 歐:1.(hos)  [歐瑟亞先知書]   Hosea   [共14章]   [思高聖經]
  
           前編：歐瑟亞結婚的意義
 歐:1.1      烏齊雅、約堂、[阿哈次和希則克亞]為猶大王，約阿士的兒子雅洛貝罕為以色列王時，上主有話傳給貝厄黎的兒子歐瑟亞。
 歐:1.2      [象徵性的婚姻]   上主開始藉歐瑟亞發言時，上主對歐瑟亞說：「你去娶一個娼婦為妻，讓她生淫亂的子女，因為此地淫亂放蕩，背離了上主。」
 歐:1.3      歐瑟亞便去娶了狄布拉因的女兒默爾為妻；她懷孕，給他生了一個兒子。
 歐:1.4      上主對歐瑟亞說：「你要給他起名叫依次勒耳，因為過不久，我要向耶胡家追討依次勒耳的血債，要消滅以色列家的王室。
 歐:1.5      到那一天，我必要在依次勒耳山谷折斷以色列的弓。」
 歐:1.6      哥默爾再懷孕，生了一個女兒，上主對歐瑟亞說：「你要給她起名叫羅魯阿瑪(不受愛憐者，)因為我不再愛憐以色列家，以致我不再寬宥他們。
 歐:1.7      但我要愛憐猶大家族，要拯救他們，因為我上主是他們的天主；但是我不以弓、弩、刀劍、戰爭、戰馬和騎士拯救他們。
 歐:1.8      羅魯阿瑪斷奶之後，哥默爾又懷孕，生了一個兒子。
 歐:1.9      上主說：「你給他起名叫羅阿米(非我人民)，因為你們已不是我的人民，我已也不是你們的的上主。」
  
 歐:2.1      [預示未來的命運]  以色列子民的數目將如海邊的沙粒，不可斗量，不可勝數；在那裏人曾對他們說：「你們不是我的人民。」在那裏人也要對他們說：「你們是永生天主的人民。」
 歐:2.2      猶大子民和以色列子民將在一起，要為自己選定一個首領；他們要由此地擴展，因為依次勒耳的日子要成為偉大的。
 歐:2.3      你們稱呼你們的弟兄為「我的人民」吧! 稱呼你們的姊妹為「蒙受愛憐者」吧!
 歐:2.4      [以民失節不忠]  你們譴責你們的母親! 因為她不是我的妻子，我也不是她的丈夫；望她從自己的臉上除去自己的色相，從自已的胸間去掉淫亂，
 歐:2.5      免得我剝去她的衣服，使她裸露，像她出生之日；使她相似曠野，使她有如旱地，叫她渴死。
 歐:2.6      至於她的子女，我也不愛憐，因為是由淫亂生的子女。
 歐:2.7      實在，他們的母親放蕩賣淫，那懷妊他們的，荒淫無恥，因為她曾說：我要追隨那些給我餅、水、羊毛、麻布、油和飲料的情人。
 歐:2.8      因此，看，我要以荊棘杜塞她的去路，築一道牆壁，使她尋不著她的途徑；
 歐:2.9      她要追隨她的情人，也追不上；要尋找他們，也尋不著。那時她要說：我願回去，回到我的前夫那裏去，因為那時為我比現在好得多。
 歐:2.10     [忘恩的報應]  她不肯承認是我賜給了她五穀、美酒和油；反之她把我廣施給她的金銀，都獻給了巴耳；
 歐:2.11     因此等時期一到，我必要奪回我的五穀；時機一來，我必要奪回我的美酒，受回我用以遮蔽她的毛衣和麻布；
 歐:2.12     我要這樣在她情人們眼前揭露她的羞恥，誰也不能由我手中救出她來。
 歐:2.13     我要使她的歡樂停止，她再沒有節日、安息日和一切的盛會。
 歐:2.14     我要摧殘她的葡萄園和無花果園，因她曾說：「這就是我的情人給我的身價。」我必要使它們成為山林，叫野獸來吃盡。
 歐:2.15     我要為了她敬拜巴耳的日子，懲罰她，就是她向他們燒香，以鼻環和項鍊修飾自己去追隨她的情人，而忘卻了我的的那些日子──上主的斷語。
 歐:2.16     [慈愛的盟約]  為此，看，我要誘她，領她到曠野和她談心。
 歐:2.17     從此我仍要將葡萄園賜給她，仍將阿苛爾山谷作為她的希望之門；她要上到那裏，就如她幼年時，就如她從埃及地上來的那一天一樣。
 歐:2.18     到那一天──上主的斷語──她要稱呼我為「依士」(我的丈夫)，不再稱呼我為「巴里」(我主)。
 歐:2.19     我必要從她的口中把巴耳的名號除掉，使他們再也不提起他們的姓名。
 歐:2.20     到那一天，為了他們，我要同田間的野獸，天空的飛鳥和地上的爬蟲訂立盟約，並且我要從地上將弓弩、刀劍和戰爭毀滅，使他們安居樂業。
 歐:2.21     我要永遠聘娶妳，以公義、公平、慈愛、憐憫聘娶妳；
 歐:2.22     以忠實聘娶妳，使妳知道我是上主。
 歐:2.23     到那一天，我必要應允──上主的斷語──我要應允高天，高天要應允大地，
 歐:2.24     大地要應允五榖、酒、油，五榖、酒、油也要應允依次勒耳。
 歐:2.25     我要為我把她種在這地上，我要愛憐羅魯阿瑪(不蒙愛憐者)，我要對羅阿米(非我人民)說：「妳是我的人民。」而她要說：「你是我的天主。」
  
