不认识圣经，就是不认识基督，不认识基督，就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。
旧约·欧瑟亚
共14章:
前编 欧瑟亚结婚的意义
第一章(9)
1:1 乌齐雅、约堂、[阿哈次和希则克雅]为犹大王，约阿士的儿子雅洛贝罕为以色列王时，上主有话传给贝厄黎的儿子欧瑟亚。
象征性的婚姻
1:2
上主开始借欧瑟亚发言时，上主对欧瑟亚说：「你去娶一个娼妇为妻，让她生淫乱的子女，因为此地淫乱放荡，背离了上主。」
1:3
欧瑟亚便去娶了狄布拉因的女儿哥默尔为妻；她怀孕，给他生了一个儿子。
1:4
上主对欧瑟亚说：「你要给他起名叫依次勒耳，因为过不久，我要向耶胡家追讨依次勒耳的血债，要消灭以色列家的王室。
1:5
到那一天，我必要在依次勒耳山谷折断以色列的弓。」
1:6
哥默尔再怀孕，生了一个女儿，上主对欧瑟亚说：「你给她起名叫罗鲁阿玛(不蒙爱怜者，)因为我不再爱怜以色列家，以致我不再宽宥他们。
1:7
但我要爱怜犹大家族，要拯救他们，因为我上主是他们的天主；但是我不以弓、弩、刀剑、战争、战马和骑士拯救他们。
1:8
罗鲁阿玛断奶之后，哥默尔又怀孕，生了一个儿子。
1:9
上主说：「你给他起名叫罗阿米(非我人民)，因为你们已不是我的人民，我已也不是你们的的上主。」
第二章(25)
预示未来的命运
2:1
以色列子民的数目将如海边的沙粒，不可斗量，不可胜数；在那里人曾对他们说：「你们不是我的人民。」在那里人也要对他们说：「你们是永生天主的人民。」
2:2
犹大子民和以色列子民将聚在一起，要为自己选定一个首领；他们要由此地扩展，因为依次勒耳的日子要成为伟大的。
2:3
你们称呼你们的弟兄为「我的人民」吧!称呼你们的姊妹为「蒙受爱怜者」吧!
以民失节不忠
2:4 你们谴责吧!要谴责你们的母亲!因为她不是我的妻子，我也不是她的丈夫；望她从自己的脸上除去自己的色相，从自己的胸间去掉淫乱，
2:5
免得我剥去她的衣服，使她裸露，像她出生之日；使她相似旷野，使她有如旱地，叫她渴死。
2:6
至于她的子女，我也不爱怜，因为是由淫乱生的子女。
2:7
实在，他们的母亲放荡卖淫，那怀妊他们的，荒淫无耻，因为她曾说：我要追随那些给我饼、水、羊毛、麻布、油和饮料的情人。
2:8
因此，看，我要以荆棘杜塞她的去路，筑一道墙壁，使她寻不着她的途径；
2:9
她要追随她的情人，也追不上；要寻找他们，也寻不着。那时她要说：我愿回去，回到我的前夫那里去，因为那时为我比现在好得多。
忘恩的报应
2:10 她不肯承认是我赐给了她五谷、美酒和油；反之她把我广施给她的金银，都献给了巴耳；
2:11
因此等时期一到，我必要夺回我的五谷；时机一来，我必要夺回我的美酒，受回我用以遮蔽她裸体的毛衣和麻布；
2:12
我要这样在她情人们眼前揭露她的羞耻，谁也不能由我手中救出她来。
2:13
我要使她的欢乐停止，她再没有节日、朔日、安息日和一切的盛会。
2:14
我要摧残她的葡萄园和无花果园，因她曾说：「这就是我的情人给与我的身价。」我必要使它们成为山林，叫野兽来吃尽。
2:15
我要为了她敬拜巴耳的日子，惩罚她，就是她向他们烧香，以鼻环和项链修饰自己去追随她的情人，而忘却了我的的那些日子──上主的断语。
慈爱的盟约
2:16
为此，看，我要诱导她，领她到旷野和她谈心。
2:17
从此我仍要将她的葡萄园赐给她，仍将阿苛尔山谷作为她的希望之门；她要上到那里，就如她幼年时，就如她从埃及地上来的那一天一样。
2:18
到那一天──上主的断语──她要称呼我为「依士」(我的丈夫)，不再称呼我为「巴里」(我主)。
2:19
我必要从她的口中把巴耳的名号除掉，使他们再也不提起他们的名字。
2:20
到那一天，为了他们，我要同田间的野兽，天空的飞鸟和地上的爬虫订立盟约，并且我要从地上将弓弩、刀剑和战争毁灭，使他们安居乐业。
2:21
我要永远聘娶你，以公义、公平、慈爱、怜悯聘娶你；
2:22
以忠实聘娶你，使你认识我是上主。
2:23
到那一天，我必要应允──上主的断语──我要应允高天，高天要应允大地，
2:24
大地要应允五榖、酒、油，五榖、酒、油也要应允依次勒耳。
2:25
我要为我把她种在这地上，我要爱怜罗鲁阿玛(不蒙爱怜者)，我要对罗阿米(非我人民)说：「你是我的人民。」而她要说：「你是我的天主。」
第三章(5)
最后的归依
3:1 上主对我说：「你再去爱那个另有新欢的淫妇，就如我还是爱慕以色列子民一样；虽然他们转向了别的神，爱上了葡萄干饼。」
3:2
我就用十五块银钱，一「荷默尔」和「肋特客」大麦，把她给我再买回来。
3:3
然后对她说：「你要为我安心多住些时日，不要行淫，不要属于任何人；我对你也是这样。」
3:4
因为以色列子民也将好些日子没有君王，没有首领、没有祭献，没有柱像，没有「厄弗得」，没有「忒辣芬」。
3:5
此后以色列子民将要回转过来，寻求上主他们的天主，和他们的君王达味；到末日，他们必要战战兢兢地奔向上主，分享衪的美物。
后编 以色列的罪恶和惩罚(4--14)
第四章(19)
以民的罪行
4:1 以色列子民，请听上主的话!因为上主谴责此地的居民：因为此地没有诚实，没有仁爱，没有人认识天主；
4:2
只有诅咒、谎言、杀戳、偷窃、奸淫、强暴和累累的血案。
4:3
因此，此地必要荒废；凡住在这地上的，甚至田间的野兽和天空的飞鸟都要绝迹，连海中的鱼类也要消灭。
司祭的罪行
4:4 但是没有人争辩，也没有人谴责!司祭啊，我要与你争辩!
