Hosea 13

Ephraim’s fall

1When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he stood high in Israel.
But he became guilty through Baal and died. 2Now they sin more and more.
From their silver they make cast images for themselves,
idols fashioned by their skill,
all of them craftsmen’s work.
Of these they say, ‘Let the people who sacrifice kiss the calves!’ 3So they will be like a morning cloud,
like dew that vanishes early,
like chaff whirled from a threshing floor,
like smoke from an opening.

The forgotten deliverer

4“But I am the LORD your God
from the land of Egypt.
You shall know no God except me;
there is no savior besides me. 5I knew you in the wilderness,
in a land of scorching heat. 6When they found pasture, they ate their fill.
When they were full, their hearts grew proud;
that is why they forgot me. 7So I will be like a lion to them,
like a leopard watching beside the road. 8I will meet them like a bear robbed of her cubs
and tear open the covering of their hearts.
There I will devour them like a lion;
a wild animal will rip them apart. 9You are ruined, Israel,
because you are against me, against your helper. 10Where is your king now,
that he may save you in all your cities?
Where are your judges, of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and rulers’? 11I gave you a king in my anger,
and I took him away in my fury.

Guilt and judgment

12Ephraim’s guilt is tied in a bundle;
his sin is stored away. 13Labor pains come upon him,
but he is an unwise son.
When the time comes,
he does not present himself at the opening for birth. 14Shall I ransom them from Sheol’s power?
Shall I redeem them from death?
Where are your plagues, Death?
Where is your destruction, Sheol?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes. 15Though he flourishes among his brothers,
an east wind will come,
a wind of the LORD rising from the wilderness.
His spring will dry up; his fountain will run dry.
It will plunder the treasury of every precious object. 16Samaria must bear her guilt
because she has rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword;
their little children will be dashed to pieces,
and their pregnant women ripped open.”