 歐:3.1      [最後的歸依]  上主對我說：「你再去愛那個另有新歡的淫婦，就如我還是愛慕以色列子民一樣；雖然他們轉向了別的神，愛上了葡萄乾餅。」
 歐:3.2      我就用十五塊銀錢，一「荷默爾」和「勵特客」大麥，把她給我再買回來。
 歐:3.3      然後對她說：「妳要為我安心多住些時日，不要行淫，不要屬於任何人；我對妳也是這樣。」
 歐:3.4      因為以色列子民也將好些日子沒有君王，沒有首領、沒有祭獻，沒有柱像，沒有「厄弗得」，沒有「忒辣芬」。
 歐:3.5      此後以色列子民將要回轉過來，尋求上主他們的天主，和他們的君王達味；到末日，他們必要戰戰兢兢地奔向上主，分享祂的美物。[後編：以色列的罪惡和懲罰]
  
           後編　以色 列的罪惡和懲罰
 歐:4.1      [以民的罪行]  以色列子民，請聽上主的話! 因為上主譴責此地的居民：因為此地沒有誠實，沒有仁愛，沒有人認識天主；
 歐:4.2      只有詛咒、謊言、殺戳、偷竊、姦淫、強暴和纍纍的血案。
 歐:4.3      因此，此地必要荒廢；凡住在這地上的，甚至田間的野獸和天空的飛鳥都要絕跡，連海中的魚類也要消滅。
 歐:4.4      [司祭的罪行]  但是沒有人爭辯，也沒有人譴責! 司祭啊，我要與你爭辯!
 歐:4.5      你白天黑夜跌倒，先知也同你一齊跌倒，你竟然使你的人民喪亡。
 歐:4.6      我的百姓因缺乏知識而滅亡；因為你拋棄了知識，我也要拋棄你，不讓你充當我的司祭；你既然忘卻了你的天主的法律，我也要忘記你的子孫。
 歐:4.7      司祭越增多，也越得罪我，竟以羞辱作為他們的光榮。
 歐:4.8      他們賴我百姓的罪惡自肥，一心渴望他們的過犯。
 歐:4.9      由此百姓和司祭，一律看待：我將按他的行徑懲治他，對他的行為予以報復，
 歐:4.10     好使他們吃，卻吃不飽，行淫而不能繁殖；因為他們捨棄了上主，縱慾，
 歐:4.11     行淫：老酒新酒叫人失去良知。
 歐:4.12     [以民捨棄上主]  我的人民求教於木偶，讓木杖啟示他；因為淫心迷往了他們，使他們行淫，遠開了他們的天主。
 歐:4.13     在山頂上獻祭，在丘陵上、在橡樹、楊樹和篤耨香下焚香，在濃蔭下多麼愉快；因此你們的女兒行淫，你的兒媳犯姦。
 歐:4.14     但我卻不因你們的女兒行了淫，而懲罰她們，也不因你們的兒息媳犯了姦，而處罰她們；因為她們同蕩婦走往偏僻之處，又同廟妓一同獻祭：但無知的百姓卻因此而墮落!
 歐:4.15     上主的警告
 歐:4.16     以色列！如果你行了淫，但願猶大不要陷於罪惡! 你們不要到基耳加耳去，不要上貝特阿文，也不要起誓說：「上主永在! 」
 歐:4.17     的確，以色列倔強，有如一頭倔強的母牛，那麼上主那能牧放他們，有如在廣闊的草場牧放羔羊﹖
 歐:4.18     厄弗辣因與偶像結了不解之緣：任憑他們吧!
 歐:4.19     他們與醉客為伍，任意荒淫，喜愛羞恥勝於上主的光榮。
 歐:4.20     暴風要伸展羽翼將他們捲去，他們必因自己的祭壇蒙受恥辱。
  