4:5
你白天黑夜跌倒，先知也同你一齐跌倒，你竟然使你的人民丧亡。
4:6
我的百姓因缺乏知识而灭亡；因为你拋弃了知识，我也要拋弃你，不让你充当我的司祭；你既然忘却了你的天主的法律，我也要忘记你的子孙。
4:7
司祭越增多，也越得罪我，竟以羞辱作为他们的光荣。
4:8
他们赖我百姓的罪恶自肥，一心渴望他们的过犯。
4:9
因此百姓和司祭，一律看待：我将按他的行径惩治他，对他的行为予以报复，
4:10
好使他们吃，却吃不饱，行淫而不能繁殖；因为他们舍弃了上主，纵欲，
4:11
行淫：老酒新酒叫人失去良知。
以民舍弃上主
4:12 我的人民求教于木偶，让木杖启示他；因为淫心迷往了他们，使他们行淫，远离了他们的天主。
4:13
在山顶上献祭，在丘陵上、在橡树、杨树和笃耨香下焚香，在浓荫下多么愉快；因此你们的女儿行淫，你们的儿媳犯奸。
4:14
但我却不因你们的女儿行了淫，而惩罚她们，也不因你们的儿息媳犯了奸，而处罚她们；因为她们同荡妇走往偏僻之处，又同庙妓一同献祭：但无智的百姓却因此而堕落!
上主的警告
4:15 以色列！如果你行了淫，但愿犹大不要陷于罪恶!你们不要到基耳加耳去，不要上贝特阿文，也不要起誓说：「上主永在!」
4:16
的确，以色列倔强，有如一头倔强的母牛，那么上主那能牧放他们，有如在广阔的草场牧放羔羊﹖
4:17
厄弗辣因与偶像结了不解之缘：任凭他们吧!
4:18
他们与醉客为伍，任意荒淫，喜爱羞耻胜于上主的光荣。
4:19
暴风要伸展羽翼将他们卷去，他们必因自己的祭坛蒙受耻辱。
第五章(15)
上主审判以色列家
5:1 司祭，你们听信这话!以色列家，留心细听!王室，侧耳倾听!审判是为你们行的，因为你们是米兹帕的圈套，是大博尔山上张开的罗网。
5:2
他们在史廷掘深了陷阱，但是我却要完全惩治他们。
5:3
我认识厄弗辣因，以色列也瞒不住我：是的，厄弗辣因，因你行了淫，以色列玷污了自己。
5:4
他们的行为不能使他们归向天主，因为邪淫的心神潜伏在他们内，致使他们不认识上主。
5:5
以色列的傲气呈现在他们脸上，厄弗辣因因自己的罪孽而，跌倒连犹大也与他们一同跌倒。
5:6
纵使他们牵牛带羊去寻求上主，但仍然寻不着，因为衪早已远离了他们。
5:7
他们背叛了上主，因此他们生了私生子。看，毁灭者必要并舌他们和他们的基业。
上主惩罚以民
5:8 你们要在基贝亚吹角，在辣玛吹号，在贝特阿文发出警报，本雅明便要惊惶失措。
5:9
在惩罚之日，厄弗辣因将变成一片荒凉；对以色列各支派，我要宣告一件实有的事
5:10
犹大的首领行事好象是挪移地界的人，所以我要在他们身上发泄我的愤怒，有如倒水一样。
5:11
厄弗辣因强硬蛮横，破坏了正义，因为他乐意随从」虚无」。
5:12
由此我对厄弗辣因将像是一个蠹鱼，对犹大家将像是一个蛀虫。1的创伤
5:13
厄弗辣因发现了自己的疾病，犹大看见了自己的创伤，厄弗辣因便去了亚述，犹大遣使往谒大王；可是他不能医治你们，也不能治愈你们身上的创伤。
5:14
因为我对厄弗辣因要像是一只狮子，对犹大家要像是一只壮狮；的确，我必撕碎，然后退去；我要把掠物带走，谁也不能挽救。
5:15
我要去，要回到我的原处，直到他们受了罚，而寻求我的圣容为止。
以民悔悟
在他们遇到困苦时，他们必要寻求我：
第六章(11)
6:1 「来，我们回到上主那里去，因为衪撕碎了我们，也必要治愈；衪打伤了我们，也必要包扎。
6:2
两天后衪必使我们复生，第三天衪必使我们兴起，生活在衪的慈颜下。
6:3
让我们认识上主，让我们努力认识上主!衪定要像曙光一样出现，衪要来到我们中间，有如秋雨，有如滋润田地的春雨。」
上主所喜爱的
6:4 厄弗辣因，我可对你们作什么﹖犹大，我可对你作什么？因为你们的仁爱有如旱晨的浮云，有如易于消散的朝露。
6:5
因此，我借先知们砍伐了他们，以我口中的言语杀死戳了他们；我的的裁判出现有如光明：
6:6
因为我喜欢仁爱胜过祭献，喜欢人认识天主胜过全燔祭。
以民的罪恶
6:7 但是他们在阿当就违犯了盟约，在那里已背叛了我。
6:8
基肋阿得是座作恶者的城池，满了血迹。
6:9
一队司祭就如埋伏的强盗，在往舍根的路上行凶；的确，他们行了可耻的事
6:10
在贝特耳我见了可恶的事：在那里厄弗辣因行了淫，以色列玷污了自己
6:11
当我转变我百姓的命运时，犹大啊!为你也注定了一个收割期。
第七章(16)
北国政府争权夺利
7:1 当我着手医治以色列时，厄弗辣因的罪孽就显露出来，撒马利亚的恶行也暴露出来，因为他们行了诡诈的事：窃贼潜入内室，而外遇强盗；
7:2
但他们并不存心细想：我记住他们的一切恶行。现今他们的行为围绕着他们，一一摆在我眼前。
7:3
他们使君王喜欢，是出于恶意，使首领快乐，是出于诡诈。
7:4
个个燃起了怒火，像一座火炉，伙夫暂停煽火，直到和好的面团发酵。
7:5
在他们君王的庆日上，当官长们酒劲发作，不能支持的时候，君王便和恶徒勾结起来。
7:6
他们的心虽因阴谋而焦虑得像火炉一样，但他们的怒火却整夜停息；一到早晨，却又如烈火复燃。
7:7
个个像火炉一样，炽燃起来，吞噬了他们的官长；他们的君王都倒毙了，但没有一个曾向我呼求。
北国外交失策
7:8 厄弗辣因想混杂在列邦之中，厄弗辣因成了一块尚未翻过的烤饼。
7:9
外邦人耗尽了她的力量，她尚不自觉，头上已布满了白发，她还不知晓。
7:10
[虽然如此，以色列的骄傲仍呈现在自己面上，他们仍不归依，仍不寻求上主，他们的天主]。
7:11
厄弗辣因像愚蠢无知的鸽子，一时求救埃及，一时又投奔亚述；
7:12
可是不论他们往何处去，我要向他们撒开我的罗网，使他们像天上的飞鸟跌下：一听到他们聚齐待飞，我便将他们捕捉。
7:13
他们有祸了!因为他们远离了我；他们必遭受毁灭，因为他们背叛了我。我原想拯救他们，但他们却对我撒谎，
7:14
并没有真心呼求我，只是在祭坛旁悲叹；为了五榖和新酒，仍自割己身，仍背叛我。
7:15
我虽然加强了他们的手臂，然而他们仍图谋邪恶反抗我。
7:16
他们归向了虚无，变成了歪曲的弓；他们的首领因自己的狂言，必丧身刀下，且在埃及地为人耻笑。
第八章(14)
上主惩罚以民
8:1 你要把号角放在你的口上，当作上主家的哨兵，因为百姓违背了我的盟约，干犯了我的法律。
8:2
他们呼喊我说：以色列的天主!我们认识你。
8:3
但以色列拋弃了善，所以敌人要迫害她。
8:4
他们自立了君王，却没有我的同意；他们自立了首领，却没有叫我知道；他们用金钱为自己制造了偶像，给自己招来灭亡。
8:5
撒马黎雅!我必要除掉你的牛犊，我的怒火必要对它燃起；以色列子民不能自新要到几时呢﹖
8:6
牛犊是工匠制造的，它并不是天主；撒马黎雅的牛犊必定被粉碎!
