Hosea 12; Hosea 13; Hosea 14

1 Ephraim herds the wind, and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply lies and violence; they make a treaty with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.

2 The LORD has a charge against Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways, and respond to him according to his deeds.

3 From the womb he tried to be the oldest of twin brothers; as an adult he struggled with God.

4 He struggled with the messenger and survived; he wept and sought his favor; he met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him.

5 The LORD God of heavenly forces, the LORD is his name!

6 But you! Return to your God with faithful love and justice, and wait continually for your God.

7 He is a merchant; the means to cheat are in his hands; he loves to take advantage of others.

8 Ephraim has said, "I'm rich, I've gained wealth for myself; in all of my gain no offense has been found in me that would be sin."

9 I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in former days.

10 I spoke to the prophets; and I multiplied visions, and through them I uttered parables.

11 In Gilead there is wickedness; they will surely come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, so their altars will be like piles of stones on the rows of the field.

12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram; there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept watch over livestock.

13 By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded.

14 Ephraim has given bitter offense; so the LORD will bring his crimes down on him and pay him back for his wrongdoing.

1 When Ephraim spoke, there was excitement; he was praised in Israel; but he became guilty through Baal and died.

2 And now they keep on sinning; they have made metal images, idols of silver, as a result of their skill, all of them the work of craftsmen. "Sacrifice to these," they say. People are kissing calves!

3 Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, like the dew that passes away early, like husks that swirl from the threshing floor, or like smoke from a window.

4 Yet I have been the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt; and you will know no other gods but me; there is no savior besides me.

5 I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of no rain.

6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; and their hearts became proud; therefore, they forgot me.

7 So I will become like a lion to them; like a leopard I will lurk beside the road.

8 I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs, and I will tear open the covering of their hearts. I will devour them like a lion, as a wild animal would eat them.

9 I will destroy you, Israel; for you didn't realize that I could help you.

10 Where is your king now, so that he can save you? Where in all your cities are your judges, of whom you said, "Give me a king and rulers"?

11 I gave you a king in my anger, and I took him away in my wrath.

12 Ephraim's wickedness is bound up; his sin is kept in store.

13 The pangs of a woman in childbirth come for him, but he is not aware of the time to be born; for at the proper time he doesn't present himself at the mouth of the womb.

14 Will I ransom them from the power of the grave Will I redeem them from death's hold? Death, where are your diseases? Grave, where is your destruction? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

15 Although he may flourish among rushes, the east wind will come— the breath of God rising from the wilderness; and his spring will dry up; his fountain will be dried up. It will strip his household of every cherished possession.

16 Samaria will be desolate, because she has rebelled against her God; by the sword they will fall— their babies will be dashed, and their pregnant women ripped open.

1 Return, Israel, to the LORD your God; you have stumbled because of your wickedness.

2 Prepare to speak and return to the LORD; say to the LORD, "Forgive all wickedness; and receive the good. Instead of bulls, let us offer what we can say:

3 Assyria won't save us; we won't ride upon horses; we will no longer say, ‘Our God,' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds compassion."

4 I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.

5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily; he will cast out his roots like the forests of Lebanon.

6 His branches will spread out; his beauty will be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.

7 They will again live beneath my shadow, they will flourish like a garden; they will blossom like the vine, their fragrance will be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 Ephraim, what do idols have to do with me? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a green cypress tree; your fruit comes from me.

9 Whoever is wise understands these things. Whoever observes carefully knows them. Truly, the LORD's ways are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but evildoers will stumble in them.