 歐:5.1      [上主審判以色列家]  司祭，你們你們應信這話! 以色列家，留心細聽! 王室，側耳傾聽! 審判是為你們行的，因為你們的是米茲帕的圈套，是大博爾山上張開的羅網。
 歐:5.2      他們在史廷掘深了陷阱，但是我卻要完全懲治他們。
 歐:5.3      我認識厄弗辣因，因你行了淫，以色列玷污了自己。
 歐:5.4      他們的行為不能使他們歸向天主，因為邪淫的心神潛伏在他們內，致使他們不認識天主。
 歐:5.5      以色列的傲氣呈現他們臉上，厄弗辣因因自己的罪孽而，連猶大也與他們一同跌倒。
 歐:5.6      縱使他們牽牛帶羊去尋求上主，但仍然尋不著，因為祂早已遠離了他們。
 歐:5.7      他們背叛了上主，由此他們生了私生子。看，毀滅者必要併舌他們和他們的基業。
 歐:5.8      [上主懲罰以民]  你們要在基貝亞吹角，在辣瑪吹號，在貝特阿文發出驚報，本雅明便要驚惶失措。
 歐:5.9      在懲罰之日，厄弗辣因將變成一片荒涼；對以色列各支派，我要宣告一件實有的事
 歐:5.10     猶大的首領行事好像是挪移地界的人，所以我要在他們身上發洩卜憤怒，有如倒水一樣。
 歐:5.11     厄弗辣因強硬蠻橫，破壞了正義，因為他樂意隨跟送」虛無」。
 歐:5.12     由此我對厄弗辣因將像是一個蠹魚，對猶大家將像是一個蛀蟲。1的創傷
 歐:5.13     厄弗辣因發現了自己的疾病，猶大看見了自己的創傷，厄弗辣因便去了亞述，猶大遣使往謁大王；可是他不能醫治你們，也不能治愈你們身上的創傷。
 歐:5.14     因為我對厄弗辣因要像是一隻獅子，對猶大家要像是一隻壯獅；的確，我必撕碎，然後退去；我要把掠物帶走，誰也不能挽救。
 歐:5.15     我要去，要回到我的原處，直到他們受了罰，而我的的聖容為止。
 歐:5.16     [以民悔悟]在他們遇到困苦時，他們必要尋求我：
  
 歐:6.1      「來，我們回到上主那裏去，因為祂撕碎了我們，也必要治愈；祂打傷了我們，也必要包紮。
 歐:6.2      兩天後祂必使田復生，第三天祂必使我們興起，生活在祂的慈顏下。
 歐:6.3      讓我們認識上主，讓我們努力認識上主! 祂定要像曙光一樣出現，祂要來到我們中間，有如秋雨，有如滋潤田地的春雨。」
 歐:6.4      [上主所喜愛的]  厄弗辣因，我可對你們作什麼﹖因為你們的仁愛有如旱晨的浮雲，有如易於消散的朝露。
 歐:6.5      因此，我藉先知們砍伐了他們，以我口中的言語殺死戳了他們；我的的裁判出現有如光明：
 歐:6.6      因為我喜歡仁慈勝過祭獻，喜歡人認識天主勝過全燔祭。
 歐:6.7      [以民的罪惡]  但是他們在阿當就犯了罪，在那裏已背叛了我。
 歐:6.8      基肋阿得是座作惡的城池，滿了血跡。
 歐:6.9      一隊司祭就如埋伏的強盜，在往舍根的路上行兇；的確，他們行了可恥的事
 歐:6.10     在貝特耳我見了可惡的事：在那裏厄弗辣因行了淫，以色列玷污了自己
 歐:6.11     當我轉變我百姓的命運時，猶大啊! 為你也注定了一個收割期。
  