8:7
他们既播种了风，收的也必是风；麦子不抽穗，做不成面粉；既使做出面粉来，也必被外邦人吃掉。
惩罚的效果
8:8 以色列被吞没了，今后在列邦中必成为一个无用的废物。
8:9
他们去投奔亚述──一匹孤独的野驴──同时又给埃及送爱情的礼物。
8:10
纵然他们在列邦中行贿，我现在就要分散他们，使他们暂时停止给君王和领袖傅油。
8:11
厄弗辣因建筑了许多祭坛，但这些祭坛为他们却只有犯罪的用途。
8:12
虽然我为他们写了许多法律，却被看作陌生人的废话。
8:13
让他们奉献燔祭，让他们取吃祭肉；这一切上主都不喜欢；今后衪必记住他们的邪恶，必惩罚他们的罪孽；他们必要回到埃及去。
8:14
以色列忘了自己的造主，建立了许多宫殿，犹大也增建了许多坚固的城池；但是，我必要把火投在他们的城中，吞灭城中的宫室。
第九章(17)
以民将充军异地
9:1 以色列!你不要高兴，不要像异民一样狂欢，因为你行了淫，离弃了你的天主，在所有的禾场上只是喜欢淫资。
9:2
禾场与榨酒也不再认识他们，新酒也要拒绝他们。
9:3
他们必不能在上主的地方居住；厄弗辣因必要回到埃及，且要在亚述吃不洁之物。
9:4
他们不能向上主奠洒，也不能再向衪奉献自己的祭品；他们的饼好似丧饼，凡吃这饼的，必受玷污；因为他们的饼只可为他们自用，不能带进上主殿内。
9:5
那么你们在盛会之日，在上主的节日，可作什么呢﹖
9:6
因为，看，他们由毁灭里逃走，埃及要收集他们，摩夫要埋葬他们；他们的珍贵的银器将为蒺藜所承受，他们的帐幕将被荆棘所占有。
9:7
惩罚的日子来了，报复的日子到了，以色列要喊说：先知是愚人，受灵感的人是疯子!是，这是因为你的过犯繁多，因为你的罪恶重大。
9:8
厄弗辣因窥伺先知的帐幕，在他的路上处处布下了罗网，在自己天主的殿内只敌视。
9:9
他们穷凶极恶已到了极点，就如在基贝亚的时日一样；上主必不忘他们的罪孽，必要惩罚他们的邪恶。
绝后的惨罚
9:10 我发现了以色列，就如旷野中发见了葡萄；看见了你们的祖先，就如在无花果树上看见初熟的果实；但当他们来到了巴耳培敖尔时，便将自己献给了可憎之物，使自己也成了可憎恶的，如他们所善爱的邪神一样。
9:11
至于厄弗辣因，他们的光荣，就如飞鸟飞去，必不生产，不怀胎，不妊娠。
9:12
既使他们把自己的子女养大，我也必使他们丧亡，一个不留；几时我舍弃他们，他们才是有祸的。
9:13
厄弗辣因，一如我所见的，必使自己的子女成为猎物；厄弗辣因必把自己的子女交出屠杀。
9:14
上主，求你赐给他们 赐给他们什么呢﹖要使他们胎荒，乳干!
9:15
他们所行的一切恶事，全在基耳加耳开始，因此，在那里我就恨了他们；为了他们的恶行，我必将他们从我的家里赶出去；我不再喜爱他们，他们的首领全是叛徒
9:16
厄弗辣因受了打击，根子也干枯了，再不能结果实；既使他们生产了孩子，我也必将他们的宁馨儿杀死。
9:17
我的天主必要拋弃他们，因为他们没有听从衪；他们必要在各民族中飘流。
第十章(15)
以民将蒙羞
10:1 以色列原是一枝茂盛结实繁多的葡萄树，但他的收获愈丰，祭坛也愈多；土地愈富饶，石柱也愈美观。
10:2
他们心怀二意，因此必遭惩罚；上主必拆毁他们的祭坛，打倒他们的石柱。
10:3
那时他们要说：「哎!我们没有君王，因为我们不敬畏上主；可是君王能为我们作什么呢﹖
10:4
他们任意讲空话，发虚誓，立盟约 因此，正义有如田畦间的苦菜丛生。
10:5
撒马黎雅的居民必为贝特文的牛犊焦虑，他的人民必为它举哀，他的僧侣也要为它失去的荣华而哀号，因为它被人夺去。
10:6
连它也被带到亚述去，作为大王的页物。厄弗辣因得到旳只是耻辱，以色列必要因自己的偶像而蒙羞。
10:7
撒马黎雅灭亡了，她的君王有如一片浮在水面的干草。
10:8
贝特阿文的高丘──以色列的罪过渊薮──将被摧毁，荆棘和蒺藜要攀上他们的祭坛；那时他们要对山说：「遮盖我们吧!」对丘陵说：「倒在我们身上吧!」
又警告以民
10:9 以色列!从基贝亚的日子起，你就犯罪，你就在那里抗拒；难道基贝亚的战祸不会波及那些恶人吗﹖
10:10
我必来惩罚他们：列邦必要联合起来攻打他们，为惩罚他们的双重罪过。
10:11
厄弗辣因原是一头驯服的母牛，喜爱打麦，可是我要将轭加在它肥壮的颈项上；我要给厄弗辣因上套，以色列必要耕田，雅各伯必要耙地。
10:12
你们应该播种正义，才可收割仁爱的果实；你们应该开垦荒地，因为现在是寻求上主的时候；应寻求衪，直到衪来给他们降下正义。
10:13
为什么你们种了邪恶，收割了罪孽，吃了谎言的果实呢﹖因为你依赖了你的战车，和你的勇士众多；
10:14
因此，在你的城邑中要发生骚动，你的一切堡垒将被拆毁，就如沙耳曼毁灭贝特阿尔贝时，在战争之日，母亲被摔死在儿子身上一样。
10:15
因了你的穷凶极恶，以色列家，我也要同样对待你：以色列的君王将在风暴中完全沦亡。
第十一章(11)
上主初次的慈爱
11:1 当以色列尚在童年时，我就爱了他；从在埃及时，我就召叫他为我的儿子。
11:2
可是我越呼唤他们，他们越远离我，去给巴耳献祭，向偶像进香。
11:3
是我教了厄弗辣因迈步，双臂抱着他们，但他们却不理会是我照顾了他们。
11:4
是我用仁慈的绳索，用爱情的带子牵着他们，我对他们有如高举婴儿到自己面颊的慈亲，俯身喂养他们。
11:5
他们却要返回埃及，要亚述作他们的君王，因为他们拒绝归依我。
11:6
