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Hosea 12-14
King James Version
Hosea 12-14
King James Version
12 Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
2 The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
5 Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial.
6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment and wait on thy God continually.
7 He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
8 And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
9 And I that am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
11 Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
12 And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
13 And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
14 Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.
13 When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
2 And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
3 Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.
4 Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.
5 I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.
6 According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.
7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.
9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.
10 I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?
11 I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.
12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid.
13 The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.
14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
15 Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.
16 Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.
14 O israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.
9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
Hosea 12-14
New International Version
Hosea 12-14
New International Version
12 [a]1 Ephraim(A) feeds on the wind;(B)
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.(C)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(D)
and sends olive oil to Egypt.(E)
2 The Lord has a charge(F) to bring against Judah;(G)
he will punish(H) Jacob[b] according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.(I)
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(J)
as a man he struggled(K) with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(L)
and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is his name!(M)
6 But you must return(N) to your God;
maintain love and justice,(O)
and wait for your God always.(P)
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales(Q)
and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,(R)
“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(S)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
any iniquity or sin.”
9 “I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt;(T)
I will make you live in tents(U) again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables(V) through them.”(W)
11 Is Gilead wicked?(X)
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(Y)
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.(Z)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[c];(AA)
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.(AB)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(AC)
by a prophet he cared for him.(AD)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(AE)
and will repay him for his contempt.(AF)
The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;(AG)
he was exalted(AH) in Israel.
But he became guilty of Baal worship(AI) and died.
2 Now they sin more and more;
they make(AJ) idols for themselves from their silver,(AK)
cleverly fashioned images,
all of them the work of craftsmen.(AL)
It is said of these people,
“They offer human sacrifices!
They kiss[d](AM) calf-idols!(AN)”
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears,(AO)
like chaff(AP) swirling from a threshing floor,(AQ)
like smoke(AR) escaping through a window.
4 “But I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.(AS)
You shall acknowledge(AT) no God but me,(AU)
no Savior(AV) except me.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness,(AW)
in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;(AX)
then they forgot(AY) me.(AZ)
7 So I will be like a lion(BA) to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs,(BB)
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion(BC) I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart.(BD)
9 “You are destroyed, Israel,
because you are against me,(BE) against your helper.(BF)
10 Where is your king,(BG) that he may save you?
Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?(BH)
11 So in my anger I gave you a king,(BI)
and in my wrath I took him away.(BJ)
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
his sins are kept on record.(BK)
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth(BL) come to him,
but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time(BM) arrives,
he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.(BN)
14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;(BO)
I will redeem them from death.(BP)
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?(BQ)
“I will have no compassion,
15 even though he thrives(BR) among his brothers.
An east wind(BS) from the Lord will come,
blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
and his well dry up.(BT)
His storehouse will be plundered(BU)
of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria(BV) must bear their guilt,(BW)
because they have rebelled(BX) against their God.
They will fall by the sword;(BY)
their little ones will be dashed(BZ) to the ground,
their pregnant women(CA) ripped open.”[e]
Repentance to Bring Blessing
14 [f]Return,(CB) Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins(CC) have been your downfall!(CD)
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive(CE) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(CF)
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[g](CG)
3 Assyria cannot save us;(CH)
we will not mount warhorses.(CI)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(CJ)
to what our own hands have made,(CK)
for in you the fatherless(CL) find compassion.”
4 “I will heal(CM) their waywardness(CN)
and love them freely,(CO)
for my anger has turned away(CP) from them.
5 I will be like the dew(CQ) to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.(CR)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(CS)
he will send down his roots;(CT)
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(CU)
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(CV)
7 People will dwell again in his shade;(CW)
they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(CX) like the vine—
Israel’s fame will be like the wine(CY) of Lebanon.(CZ)
8 Ephraim, what more have I[h] to do with idols?(DA)
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(DB)
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
- Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
- Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Hosea 13:2 Or “Men who sacrifice / kiss
- Hosea 13:16 In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.
- Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
- Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
- Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim
Hosea 12-14
New King James Version
Hosea 12-14
New King James Version
Ephraim’s Sins Rebuked by God
12 “Ephraim (A)feeds on the wind,
And pursues the east wind;
He daily increases lies and [a]desolation.
(B)Also they make a [b]covenant with the Assyrians,
And (C)oil is carried to Egypt.
2 “The(D) Lord also brings a [c]charge against Judah,
And will punish Jacob according to his ways;
According to his deeds He will recompense him.
3 He took his brother (E)by the heel in the womb,
And in his strength he (F)struggled with God.
4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept, and sought favor from Him.
He found Him in (G)Bethel,
And there He spoke to us—
5 That is, the Lord God of hosts.
The Lord is His (H)memorable name.
6 (I)So you, by the help of your God, return;
Observe mercy and justice,
And wait on your God continually.
7 “A cunning [d]Canaanite!
(J)Deceitful scales are in his hand;
He loves to oppress.
8 And Ephraim said,
(K)‘Surely I have become rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors
They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’
9 “But I am the Lord your God,
Ever since the land of Egypt;
(L)I will again make you dwell in tents,
As in the days of the appointed feast.