 歐:7.1      [北國政府爭權奪利]  當我著手醫治以色列時，厄弗辣因的罪孽就顯露出來，撒馬利亞的惡也顯露出來，因為他們行了詭詐的事：竊賊潛入內室，而外遇強盜；
 歐:7.2      但他們並不存心細想：我記住他們的一切惡行。現今他們的行為圍繞著他們，一一擺在我眼前。
 歐:7.3      他們使君王喜歡，是出於惡意，使首領快樂，是出於詭詐。
 歐:7.4      個個燃起了怒火，像一座火爐，伙夫暫停煽火，直到和好的麵團發酵。
 歐:7.5      在他們君王的慶日上，當官長們酒勁發作，不能支持的時候，君王便和惡徒勾結起來。
 歐:7.6      他們的心雖因陰謀而焦慮得像火爐一樣，但他們的怒火卻整夜停息；一到早晨，卻又如烈火復燃。
 歐:7.7      個個像火爐一樣，熾燃起來，吞噬了他們的官長；他們的君王都倒斃了，但沒有一個向我呼求。
 歐:7.8      [北國外交失策]  厄弗辣因想混雜在列邦之中，厄弗辣因成了一塊尚未翻過的烤餅。
 歐:7.9      外邦人耗盡了她的力量，她尚不自覺，頭上已佈滿了白髮，她還不知曉。[
 歐:7.10     雖然如此，以色列的驕傲仍呈現在自己面上，他們仍不歸依，仍不尋求上主，他們的天主]。
 歐:7.11     厄弗辣因像愚蠢無知的鴿子，一時求救埃及，一時又投奔亞述；
 歐:7.12     可是不論他們往何處去，我要向他們撒開我的羅網，使他們像天上的飛鳥跌下：一聽到他們聚齊待飛，我便將他們捕捉。
 歐:7.13     他們有禍了! 因為他們遠離離了我；他們必遭受毀滅，因為他們背叛了我。我原想拯救他們，但他們卻對我撒謊，
 歐:7.14     並沒有真心呼求我，只是在祭壇旁悲歎；為了五榖和新酒，仍自割己身，仍背叛我。
 歐:7.15     我雖然加強了他們的手臂，然而他們仍圖謀邪惡反抗我。
 歐:7.16     他們歸向了虛無，變成了歪曲的弓；他們的首領因自己的狂言，必喪身刀下，且在埃及地為人恥笑。
  
 歐:8.1      [上主懲罰以民]  你要把號角放在你的口上，當作上主家的哨兵，因為百姓違背了我的盟約，干犯了我的法律。
 歐:8.2      他們呼喊我說：以色列的天主! 我們認識你。
 歐:8.3      但以色列拋棄了善，所以敵人要迫害她。
 歐:8.4      他們自立了君王，卻沒有我的同意；他們自立了首領，卻沒有叫知道；他們用金錢為自己製造了偶像，給自己招來滅亡。
 歐:8.5      撒馬黎雅! 我必要除掉你的牛犢，我的怒火必要對牠燃起；以色列子民不能自新要到幾時呢﹖
 歐:8.6      牛犢是工匠製造的，牠並不是天主；撒馬黎雅的牛犢必定被粉碎!
 歐:8.7      他們既播種了風，收的也必是風；麥子不抽穗，做不成麵粉；既使做出麵粉來，也必被外邦人吃掉。
 歐:8.8      [懲罰的效果]  以色列被吞沒了，今後在列邦中必成為一個無用的廢物。
 歐:8.9      他們去投奔亞述──一匹孤獨的野驢──同時又給埃及送愛情的禮物。
 歐:8.10     縱然他們在列邦中行賄，我現在就要分散他們，使他們暫時停止給君王和領袖傅油。
 歐:8.11     厄弗辣因建築了許多祭壇，但這些祭壇卻只有犯罪的用途。
 歐:8.12     雖然我為他們寫了許多法律，卻被看作陌生人的廢話。
 歐:8.13     讓他們奉獻燔祭，讓他們取吃祭肉；這一切上主都不喜歡；今後祂必記住他們的邪惡，必懲罰他們的罪孽；他們必要回到埃及去。
 歐:8.14     以色列忘了自己的造主，建立了許多宮殿，猶大也增建了許多堅固的城池；但是，我必要把火投在他們的城中，吞滅城中的宮室。
  