刀剑必要在他们的城中横行，杀绝他们的子女，在他们的堡垒中吞噬他们。
11:7
我的百姓因着自己的叛逆使我厌烦了；为此上主给他们指定了应负的重轭，因为衪已不再怜惜他们。
上主再次的慈爱
11:8 厄弗辣因!我怎能舍弃你﹖以色列!我怎能拋掉你。我怎能使你如同阿德玛，待你如同责波殷﹖我的心已转变，我的五内已感动；
11:9
我不再按我的盛怒行事，不再毁灭厄弗辣因，因为我是天主而不是人，是在你中间的圣者，而不是伏于城门的仇敌。
11:10
的确，他们必要追随上主，衪要像狮子吼叫；衪一吼叫，衪的子女便要从西方急速归来，
11:11
犹如飞鸟由埃及急速飞来，犹如鸽子从亚述飞来；我要使他们安居在他们的家中──上主的断语。
第十二章(15)
以色列家喜爱欺诈
12:1 厄弗辣因用，谎言以色列家以诡诈欺骗了我；犹大对天主也是不忠实的证人，他只知忠于迷惑他的人。
12:2
厄弗辣因爱好飓风，整日追逐东风，说许多谎话，行许多暴行，既与亚述结盟，又给埃及送油。
12:3
上主要与以色列争辩，要按他们的行径惩罚雅各伯，依照他的行为报复他：
12:4
他在母胎中就欺骗了他的弟兄，及至壮年又曾与天神搏斗；
12:5
他与天神博斗，并且获得了胜利；他哭了，曾恳求他开恩；在贝特耳再遇见了他，在那里天主对他说：──
12:6
上主，万军的天主，雅威是他的名号──
12:7
「至于你，你应当归向你的天主，遵守仁爱和正义，时刻仰望你的天主。」
上主惩罚以民
12:8 厄弗辣因有如客纳罕人，手里拿着欺诈的天秤，喜行欺骗。
12:9
厄弗辣因还说：「我现在实在成了富翁，发了大财。」然而他所获得的一切，为补赎他所犯的罪孽，仍嫌不够。
12:10
自从在埃及地时，我就是上主，你的天主：我必再使你住在帐幕中，如在盛会的节日一样。
12:11
是我向先知们说了话，是我增多了异象，我也必藉先知们消灭他们。
12:12
在基肋阿得只有罪恶，的确，他们只是虚无；在基耳加耳他们向牛犊献了祭，因此他们的祭坛必将成为田畦中的石堆。
12:13
雅各伯曾逃到阿兰平原，以色列曾为娶妻而服役，曾为娶妻而放羊。
12:14
上主曾藉一位先知领以色列出离埃及，也藉一位先知保护了他们。
12:15
但厄弗辣因大大激怒了上主，他的血债必要归到他身上，他的主必要在他身上报复自己所受的凌辱。
第十三章(15)
以民敬奉偶像
13:1 从前厄弗辣因一发言，令人害怕，他原是以色列中的首领；但后来他因巴耳而犯罪，至于灭亡。
13:2
如今他们仍旧犯罪，用银子为自己铸神像，按照他们的幻想制造偶像；这一切只是匠人的作品，他们反说：「应向他们献祭!各人就口亲牛犊。
13:3
因此，他们将如黎明的云雾，如易逝的朝霞，如禾场上被风卷去的糠秕，如由窗口冒出的烟气
13:4
从在埃及地时，我就是上主，你们的天主；除我以外，你们不可认识其它的神；除我以外，别无拯救者。
13:5
我在旷野中──在干旱之地──牧放了你。
13:6
我牧养了他们，使他们得以饱食；但饱食之后，他们便心高气傲，反而忘却了我。
13:7
所以我对他们像一只狮子，像一头豹子，伏在路旁，窥伺他们；
13:8
像一只失掉幼子的母熊冲向他们，撕破他们胸内的心，好叫野狗在那里吞食他们，野兽撕裂他们。
唯上主施救
13:9 以色列!我要摧毁你，有谁能援助你﹖
13:10
你的君王在哪里﹖让他来拯救你!你所有的领袖在哪里﹖叫他们来保护你!因为你曾说：「请你赐给我君王和领袖!」
13:11
我在忿怒中给了你君王，我也要在盛怒中，再将他除去。
以民的受罚是不可避免的
13:12
厄弗辣因的邪恶已被封存，他的罪孽已被贮藏。
13:13
分娩的剧痛将临到他身上，可是胎儿是一个愚蠢的孩子，虽然时候到了，他仍不愿脱离母胎。
13:14
我要解救他们脱离死亡吗﹖死亡啊!你的灾害在哪里﹖阴府啊!你的毁灭在哪里﹖怜悯已由我的眼前隐蔽了。
13:15
他在芦苇中虽长的茂盛，但必有东风吹来：上主的风必由旷野吹来，使他的泉源枯竭，使他的涌泉干涸。他必掠去他所贮藏的一切宝物。
第十四章(10)
14:1 撒马利亚必要承当罪罚，因为她背叛了自己的天主；她的居民必丧身刀下，他们的婴儿必被摔死，他们的孕妇必被剖腹。
结论 悔改与复兴
以民将归向上主
14:2 以色列!归向上主你的天主吧!因为你跌倒了，是因了你的罪孽。
14:3
准备你们的话，好在回来归向上主时，对衪说：「求你宽恕我们一切的罪过，使我们重获幸福，叫我们好给你献上我们嘴唇的佳果。
14:4
亚述不能拯救我们，我们也不再骑坐埃及的马；我们也决不再对我们双手的作品说：「你是我们的天主。」因为孤儿只有在你那里才得到怜恤。
上主怜悯以民
14:5 我要治疗他们的不忠，我要从心里疼爱他们，因为我的怒气已远离了他们。
14:6
我对以色列将如甘露；她将开花如百合，扎根如白杨；
14:7
她的枝条必要茂盛，她的秀丽就如橄榄树，她的芬芳就如黎巴嫩的馨香。
14:8
他们必将归来，坐在我的庇荫下；他们必将繁殖有如五榖，滋生有如葡萄；她的声誉将如黎巴嫩的美酒。
14:9
厄弗辣因和偶像还有什么关系﹖是我磨难了她，我也要福佑她；我如一棵翠绿的松树，由于我，她才结出了果实。
14:10
谁明智，就会明了，谁聪敏就会领会，因为上主的道路是正直的；义人在上面畅行，恶人反在上面跌倒。
BOOK ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.
