Hosea

13 When Ephraim spoke he made Israel’s hair stand on end; but he incurred guilt by the Baal, and he died. 2 And now they go on sinning and have made themselves figures in idol form out of their silver, all artisans’ work; “to them,” say they, “sacrifice”; men kiss calves. 3 So they shall be like a morning cloud and like dew that goes off the first thing in the morning, like chaff driving off a threshing-floor and like smoke out of a smoke-hole.

4 But I am your God Jehovah since Egypt, and you are not to know any God but me, and beside me there is no savior. 5* I knew you in the wilderness, in a country of parching drought. 6 When they had pasture they ate their fill; they ate their fill and their hearts went high; therefore they forgot me. 7 And I became like a lion to them, gazing like a leopard by a road, 8** meeting with them like a bear that has lost its cubs, to tear their chests and eat them there like a lioness and have the wild beasts rip them up. 9 You are ruined, Israel, for who is your help? 10* Where is your king to save you, and all your generals to do you justice, that you said “Give me a king and generals”? 11* I give you a king in my anger and take him from you in my wrath. 12 Ephraim’s guilt is packed up, his sin is laid by. 13 A mother’s birth-pains are coming for him; he is an unwise son, for it is time children should not stop in the mouth of the womb. 14* I was to redeem them out of the hands of the grave, to bring them off out of death. Up with your pestilences, death! up with your poison, grave! compunction is shrouded from my sight. 15* For he is spreading among the fengrass; an east wind comes, Jehovah’s wind, rising from the wilderness, and dries out his vein of water and dries off his spring. That one will pillage the whole hoard of choice articles; 16 Samaria will expiate its guilt because it disobeyed its God; they will fall in warfare, their children’s brains will be dashed out and their pregnant women cut open.