 歐:9.1      [以民將充軍異地]  以色列! 你不要高興，不要像異民一樣狂歡，因為你行了淫，離棄了你的天主，在所有的禾場上只是喜歡淫資。
 歐:9.2      禾場與榨酒也不再認識他們，新酒也要拒絕他們。
 歐:9.3      他們必不能在上主的地方居住；厄弗辣因必要回到埃及，且要在亞述吃不潔之物。
 歐:9.4      他們不能向上主奠洒，也不能再向祂奉獻的祭品；他們的餅好似喪餅，凡吃這餅的，必受玷污；因為他們的餅只可為他們自用，不能帶進上主殿內。
 歐:9.5      那麼你們在盛會之日，在上主火節日，可作什麼呢﹖
 歐:9.6      因為，看，他們由毀滅裏逃走，埃及要收集他們，摩夫要埋葬他們；他們的尊貴的銀器將為蒺藜所承受，他們的帳幕將被荊棘所佔有。
 歐:9.7      懲罰的日子來了，報復的日子到了，以色列要喊說：先知是愚人，受靈感的人是瘋子! 是，這是因為你的過犯繁多，因為你的罪惡重大。
 歐:9.8      厄弗辣因窺伺先知的帳幕，在他的路上處處佈下了羅網，在自己天主的殿內只敵視。
 歐:9.9      他們窮凶已到了極點，就如在基貝亞的時日一樣；上主必不忘你們的罪孽，必要懲罰他們的邪惡。
 歐:9.10     [絕後的慘罰]  我發現了以色列，就如曠野中發現葡萄；看見你們的祖先，就如在無花果樹上看見初熱的果實；但當他們來到了巴耳培敖爾時，便將自己獻給了可憎之物，使自己也成了可憎惡的，如他們所善愛的邪神一樣。
 歐:9.11     至於厄弗辣因，因他們的光榮，就如飛鳥飛去，必不生產，不懷胎，不妊娠。
 歐:9.12     既使他們把自己的子女養大，我也必使他們喪亡，一個不留；幾時我捨棄他們，他們才是有禍的。
 歐:9.13     厄弗辣因，一如我所見的，必使自己的子女成為獵物；厄弗辣因必把自己的子女交出屠殺。
 歐:9.14     上主，求你賜給他們....賜給他們什麼呢﹖要使他們胎荒，乳乾!
 歐:9.15     他們所行的一切惡事，全在基耳加耳開始，因此，在那裏我就恨了他們；為了他們的惡行，我必將他們從我父的家趕出去；我不再喜愛他們，他們的首領全是叛徒
 歐:9.16     厄弗辣因受了打擊，根子也乾枯了，再不能結果實；既使他們生了孩子，我也必將他們的寧馨兒殺死。
 歐:9.17     我的天主必要拋棄他們，因為他們沒有聽從祂；他們必要在各民族中飄流。
  
 歐:10.1     [以民將蒙羞]  以色列原是一枝茂盛結實繁多的葡萄樹，但他的收薐愈豐，祭壇也愈多；土地愈富饒，石柱也愈美觀。
 歐:10.2     他們心懷二意，因此必遭懲罰；上主必拆毀他們的祭壇，打倒他們的石柱。
 歐:10.3     那時他們要說：「哎! 我們沒有君王，因為我們不敬畏上主；可是君王能為我們作什麼呢﹖
 歐:10.4     他們任意講空話，發虛誓，立盟約....因此，正義有如田畦間的苦菜叢生。
 歐:10.5     撒馬黎雅的居民必為貝特文的牛犢焦慮，他的人民必為牠舉哀，他的僧侶也要為牠我去的榮華而哀號，因為牠被人奪去。
 歐:10.6     連牠也被帶到亞述去，作為大王的頁物。厄弗辣因得到旳只是恥辱，以色列必要因自己的偶像而蒙羞。
 歐:10.7     撒馬黎雅滅亡了，她的君王有如一片浮在水面的乾草。
 歐:10.8     貝特阿文的高丘──以色列的罪過淵藪──將被摧毀，荊棘和蒺藜要攀他們的祭壇；那時他們要對山說：「遮蓋我們吧! 」對丘陵說：「倒在我們身上吧! 」
 歐:10.9     [又警告以民]  以色列! 從基貝亞的日子起，你就犯罪，你就在那裏抗拒；難道基貝亞的戰禍不會波及那些惡人嗎﹖
 歐:10.10    我必來懲罰他們：列邦必要聯合起來攻打他們，為懲罰他們的雙重罪過。
 歐:10.11    厄弗辣因原是一頭馴服的母牛，善愛打麥，可是我要將軛加在牠肥壯的頸項上；我要給厄弗辣因上套，以色列必要耕田，雅各伯必要耙地。
 歐:10.12    你們應該播種正義，才可收割仁慈的果實；你們應該開墾荒地，因為現在是尋求上主的時候；應尋求祂，直到祂來給他們降下正義。
 歐:10.13    為什麼你們種了邪惡，收割了罪孽，吃了謊言的果實呢﹖因為你依賴了你的戰車，和和你的勇士眾多；
 歐:10.14    因此，在你的城邑中要發生騷動，你的一切堡壘將被拆毀，就如沙耳曼毀滅貝特阿爾貝時，在戰爭之日，母親被摔死在兒子身上一樣。
 歐:10.15    因了你的窮凶極惡，以色列家，我也要同樣對待你：以色列的君王將在風暴中完全淪亡。
  