JB HOSEA Chapter 1
Heading
1:1 The word of Yahweh that
was addressed to Hosea son of Beeri when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were reigning in Judah, and Jeroboam son
of Joash in Israel.[*a]
I. THE MARRIAGE OF
HOSEA AND ITS SYMBOLISM
Hosea's marriage:
his three children
1:2 When Yahweh first spoke
through Hosea, Yahweh said this to him, 'Go, marry a whore, and get children
with a whore, for the country itself has become nothing but a whore by
abandoning Yahweh'.
1:3 So
he went; and he took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, who conceived and bore him a son.
1:4 'Name him Jezreel', Yahweh told him 'for it will not be long before I
make the House of Jehu pay for the bloodshed at Jezreel[*b] and I put an end
to the sovereignty of the House of Israel.
1:5 When that day comes I will
break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel.'[*c]
1:6 She
conceived a second time and gave birth to a daughter. 'Name her Unloved' Yahweh
told him. 'No more love shall the House of Israel have from me in future, no
further forgiveness.
1:7 (But my love shall go to
the House of Judah and through Yahweh their God I mean to save them - but not
by bow or sword or battle, horse or horseman.)'
1:8 She
weaned Unloved, conceived again and gave birth to a son.
1:9 'Name him
No-People-of-Mine' Yahweh said. 'You are not my people and I am not your God.'
JB HOSEA Chapter 2
Yahweh and his
unfaithful wife
2:4 Denounce
your mother, denounce her, for she is not my wife nor am I her husband. Let her
rid her face of her whoring, and her breasts of her adultery[*a],
2:5 or else I will strip her
naked, expose her as on the day she was born; I will make a wilderness of her,
turn her into an arid land, and leave her to die of thirst.
2:6 I
will not love her children, since they are the children of whoring.
2:7 Yes, their mother has
played the whore, she who conceived them has disgraced herself. 'I am going to
court my lovers' she said 'who give me my bread and water, my wool, my flax, my
oil and my drink.'[*b]
2:10 She
would not acknowledge, not she, that I was the one who was giving her the corn,
the wine, the oil, and who freely gave her that silver and gold of which they
have made Baals.
2:11 That
is why, when the time comes, I mean to withdraw my corn, and my wine, when the
season for it comes. I will retrieve my wool, my flax, that were
intended to cover her nakedness;
2:12 so will I display her
shame before her lovers' eyes and no one shall rescue her from my power.
2:14 I will lay her vines and
fig trees waste, those of which she used to say, 'These are the pay my lovers
gave me'; I am going to make them into thickets for the wild beasts to ravage.
2:13 I will put an end to all
her rejoicing, her feasts, her New Moons, her sabbaths and all her solemn festivals.
2:15 I mean to make her pay
for all the days when she burnt offerings to the Baals
and decked herself with rings and necklaces to court her lovers, forgetting me.
It is Yahweh who is speaking.
2:8 That is why I am going to
block her way with thorns, and wall her in so that she cannot find her way;
2:9 she will chase after her
lovers and never catch up with them, she will search for them and never find
them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my first husband, I was happier
then than I am today'.
2:16 That is why I am going to
lure her and lead her out into the wilderness and speak to her heart.
2:17 I am going to give her
back her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor[*c] a gateway of hope.
There she will respond to me
as she did when she was young, as she did when she came out of the land of Egypt.
2:18 When that day comes - it
is Yahweh who speaks - she will call me, 'My husband', no longer will she call
me, 'My Baal'[*d]
2:19 I will take the names of
the Baals off her lips, their names shall never be
uttered again.
2:20 When that day comes I will
make a treaty on her behalf with the wild animals, with the birds of heaven and
the creeping things of the earth; I will break bow, sword and battle in the
country, and make her sleep secure.
2:21 I will betroth you to
myself for ever, betroth you with integrity and justice, with tenderness and
love;
2:22 I will betroth you to
myself with faithfulness, and you will come to know Yahweh.
2:23 When that day comes - it
is Yahweh who speaks - the heavens will have their answer from me, the earth
its answer from them,
2:24 the grain, the wine, the
oil, their answer from the earth, and Jezreel his answer[*e] from them.
2:25 I will sow him in the
country, I will love Unloved; I will say to No-People-of-Mine, 'You are my
people', and he will answer, 'You are my God'.
JB HOSEA Chapter 3
Hosea takes his
unfaithful wife back and tests her fidelity. The symbol explained
3:1 Yahweh said to me, 'Go a
second time, give your love to a woman, loved by her husband but an adulteress
in spite of it, just as Yahweh gives his love to the sons of Israel though they
turn to other gods and love raisin cakes'.
3:2 So
I bought her for fifteen silver shekels and a bushel-and-a-half of barley,
3:3 and said to her, 'For many
days you must keep yourself quietly for me, not playing the whore or offering
yourself to others; and I will do the same for you'.
3:4 For the sons of Israel
will be kept for many days without a king, without a leader, without sacrifice
or sacred stone, without ephod or teraphim[*a] .
3:5 Afterwards the sons of
Israel will come back; they will seek Yahweh their God and David their king;
they will come trembling to Yahweh, come for his good things in those days to
come.
%2
The great future
3:1 And
the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand on the seashore, which
cannot be measured or counted. In the place where they were told, 'You are no
people of mine', they will be called, 'The sons of the living God'.
3:2 The
sons of Judah and of Israel will be one again and choose themselves one single
leader, and they will spread far beyond their country; so great will be the day
of Jezreel.
3:3 To
your brother say, 'People-of-Mine', to your sister, 'Beloved'.
JB HOSEA Chapter 4
II. THE CRIMES AND
PUNISHMENT OF ISRAEL
General corruption
4:1 Sons of Israel, listen to
the word of Yahweh, for Yahweh indicts the inhabitants of the country:
4:2 there is no fidelity, no
tenderness, no knowledge of God in the country, only perjury and lies,
slaughter, theft, adultery and violence, murder after murder.
4:3 This is why the country is
in mourning, and all who live in it pine away, even the wild animals and the
birds of heaven; the fish of the sea themselves are perishing.
Against the priests
4:4 But let no man denounce,
no man rebuke; it is you, priest, that I denounce.
4:5 Day and night you stumble
along, the prophet stumbling with you, and you are the ruin of your people.
4:6 My
people perish for want of knowledge. As you have rejected knowledge so do I
reject you from my priesthood; you have forgotten the teaching of your God, I
in my turn will forget your children.
4:7 Many as they are, all of
them have sinned against me, they have bartered their glory for shame.
