Hosea 13 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

The LORD’s Anger against Israel

Hos 13:1When the tribe of Ephraim spoke,
the people shook with fear,
for that tribe was important in Israel.
But the people of Ephraim sinned by worshiping Baal
and thus sealed their destruction.

Hos 13:2

Hos 13:2Now they continue to sin by making silver idols,
images shaped skillfully with human hands.
“Sacrifice to these,” they cry,
“and kiss the calf idols!”

Hos 13:3

Hos 13:3Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist,
like dew in the morning sun,
like chaff blown by the wind,
like smoke from a chimney.

Hos 13:4

Hos 13:4“I have been the LORD your God
ever since I brought you out of Egypt.
You must acknowledge no God but me,
for there is no other savior.

Hos 13:5

Hos 13:5I took care of you in the wilderness,
in that dry and thirsty land.

Hos 13:6

Hos 13:6But when you had eaten and were satisfied,
you became proud and forgot me.

Hos 13:7

Hos 13:7So now I will attack you like a lion,
like a leopard that lurks along the road.

Hos 13:8

Hos 13:8Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away,
I will tear out your heart.
I will devour you like a hungry lioness
and mangle you like a wild animal.

Hos 13:9

Hos 13:9“You are about to be destroyed, O Israel—
yes, by me, your only helper.

Hos 13:10

Hos 13:10Now where is[fn] your king?
Let him save you!
Where are all the leaders of the land,
the king and the officials you demanded of me?

Hos 13:11

Hos 13:11In my anger I gave you kings,
and in my fury I took them away.

Hos 13:12

Hos 13:12“Ephraim’s guilt has been collected,
and his sin has been stored up for punishment.

Hos 13:13

Hos 13:13Pain has come to the people
like the pain of childbirth,
but they are like a child
who resists being born.
The moment of birth has arrived,
but they stay in the womb!

Hos 13:14

Hos 13:14“Should I ransom them from the grave[fn]?
Should I redeem them from death?
O death, bring on your terrors!
O grave, bring on your plagues![fn]
For I will not take pity on them.

Hos 13:15

Hos 13:15Ephraim was the most fruitful of all his brothers,
but the east wind—a blast from the LORD—
will arise in the desert.
All their flowing springs will run dry,
and all their wells will disappear.
Every precious thing they own
will be plundered and carried away.

Hos 13:16

Hos 13:16 [fn]The people of Samaria
must bear the consequences of their guilt
because they rebelled against their God.
They will be killed by an invading army,
their little ones dashed to death against the ground,
their pregnant women ripped open by swords.”