 歐:11.1     [上主初次的慈愛]  當以色列尚在童年時，我就愛了他；從在埃及時，我就召他為我的兒子。
 歐:11.2     可是我越呼喚他們，他們越遠離我，去給巴耳獻祭，向偶像進香。
 歐:11.3     是我教了厄弗辣因邁步，雙臂抱了他們，但他們卻不理會是我照顧了他們。
 歐:11.4     是我用仁慈的繩索，用愛情的帶子牽著他們，對他們有如高舉嬰兒到自己面頰的慈親，俯身喂養他們。
 歐:11.5     他們卻要返回埃及埃及，要亞述作他們的君王，因為他們拒絕歸依我。
 歐:11.6     刀劍必要在他們的城中橫行，殺絕他們的子女，在他們的堡壘中吞噬他們。
 歐:11.7     我的百姓因著自己的叛逆使我厭煩了；為此上主給他們指定了應負的重軛，因為祂已不再憐惜他們。
 歐:11.8     [上主再次的慈愛]  厄弗辣因! 我怎能捨棄你﹖以色列! 我怎能拋掉你。我怎能仗你如同阿德瑪，待你如同責波殷﹖我的心已轉變，我的五內已感動；
 歐:11.9     我不再按我的盛怒行事，不再毀滅厄弗辣因，因為我是天主而不是人，是在你中間的聖者，而不是伏於城門的仇敵。
 歐:11.10    的確，他們必要追隨上主，祂要像獅子吼叫；祂一吼叫，祂的子女便要從西方急速歸來，
 歐:11.11    猶如飛鳥由埃及急速飛來，猶如鴿子從亞述飛來；我要使他們安居在他們的家中──上主的斷語。
  
 歐:12.1     [以色列家喜愛欺詐]  厄弗辣因用，以色列家以詭詐欺騙了我；猶大對天主也是不忠實的證人，他只知忠於迷惑他的人。
 歐:12.2     厄弗辣因愛好颶風，整日追逐東風，說許多謊話，行許多暴行，既與亞述結盟，又給埃及送油。
 歐:12.3     上主要與以色列爭辯，要按他們的行徑懲罰雅各伯，依照他的行為報復他：
 歐:12.4     他在母胎中就欺騙了他的弟兄，及至壯年又曾與天神搏鬥；
 歐:12.5     他與天神博鬥，並且獲得了勝利；他哭了，曾懇求他開恩；在貝特耳再遇見了他，在那裏天主對他說：──
 歐:12.6     上主，萬軍的天主，雅威是他的名號──
 歐:12.7     「至於你，你應當歸向你的天主，遵守仁愛和正義，時刻仰望你的天主。」
 歐:12.8     [上主懲罰以民]  厄弗辣因有如客納罕人，手裏拿著欺詐的天秤，喜行欺騙。
 歐:12.9     厄弗辣因說：「我現在實在成了富翁，發了大財。」然而他所獲得的一切，為補贖他所犯的罪孽，仍嫌不夠。
 歐:12.10    自從在埃及地時，我就是上主，你的天主：我必再使你住在帳幕中，如在盛會的節日一樣。
 歐:12.11    是我向先知們說了話，是我增多了異象，我也必藉先知們消滅他們。
 歐:12.12    在基肋阿得只有罪惡，的確，他們只是虛無；在基耳加耳他們向牛犢獻了祭，因此他們的祭壇必將成為田畦中的石堆。
 歐:12.13    雅各伯曾逃到阿蘭平原，以色列曾為娶妻而服役，曾為娶妻而放羊。
 歐:12.14    上主曾藉一位先知領以色列出離埃及，也藉一位先知保護了他們。
 歐:12.15    但厄弗辣因大大激怒了上主，他的血債必要歸到他身上，他的主必要在他身上報復自己受的凌辱。
  