10 (M)I have also spoken by the prophets,
And have multiplied visions;
I have given [e]symbols [f]through the witness of the prophets.”
11 Though (N)Gilead has idols—
Surely they are [g]vanity—
Though they sacrifice bulls in (O)Gilgal,
Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.
12 Jacob (P)fled to the country of Syria;
(Q)Israel served for a spouse,
And for a wife he tended sheep.
13 (R)By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,
And by a prophet he was preserved.
14 Ephraim (S)provoked Him to anger most bitterly;
Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him,
(T)And return his reproach upon him.
Relentless Judgment on Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, trembling,
He exalted himself in Israel;
But when he offended through Baal worship, he died.
2 Now they sin more and more,
And have made for themselves molded images,
Idols of their silver, according to their skill;
All of it is the work of craftsmen.
They say of them,
“Let [h]the men who sacrifice [i]kiss the calves!”
3 Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud
And like the early dew that passes away,
(U)Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor
And like smoke from a chimney.
4 “Yet (V)I am the Lord your God
Ever since the land of Egypt,
And you shall know no God but Me;
For (W)there is no savior besides Me.
5 (X)I [j]knew you in the wilderness,
(Y)In the land of [k]great drought.
6 (Z)When they had pasture, they were filled;
They were filled and their heart was exalted;
Therefore they forgot Me.
7 “So (AA)I will be to them like a lion;
Like (AB)a leopard by the road I will lurk;
8 I will meet them (AC)like a bear deprived of her cubs;
I will tear open their rib cage,
And there I will devour them like a lion.
The [l]wild beast shall tear them.
9 “O Israel, [m]you are destroyed,
But [n]your help is from Me.
10 [o]I will be your King;
(AD)Where is any other,
That he may save you in all your cities?
And your judges to whom (AE)you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?
11 (AF)I gave you a king in My anger,
And took him away in My wrath.
12 “The(AG) iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
His sin is stored up.
13 (AH)The sorrows of a woman in childbirth shall come upon him.
He is an unwise son,
For he should not stay long where children are born.
14 “I will ransom them from the [p]power of [q]the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
(AI)O Death, [r]I will be your plagues!
O [s]Grave, [t]I will be your destruction!
(AJ)Pity is hidden from My eyes.”
15 Though he is fruitful among his brethren,
(AK)An east wind shall come;
The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness.
Then his spring shall become dry,
And his fountain shall be dried up.
He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize.
16 Samaria [u]is held guilty,
For she has (AL)rebelled against her God.
They shall fall by the sword,
Their infants shall be dashed in pieces,
And their women with child (AM)ripped open.
Israel Restored at Last
14 O Israel, (AN)return to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;
2 Take words with you,
And return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
“Take away all iniquity;
Receive us graciously,
For we will offer the (AO)sacrifices[v] of our lips.
3 Assyria shall (AP)not save us,
(AQ)We will not ride on horses,
Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’
(AR)For in You the fatherless finds mercy.”
4 “I will heal their (AS)backsliding,
I will (AT)love them freely,
For My anger has turned away from him.
5 I will be like the (AU)dew to Israel;
He shall [w]grow like the lily,
And [x]lengthen his roots like Lebanon.
6 His branches shall [y]spread;
(AV)His beauty shall be like an olive tree,
And (AW)his fragrance like Lebanon.
7 (AX)Those who dwell under his shadow shall return;
They shall be revived like grain,
And [z]grow like a vine.
Their [aa]scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 “Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’
I have heard and observed him.
I am like a green cypress tree;
(AY)Your fruit is found in Me.”
9 Who is wise?
Let him understand these things.
Who is prudent?
Let him know them.
For (AZ)the ways of the Lord are right;
The righteous walk in them,
But transgressors stumble in them.
Footnotes
- Hosea 12:1 ruin
- Hosea 12:1 Or treaty
- Hosea 12:2 A legal complaint
- Hosea 12:7 Or merchant
- Hosea 12:10 Or parables
- Hosea 12:10 Lit. by the hand
- Hosea 12:11 worthless
- Hosea 13:2 Or those who offer human sacrifice
- Hosea 13:2 Worship with kisses
- Hosea 13:5 Cared for you
- Hosea 13:5 Lit. droughts
- Hosea 13:8 Lit. beast of the field
- Hosea 13:9 Lit. it or he destroyed you
- Hosea 13:9 Lit. in your help
- Hosea 13:10 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Where is your king?
- Hosea 13:14 Lit. hand
- Hosea 13:14 Or Sheol
- Hosea 13:14 LXX where is your punishment?
- Hosea 13:14 Or Sheol
- Hosea 13:14 LXX where is your sting?
- Hosea 13:16 LXX shall be disfigured
- Hosea 14:2 Lit. bull calves; LXX fruit
- Hosea 14:5 Lit. bud or sprout
- Hosea 14:5 Lit. strike
- Hosea 14:6 Lit. go
- Hosea 14:7 Lit. bud or sprout
- Hosea 14:7 Lit. remembrance
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.