Hosea 5

Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.

1Listen, priests, you men who lead the worship. Listen, people of Israel. Listen, king and your family. This judgment is against you. At Mizpah and at Tabor you were like a hidden trap. You caught people the way a net catches birds.

2And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.

2Those who turned away have gone deep into killing. But God says, I will punish every one of them.

3I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.

3I know all about Ephraim, another name for Israel. Israel cannot hide from me. Ephraim, you have left me and gone after other gods. Israel is dirty with sin.

4They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.

4Their own actions keep them from coming back to their God. Inside them is a wish to go after other gods. They do not know the LORD.

5And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.

5Israel's proud heart speaks against him. Israel and Ephraim trip and fall because of their sin. Judah, the people in the south, falls with them.

6They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.

6They take their sheep and their cattle to go looking for the LORD. But they will not find him. He has moved away from them.

7They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

7They have not been true to the LORD. The children they have raised are not his. Soon the new moon feast will eat them up, and their land too.

NoteThe KJV says "a month" will devour them. This means the New Moon feast, a holy day held each month. "Their portions" means the land they owned.

8Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.

8Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah. Blow the trumpet in Ramah. Shout the war cry at Beth-aven. Lead the way, Benjamin!

9Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.

9Ephraim will be left empty on the day of punishment. To all the tribes of Israel I say this will surely happen.

10The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

10The leaders of Judah move the stones that mark where fields end. So I will pour out my anger on them like water.

Note"Remove the bound" means moving the stones that showed where one person's field ended and the next one began. It was a way of stealing land.

11Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.

11Ephraim is pushed down and crushed when he is judged. He chose to follow after things that are worthless.

12Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

12So I will be like a moth that eats away at Ephraim. I will be like rot that eats away at the house of Judah.

13When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.

13Ephraim saw that he was sick. Judah saw that he was hurt. Then Ephraim went to Assyria for help. He sent word to the great king. But that king cannot make you well or heal your hurt.

Note"King Jareb" is a name for the king of Assyria. It means something like "the great king."

14For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.

14I will be like a lion to Ephraim. I will be like a young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear them apart and walk away. I will carry them off, and no one can save them.

15I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

15Then I will go back to my place. I will wait until they admit they did wrong. I will wait until they come looking for me. When trouble comes, they will search hard for me.