Relentless Judgment on Israel
Hosea 13, verse 1. According to the word of Ephraim, He received ordinances for himself in Israel And established them for Baal; then he died. Hosea 13, verse 2. So now they have sinned increasingly And have made for themselves A molten image with their silver, According to the fashion of idols, The work of craftsmen done for them. They say, “Sacrifice men, For the calves have come to an end.” Hosea 13, verse 3. Therefore they shall be as a morning cloud And as the early dew that passes away, Like chaff blown away from the threshing floor And as smoke out of the chimney. Hosea 13, verse 4. “But I am the Lord your God, Who makes the heaven firm and creates the earth, Whose hands have created the whole host of heaven. But I did not show them to you that you should seek after them. I brought you up from the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; And there is no Savior besides Me. Hosea 13, verse 5. I tended you as a shepherd in the wilderness, In an uninhabited land. Hosea 13, verse 6. When they had their pastures, They were completely filled, And their hearts were exalted; Therefore, they forgot Me. Hosea 13, verse 7. “So I will be to them as a panther And as a leopard by way of the Assyrians. Hosea 13, verse 8. I will meet them as an excited she-bear, And I will rend the hardness of their heart. The lions’ whelps of the thicket shall devour them there; The wild beasts of the field shall rend them in pieces. Hosea 13, verse 9. “O Israel, who will help you in your destruction? Hosea 13, verse 10. Where is this king of yours? Let him save you in all your cities. Let him judge you, of whom you said, ‘Give me a king and a prince.’ Hosea 13, verse 11. Thus I gave you a king in My anger And took him back in My wrath. Hosea 13, verse 12. “Ephraim is a conspiracy of unrighteousness; His sin is hidden. Hosea 13, verse 13. Pains as of a woman in travail shall come upon him. He is your unwise son, For he shall not stand in the destruction of your children. Hosea 13, verse 14. “I will deliver them out of the hand of Hades And will redeem them from death. Where is your penalty, O death? O Hades, where is your sting? Pity is hidden from My eyes.” Hosea 13, verse 15. Forasmuch as he will cause A division among his brethren, The Lord shall bring upon him A hot wind from the desert, And shall dry up his springs And drain his fountains. He shall dry up his land And spoil all his precious vessels.