4:8 They
feed on the sin of my people, they are all greedy for their iniquity.
4:9 But as with the people, so
let it be with the priest: I will make them pay for their conduct, I will pay
them out for their deeds.
4:10 They
will eat but never be satisfied, they will play the whore but still be sterile,
because they have deserted Yahweh to give themselves up
4:11 to whoring.
Worship in Israel
is now idolatrous and debauched
Wine, new wine
addles the wits.
4:12 My people consult their
block of wood, a rod answers their questions[*a]; for
a prostituting spirit leads them astray, they renounce their God to play the
whore.
4:13 They
offer sacrifice on the mountain tops, burn their offerings on the hills, under
oak and poplar and terebinth, so pleasant is their
shade. So, although your daughters prostitute themselves and your sons' wives
commit adultery,
4:14 I shall not be hard on
your daughters for their whoring or on your sons' wives for their adultery,
when everyone else is wandering off with whores and offering sacrifice with
sacred prostitutes. Thus does a senseless people run
to ruin.
A warning to Judah
4:15 Though
you, Israel, play the whore, there is no need for Judah to sin too. Do not go
to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven[*b], do not take the
oath, 'As Yahweh lives!'
Israel the stubborn
heifer
4:16 Since Israel is as
obstinate as a stubborn heifer, how can Yahweh pasture him like a lamb in
rolling pastures?
4:17 Ephraim is wedded to
idols, they sprawl
4:18 in the company of
drunkards; whoring is all they care about, they barter their glory for shame.
4:19 The
wind will carry them off on its wings, then all their altars will bring them is
disappointment.
JB HOSEA Chapter 5
Priests, nobles and
king are the ruin of the nation
5:1 Listen to this, priests,
attend, House of Israel, listen, royal household, you who are responsible for
justice, for you have been a snare at Mizpah, and a
net outspread on Tabor.
5:2 They
are entrenched in their deceitfulness and so I am going to punish them all.
5:3 I
know all about Ephraim, Israel has no secrets for me; yes Ephraim, you have
played the whore, Israel has defiled himself.
5:4 Their
deeds do not allow them to return to their God, since a prostituting spirit
possesses them; they do not know Yahweh.
5:5 The
arrogance of Israelis his own accuser, the iniquity of Ephraim knocks him down,
and down comes Judah with him.
5:6 Though
they go in search of Yahweh with their sheep and oxen, they do not find him;
for he has withdrawn from them.
5:7 They
have proved unfaithful to Yahweh, they have fathered bastards, and now the
destroyer will devour them, them and their estates.
The brothers' war
5:8 Sound the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah, give the alarm at Beth-aven, call Benjamin to arms!
5:9 Ephraim shall be laid
waste when the day comes for punishment; I pronounce certain doom for the
tribes of Israel[*a].
5:10 The
leaders of Judah are like men who displace the boundary mark; I mean to pour my
anger out on them in a flood.
5:11 Ephraim is an oppressor, he tramples on justice, so set is he on his
pursuit of nothingness.
5:12 Very well, I myself will
be the moth of Ephraim, the canker of the House of Judah.
The folly of
foreign alliances
5:13 Ephraim has seen how sick
he is and Judah the extent of his wound, so Ephraim has turned to Assyria,
Judah has appealed to the Great King[*b]; but he has no power to cure you nor
to heal your wound.
5:14 For I mean to be like a
lion to Ephraim, like a young lion to the House of Judah; I, yes I, will tear
to pieces, then go my way, I will carry off my prey, and no one can snatch it
from me.
Yahweh abandons his
people
5:15 Yes, I am going to return
to my dwelling place until they confess their guilt and seek my face; they will
search for me in their misery.
JB HOSEA Chapter 6
Israel's
short-lived and shallow repentance
6:1 'Come, let us return to
Yahweh. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down,
but he will bandage our wounds;
6:2 after a day or two he will
bring us back to life, on the third day he will raise us and we shall live in
his presence.
6:3a Let us set ourselves to
know Yahweh; that he will come is as certain as the dawn
6:5b his judgement
will rise like the light,
6:3b he will come to us as
showers come, like spring rains watering the earth.'
6:4 What
am I to do with you, Ephraim? What am I to do with you, Judah? This love of
yours is like a morning cloud, like the dew that quickly disappears.
6:5a This
is why I have torn them to pieces by the prophets, why I slaughtered them with
the words from my mouth,
6:6 since what I want is love,
not sacrifice; knowledge of God, not holocausts.
The past and
present sins of Israel
6:7 But they have violated the
covenant at Adam, they have proved unfaithful to me there.
6:8 Gilead is a town of
evil-doers, full of bloody footprints.
6:9 Like
so many robbers in ambush a band of priests commits murder on the road to Shechem-appalling behaviour,
indeed!
6:10 I have seen horrors in
Bethel; that is where Ephraim plays the whore and Israel defiles himself.
6:11 Judah, I intend a harvest
for you, too, when I restore the fortunes of my people.
JB HOSEA Chapter 7
7:1 Whenever
I want to heal Israel, I am confronted by the guilt of Ephraim and the
wickedness of Samaria; deceit is their principle of behaviour,
thieves break into houses and bandits raid outside.
7:2 They
never pause to consider that I know about all their wickedness; yet their
actions are all round them, they stare me in the face.
Conspiracy the
order of the day in Israel
7:3 Such
is their cunning, they beguile the king, and the leaders too, such is their
treachery.
7:4 But they breathe fury, all
of them, as fiery as an oven which the baker does not need to stoke from the
time he has kneaded the dough until it rises.
7:5 They
addle the king and leaders with wine fumes as he mixes with these scoundrels.
7:6 Their
hearts reach oven-heat in the excitement of the plot; their fury smoulders all night and in the morning blazes like a fierce
flame;
7:7 all burn at oven-heat and
they consume the men who rule them. Thus have all their kings fallen, not one
of them has ever called on me[*a].
Israel ruined by
relying on foreign powers
7:8 Ephraim mixes with the
nations, Ephraim is a half-baked cake.
7:9 Foreigners eat his
strength away, he is unconscious of it; grey hairs are scattered on his head:
he is unconscious of it.
7:10 (The arrogance of Israel
is his own accuser; they will not come back to Yahweh their God; in spite of
all this they will not seek him.)
7:11 Ephraim is like a silly,
witless dove, calling on Egypt, turning to Assyria.
7:12 Wherever
they turn, I will spread my net over them, I mean to bring them down like the
birds of heaven, I will punish them for their perversity.
The
ingratitude and punishment of Israel
7:13 Trouble is coming to
them, for they have strayed from me! Ruin on them, for they have rebelled
against me! I wanted to redeem them, but they tell lies about me.
7:14 Theirs
is no heartfelt cry to me when they lament on their beds. They gash themselves
for the sake of corn and wine, yet they rebel against me.
7:15 I it was who gave
strength to their arms, yet all they do is make wicked plots against me.
