HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1159
HOSEA 4
page 789
22
23
And the sky will answer the earth
with rain.
Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries
of the grain, the grapevines, and
the olive trees.
And they in turn will answer,
‘Jezreel’—‘God plants!’
At that time I will plant a crop of
Israelites
and raise them for myself.
I will show love
to those I called ‘Not loved.’*
And to those I called ‘Not my people,’*
I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’
And they will reply, ‘You are our God!’”
Hosea’s Wife Is Redeemed
Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love
your wife again, even though she* commits
adultery with another lover. This will illustrate
that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the
people have turned to other gods and love to
worship them.*”
2 So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver* and five bushels of barley and a measure of
wine.* 3 Then I said to her, “You must live in my
house for many days and stop your prostitution.
During this time, you will not have sexual relations with anyone, not even with me.*”
4 This shows that Israel will go a long time
without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests,* or even idols!
5 But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to
David’s descendant, their king.* In the last
days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and
of his goodness.
4
5
6
7
3
The LORD’s Case against Israel
1 Hear the word of the Lord, O people
of Israel!
The Lord has brought charges against you,
saying:
“There is no faithfulness, no kindness,
no knowledge of God in your land.
2 You make vows and break them;
you kill and steal and commit adultery.
There is violence everywhere—
one murder after another.
3 That is why your land is in mourning,
and everyone is wasting away.
Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky,
and the fish of the sea are disappearing.
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9
10
11
12
4
2:23a Hebrew Lo-ruhamah; see 1:6. 2:23b Hebrew Lo-ammi;
see 1:9. 3:1a Or Go and love a woman who. 3:1b Hebrew
love their raisin cakes. 3:2a Hebrew 15 [shekels] of silver,
about 6 ounces or 171 grams in weight. 3:2b As in Greek
version, which reads a homer of barley and a wineskin full of
wine; Hebrew reads a homer [5 bushels or 220 liters] of barley
and a lethek [2.5 bushels or 110 liters] of barley. 3:3 Or and
I will live with you. 3:4 Hebrew ephod, the vest worn by the
priest. 3:5 Hebrew to David their king. 4:4 Hebrew Your
people are like those with a complaint against the priests.
4:7 As in Syriac version and an ancient Hebrew tradition;
Masoretic Text reads I will turn their glory into shame.
13
14
“Don’t point your finger at someone else
and try to pass the blame!
My complaint, you priests,
is with you.*
So you will stumble in broad daylight,
and your false prophets will fall with
you in the night.
And I will destroy Israel, your mother.
My people are being destroyed
because they don’t know me.
Since you priests refuse to know me,
I refuse to recognize you as my priests.
Since you have forgotten the laws of
your God,
I will forget to bless your children.
The more priests there are,
the more they sin against me.
They have exchanged the glory of God
for the shame of idols.*
“When the people bring their sin offerings,
the priests get fed.
So the priests are glad when the
people sin!
‘And what the priests do, the people
also do.’
So now I will punish both priests
and people
for their wicked deeds.
They will eat and still be hungry.
They will play the prostitute and
gain nothing from it,
for they have deserted the Lord
to worship other gods.
“Wine has robbed my people
of their understanding.
They ask a piece of wood for advice!
They think a stick can tell them the
future!
Longing after idols
has made them foolish.
They have played the prostitute,
serving other gods and deserting
their God.
They offer sacrifices to idols on the
mountaintops.
They go up into the hills to burn incense
in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars,
and terebinth trees.
“That is why your daughters turn to
prostitution,
and your daughters-in-law commit
adultery.
But why should I punish them
for their prostitution and adultery?
For your men are doing the same thing,
sinning with whores and shrine
prostitutes.
O foolish people! You refuse to understand,
so you will be destroyed.