day.
Numerous are his lies and treachery;
he makes a treaty with Assyria
while sending oil to Egypt.
3 The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah;
he will punish Jacob as his conduct deserves;
he will requite him according to his deeds.
4 While still in the womb he supplanted his brother,
and as a man he struggled with God.
5 He contended with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and entreated his favor.
He met God at Bethel
and spoke with him there.
6 The Lord, the God of hosts,
the Lord is his name.
7 Turn back with God’s help;
remain loyal and act justly,
and always put your trust in him.
8 Merchants use dishonest scales,
for they love to defraud.
9 Ephraim says,
“I have become very rich;
I have made a fortune.”
But all his wealth will avail him nothing
because of the guilt incurred by his sin.
10 I am the Lord, your God
who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
I will make you live in tents yet again
as in the days of the appointed festival.
11 I spoke to the prophets,
to whom I granted many visions
and through whom I will speak in parables.
12 Gilead is a hotbed of iniquity;
the people there are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
their altars are like piles of stones
on a plowed field.
13 Jacob fled to the country of Aram;
Israel did service to obtain a wife,
paying for her by tending sheep.
14 By a prophet[bw] the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,
and by a prophet they were protected.
15 Ephraim gave bitter provocation to the Lord;
therefore he will suffer for the blood he has shed,
and the Lord will punish him for his insults.
Chapter 13
The Cult of Calves
1 When Ephraim spoke, the people trembled;
he was exalted in Israel,
but he incurred guilt by worshiping Baal, and died.
2 And now the people continue to sin even more
by casting images for themselves,
idols of silver fashioned after their own concept,
all of them the work of artisans.
They say, “Offer sacrifices to these,”
and people kiss the calf-idols.
3 Therefore, they will be like the morning mist
or like the dew that quickly fades away,
like chaff that a storm drives from the threshing floor,
or like smoke escaping through a window.
You Know No God but Me, Nor Any Savior Other than Me
4 I am the Lord, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
You know no God but me,
nor any savior other than me.
5 I cared for you in the desert,
in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud of heart
and quickly forgot me.
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