 歐:13.1     [以民敬奉偶像]  從前厄弗辣因一發言，令人害怕，他原是以色列中的首領；但後來他因巴耳而犯罪，至於滅亡。
 歐:13.2     如今他們仍舊犯罪，用銀子為自己鑄神像，按照他們的幻想製造偶像；這一切只是匠人的作品，他們反說：「應向他們獻祭! 各人就口親牛犢。
 歐:13.3     因此，他們將如黎明的雲霧，如易逝的朝霞，如禾場上被風捲去的糠秕，如由窗口冒出的煙氣
 歐:13.4     從在埃及地時，我就是上主，你們的天主；除我以外，你們不可認識其他的神；除我以外，別無拯救者。
 歐:13.5     我在曠野中──在乾旱之地──牧放了你。
 歐:13.6     我牧養了他們，使他們得以飽食；但飽食之後，他們便心高氣傲，反而忘卻了我。
 歐:13.7     所以我對他們像一隻獅子，像一頭豹子，伏在路旁，窺伺他們；
 歐:13.8     像一隻失掉幼子的母熊衝向他們，撕破他們胸內的心，好叫野狗在那裏舌食他們，野獸撕裂他們。
 歐:13.9     [唯上主施救]  以色列! 我要摧毀你，有誰能援助你﹖
 歐:13.10    你的君王在哪裏﹖讓他來拯救你! 你所有的領袖在哪裏﹖叫他們來保護你! 因為你曾說：「請你賜給我君王和領袖! 」
 歐:13.11    我在憤怒中給了你君王，我也要在盛怒中，再將他除去。
 歐:13.12    [以民的受罰是不可避免的]  厄弗辣因的邪惡已被封存，他的罪孽已被貯藏。
 歐:13.13    分娩的劇痛將臨到他身上，可是胎兒是一個愚蠢的孩子，雖然時候到了，他仍不願脫離母胎。
 歐:13.14    我要解救他們脫離死亡嗎﹖死亡啊! 你的災害在哪裏﹖陰府啊! 你的毀滅在哪裏﹖憐憫已由我的眼前隱蔽了。
 歐:13.15    他在蘆葦中雖長的茂盛，但必有東風吹來：上主的風必由曠野吹來，使他的泉源乾涸。他必掠去他所貯藏的一切寶物。
  
 歐:14.1     撒馬利亞必要承當罪罰，因為她背叛了自己的天主；她的居民必喪身刀下，他們的嬰兒必被摔死，他們的孕婦必被剖腹。
 歐:14.2     [結論　悔改與復興  以民將歸向上主]  以色列!  歸向上主你的天主吧! 因為妳跌倒了，是因了你的罪孽。
 歐:14.3     準備你們的話，好在回來歸向上主時，對祂說：「求你我們一切的罪過，使我們重獲幸福，叫我們好給你獻上我們嘴脣的佳果。
 歐:14.4     亞述不能拯救我們，我們也不再騎坐埃及的馬；我們也不再對我們雙手的作品說：「你是我們的天主。」因為孤兒只有在你那裏才得到憐恤。
 歐:14.5     [上主憐憫以民]  我要治療他們的不忠，我要從心裏疼愛他們，因為我的怒氣已遠離了他們。
 歐:14.6     我對以色列將如甘露；她將開花如百合，扎根如白楊；
 歐:14.7     她的枝條必要茂盛，她的秀麗就如橄欖樹，她的芬芳就如黎巴嫩的馨香。
 歐:14.8     他們必將歸來，坐在我的庇蔭下；他們必將繁殖有如五榖，滋生有如葡萄；她的聲譽將如黎巴嫩的美酒。
 歐:14.9     厄弗辣因和偶像還有什麼關係﹖是我折磨了她，我也要福佑她；我如一棵翠綠的松樹，由於我，她才結出了果實。
 歐:14.10    誰明智，就會明瞭，就會領會，因為上主的道路是正直的；義人在上面暢行，惡人反在上面跌倒。 　[歐瑟亞完篇]