7:16 They
turn to Baal, they are like a treacherous bow. Their leaders will fall by the
sword because of their arrogant talk, and how they will be laughed at in the
land of Egypt!
JB HOSEA Chapter 8
Sound the alarm!
8:1 Put
the trumpet to your lips like a watchman on duty at the house of Yahweh,
because they have violated my covenant and rebelled against my Law.
8:2 Useless now to shout, 'God
of Israel, we acknowledge you'.
8:3 Israel has rejected the
good; the enemy[*a] will hunt him down.
Civil anarchy and
idolatry
8:4 They
have set up kings, but not with my consent, and appointed princes, but without
my knowledge. Out of their own silver and gold they have made idols, which are
doomed to destruction.
8:5 I
spurn your calf, Samaria, my anger blazes against it. (How long will it be
before they purge themselves of this,
8:6 the sons of
Israel?) A workman made the thing, this cannot be God! Yes, the calf of Samaria
shall go up in flames.
8:7 They
sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind; their wheat will yield no ear, the
ear will yield no flour, or, if it does, foreigners will swallow it.
Israel ruined by
relying on foreign powers
8:8 Israel himself has been
swallowed, and is destined now to stay among the nations like a crock that no
one wants,
8:9 for making approaches to
Assyria - that wild ass living alone. Ephraim is renting lovers.
8:10 Right; let them rent them
among the nations, I am going to disperse them this minute; that will soon put
a stop to their anointing kings and leaders.
Against the outward
show of worship
8:11 Ephraim has built altar
after altar, they have only served him as occasion for
sin.
8:12 Were
I to write out the thousand precepts of my Law for him, they would be paid no
more attention than those of a stranger.
8:13 They
love sacrificing; right, let them sacrifice! They love meat; right, let them
eat it! Yahweh takes no pleasure in these. He is now going to remember their
iniquity and punish their sins; they will have to go back to Egypt.
Against
extravagance in building
8:14 Israel has forgotten his
Maker and has built palaces; Judah has built fortified town after fortified
town; right, I will rain fire on his towns, it will devour his palaces.
JB HOSEA Chapter 9
The sorrows of
exile
9:1 Let us have no rejoicing,
Israel, no exulting like the other peoples; for you have deserted God to play
the whore, you have enjoyed the prostitute's pay on every threshing-floor.
9:2 Neither
floor nor vat will nourish them, the new wine will disappoint them.
9:3 They
will no longer live in the land of Yahweh, Ephraim will have to go back to
Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat food that is unclean.
9:4 They will pour libations
of wine to Yahweh no longer, nor offer sacrifice to him; their bread will be
like mourners' bread, all those who eat it will become unclean; for their'
bread will serve only for themselves, it must not enter the house of Yahweh.
9:5 What
will you do on the day of solemn festival, the day of the feast of Yahweh?
9:6 Why,
they will have gone, gone from the devastation. Egypt will receive them,
Memphis bury them, nettles will inherit their
treasures of silver, and brambles invade their tents.
Persecution, the
prophet's reward for foretelling the punishment
9:7 Now
the days of reckoning have come, the days of reprisals are here. 'The prophet
is mad,' Israel protests 'this inspired fellow is raving.'-Ah yes, but only
because your iniquity is so great, your apostasy so grave.
9:8 Ephraim watches the
prophet's tent, traps are set for him on all his
paths,
9:9 in the house of his God
enmity awaits him. These men are as steeped in corruption as in the days of Gibeah; Yahweh will remember their iniquity, he will punish
their sins.
Punishment for the
crime at Baal-peor
9:10 It was like finding
grapes in the wilderness when I found Israel, like seeing early fruit on the
fig tree when I saw your fathers; but when they reached Baal-peor they devoted themselves to shame and became as hateful
as the thing they loved.
9:11 The
glory of Ephraim will fly away like a bird: no giving birth, no pregnancy, no
conceiving.
9:12 And
if they rear sons, I will take these from them before they come to manhood;
trouble for them indeed when I abandon them.
9:13 Ephraim, I see, has made
his sons a prey, Ephraim must lead his sons to the
slaughter house.
9:14 Give them, Yahweh - what
are you to give? - give them wombs that miscarry, and dried-up breasts.
Punishment for the
crime at Gilgal
9:15 Their wickedness appeared
in full at Gilgal[*a], there I came to hate them. Because of their wicked
deeds I will drive them out of my house; I will love them no longer, for their
leaders are all rebels.
9:16 Ephraim is cut down,
their roots are withered; they will bear no fruit. And if they bear children, I
will kill the darlings of their womb.
9:17 Because
they have not listened to him, my God will cast them off and they will be
wanderers throughout the nations.
JB HOSEA Chapter 10
The destruction of
Israel's cultic objects
10:1 Israel was a luxuriant
vine yielding plenty of fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he
built; the richer his land became, the richer he made the sacred stones.
10:2 Their
heart is a divided heart; very well, they must pay for it: Yahweh is going to
break their altars down and destroy their sacred stones.
10:3 Then they will say, 'We
have no king because we have not feared Yahweh'. But what can a king do for us?
10:4 Words, words! False
oaths! Alliances! And judgement is only a poisonous
weed that thrives in the furrows of the field.
10:5 The
inhabitants of Samaria are trembling for the calf of Beth-aven;
yes, its people mourn for it, its so-called priests bewail its glory, now this
has vanished.
10:6 The
calf itself shall be carried off to Assyria as tribute to the Great King. Ephraim
will reap the shame, and Israel blush for his idol.
10:7 Samaria has had her day.
Her king[*a] is like a straw drifting on the water.
10:8 The
idolatrous high places shall be destroyed-that sin of Israel; thorn and thistle
will grow on their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and
to the hills, 'Fall on us!'
Against Gibeah
10:9 Ever
since the days at Gibeah, Israel, you have sinned.
Things are still the same. And will not war overtake the guilty at Gibeah?
10:10 I shall come and punish
them. The nations will muster against them to punish them for their double
crime.
Threats and an
invitation to repentance
10:11 Ephraim is a well
trained heifer that loves to tread the threshing-floor; very well, I myself
mean to lay the yoke on that fine neck of hers, I am going to put Ephraim in
harness, Israel will have to plough, Jacob must draw the harrow.
10:12 Sow integrity for
yourselves, reap a harvest of kindness, break up your fallow ground: it is time
to go seeking Yahweh until he comes to rain salvation on you.
The end of Israel
10:13 Why have you ploughed
iniquity, reaped injustice, and eaten the produce, lies? Because you have
trusted in your chariots, and in your host of warriors,
10:14 turmoil is going to
break out in your towns, and all your fortresses will be laid waste, as Shalman[*b]
laid Beth-arbel waste on the day of the battle, when
mothers fell, dashed to pieces, on their children.
10:15 That
is what I mean to do to you, House of Israel, because of your great wickedness;
and in the storm the king of Israel is going to disappear for ever.
JB HOSEA Chapter 11
God's love
despised: his vengeance
11:1 When Israel was a child I
loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.
11:2 But
the more I called to them, the further they went from me; they have offered
sacrifice to the Baals and set their offerings
smoking before the idols.
11:3 I
myself taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in my arms; yet they have not
understood that I was the one looking after them.
11:4 I led them with reins of
kindness, with leading-strings of love. I was like someone who lifts an infant
close against his cheek; stooping down to him I gave him his food.
11:5 They
will have to go back to Egypt, Assyria must be their king, because they have
refused to return to me.
11:6 The
sword will rage through their towns, wiping out their children, glutting itself
inside their fortresses.
God's love proves
stronger than his vengeance
11:7 My
people are diseased through their disloyalty; they call on Baal, but he does
not cure them.
11:8 Ephraim, how could I part
with you? Israel, how could I give you up? How could I treat you like Admah, or deal with you like Zeboiim?[*a] My heart recoils from it, my whole being trembles at the
thought.
11:9 I will not give rein to
my fierce anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again, for I am God, not man: I am
the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to destroy.
The return from
exile
11:10 They
will follow behind Yahweh; he will be roaring like a lion-how he will roar!-and
his sons will come speeding from the west;
11:11 they will come speeding
from Egypt like a bird, speeding from the land of Assyria like a dove, and I will settle them in their homes-it is Yahweh who
speaks.
JB HOSEA Chapter 12
Israel's religion
and policy both alike perverse
12:1 All
round me are the lies of Ephraim and the deceit of the House of Israel. But God
still recognises Judah, and he is still called the
people of the Holy One.
12:2 Ephraim feeds
on the wind, forever chasing the wind from the East, accumulating falsehood and
fraud, making treaties with Assyria, sending oil to Egypt.
Against Jacob
12:3 Yahweh has a case against
Israel, he will pay Jacob as his conduct merits, and will repay him as his
deeds deserve.
12:4 In
the very womb he supplanted his brother, in maturity he wrestled against God.
12:5 He wrestled with the
angel and beat him, he wept and pleaded with him. He met him at Bethel and
there God spoke to him.
12:6 Yes, Yahweh God of Sabaoth, Yahweh is his name.
12:7 Turn again, then, to your
God, hold fast to love and justice, and always put your trust in your God.
Greed and the
punishment of Israel
12:8 Canaan holds fraudulent
scales in his hands, to defraud is his delight.
12:9 'How rich I have become!'
says Ephraim 'I have amassed a fortune.' But he will keep nothing of all his
profits, because of the guilt that he has brought on himself.
The prospect of
reconciliation between Yahweh and Israel
12:10 have been Yahweh, your
God, since the days in the land of Egypt I will make you live in tents again as
on the day of Meeting[*a].
12:11 I will speak to the
prophets, I will increase the visions and through the prophets I will deal out
death.
New threats
12:12 Gilead is nothing but
iniquity, they are falsehood, nothing else; at Gilgal
they sacrifice to bulls; their altars shall be reduced to heaps of stones in a
ploughed field.
Against Jacob and
Ephraim
12:13 Jacob fled to the plains
of Aram, Israel worked to win a wife, to win a wife he looked after sheep.
12:14 But Yahweh brought
Israel out of Egypt by a prophet, and a prophet looked after Israel.
12:15 Ephraim has given bitter
provocation and Yahweh means to bring his bloodshed down on him, his Lord will
repay him for his insults.
JB HOSEA Chapter 13
Idolatry punished
13:1 When Ephraim spoke, all
trembled, so great was he in Israel, but through Baal he brought guilt on
himself and perished.
13:2 And now they add sin to
sin, they smelt images from their silver, idols of their own manufacture,
smith's work, all of it. 'Sacrifice to them' they say. Men blow kisses to
calves!
13:3 Therefore they will be
like morning mist, like the dew that quickly disappears, like the chaff whirled
from the threshing-floor, like smoke escaping through the window.
The punishment for
ingratitude
13:4 Yet
I am Yahweh, your God since the days in the land of Egypt; you know no God but
me, there is no other saviour.
13:5 I pastured you in the
wilderness; in the land of drought
13:6 I pastured them, and they
were satisfied; once satisfied, their hearts grew proud, and so they came to
forget me.
13:7 Very well, I will be a
lion to them, a leopard lurking by the way;
13:8 like a bear robbed of her
cubs I will pounce on them, and tear the flesh round their hearts; the dogs
shall eat their flesh, the wild beasts tear them to pieces.
The end of the
monarchy
13:9 I mean to destroy you,
Israel; who can come to your help?
13:10 Your king, where is he
now, to save you[*a], where are your leaders to
champion you? Those of whom you used to say, 'Give me a king and leaders'.
13:11 In
my anger I gave you a king and in my wrath I take him away.
The inevitability
of ruin
13:12 The
iniquity of Ephraim is carefully hoarded, his sin is safely stored away.
13:13 Pangs as of childbirth
overtake him, and a stupid child it is, its time is up but it does not leave
the womb.
13:14 And
am I to save them from the power of Sheol? Am I to
rescue them from Death? Where is your plague, Death? Where are your scourges, Sheol? I have no eyes for pity.
13:15 Ephraim may flourish
among the reeds, but the wind from the East will come, the breath of Yahweh
will rise from the desert to dry his water-sources, to parch his springs, to
strip his land of all its treasures.
JB HOSEA Chapter 14
14:1 Samaria must atone for
rebelling against her God. They shall fall by the sword, their little children
be dashed to pieces, their pregnant women disembowelled.
III. THE REPENTANCE
AND RECONCILIATION OF ISRAEL. A PROMISE OF FUTURE HAPPINESS
The sincere
conversion of Israel to Yahweh
14:2 Israel,
come back to Yahweh your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall.
14:3 Provide
yourself with words and come back to Yahweh. Say to him, 'Take all iniquity
away so that we may have happiness again and offer you our words of praise.
14:4 Assyria cannot save us,
we will not ride horses any more[*a], or say, "Our God!" to what our
own hands have made, for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.
14:5 -I will heal their
disloyalty, I will love them with all my heart, for my anger has turned from
them.
14:6 I will fall like dew on
Israel. He shall bloom like the lily, and thrust out roots like the poplar,
14:7 his shoots will spread
far; he will have the beauty of the olive and the fragrance of Lebanon.
14:8 They
will come back to live in my shade; they will grow corn that flourishes, they
will cultivate vines as renowned as the wine of Helbon.
14:9 What
has Ephraim to do with idols any more when it is I who hear his prayer and care
for him? I am like a cypress ever green, all your fruitfulness comes from me.
Concluding
admonition
14:10 Let
the wise man understand these words. Let the intelligent man grasp their
meaning. For the ways of Yahweh are straight, and virtuous men walk in them,
but sinners stumble.
END OF JB
HOSEA [14 Chapters].