 hos:1.      [Hosea]   14 chapters   [歐瑟亞]  [英文版]
   
 hos:1.1     The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel.
 hos:1.2     In the beginning of the LORD'S speaking to Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea: Go, take a harlot wife and harlot's children, for the land gives itself to harlotry, turning away from the LORD.
 hos:1.3     So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived and bore him a son.
 hos:1.4     Then the LORD said to him: Give him the name Jezreel, for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed at Jezreel And bring to an end the kingdom of the house of Israel;
 hos:1.5     On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
 hos:1.6     When she conceived again and bore a daughter, the LORD said to him: Give her the name Lo-ruhama; I no longer feel pity for the house of Israel: rather, I abhor them utterly.
 hos:1.7     Yet for the house of Judah I feel pity; I will save them by the LORD, their God; But I will not save them by war, by sword or bow, by horses or horsemen.
 hos:1.8     After she weaned Lo-ruhama, she conceived and bore a son.
 hos:1.9     Then the LORD said: Give him the name Lo-ammi, for you are not my people, and I will not be your God.
   
 hos:2.1     The number of the Israelites shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor counted. Whereas they were called, "Lo-ammi," They shall be called, "Children of the living God."
 hos:2.2     Then the people of Judah and of Israel shall be gathered together; They shall appoint for themselves one head and come up from other lands, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
 hos:2.3     Say to your brothers, "Ammi," and to your sisters, "Ruhama."
 hos:2.4     Protest against your mother, protest! for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove her harlotry from before her, her adultery from between her breasts,
 hos:2.5     Or I will strip her naked, leaving her as on the day of her birth; I will make her like the desert, reduce her to an arid land, and slay her with thirst.
 hos:2.6     I will have no pity on her children, for they are the children of harlotry.
 hos:2.7     Yes, their mother has played the harlot; she that conceived them has acted shamefully. "I will go after my lovers," she said, "who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink."
 hos:2.8     Therefore, I will hedge in her way with thorns and erect a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths.
 hos:2.9     If she runs after her lovers, she shall not overtake them; if she looks for them she shall not find them. Then she shall say, "I will go back to my first husband, for it was better with me then than now."
 hos:2.10    Since she has not known that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, And her abundance of silver, and of gold, which they used for Baal,
 hos:2.11    Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season; I will snatch away my wool and my flax, with which she covers her nakedness.
 hos:2.12    So now I will lay bare her shame before the eyes of her lovers, and no one can deliver her out of my hand.
 hos:2.13    I will bring an end to all her joy, her feasts, her new moons, her sabbaths, and all her solemnities.
 hos:2.14    I will lay waste her vines and fig trees, of which she said, "These are the hire my lovers have given me"; I will turn them into rank growth and wild beasts shall devour them.
 hos:2.15    I will punish her for the days of the Baals, for whom she burnt incense While she decked herself out with her rings and her jewels, and, in going after her lovers, forgot me, says the LORD.
 hos:2.16    So I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart.
 hos:2.17    From there I will give her the vineyards she had, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. She shall respond there as in the days of her youth, when she came up from the land of Egypt.
 hos:2.18    On that day, says the LORD, She shall call me "My husband," and never again "My baal."
 hos:2.19    Then will I remove from her mouth the names of the Baals, so that they shall no longer be invoked.
 hos:2.20    I will make a covenant for them on that day, with the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, and with the things that crawl on the ground. Bow and sword and war I will destroy from the land, and I will let them take their rest in security.
 hos:2.21    I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy;
 hos:2.22    I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the LORD.
 hos:2.23    On that day I will respond, says the LORD; I will respond to the heavens, and they shall respond to the earth;
 hos:2.24    The earth shall respond to the grain, and wine, and oil, and these shall respond to Jezreel.
 hos:2.25    I will sow him for myself in the land, and I will have pity on Lo-ruhama. I will say to Lo-ammi, "You are my people," and he shall say, "My God!"
   
 hos:3.1     Again the LORD said to me: Give your love to a woman beloved of a paramour, an adultress; Even as the LORD loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and are fond of raisin cakes.
 hos:3.2     So I bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.
 hos:3.3     Then I said to her: "Many days you shall wait for me; you shall not play the harlot Or belong to any man; I in turn will wait for you."
 hos:3.4     For the people of Israel shall remain many days without king or prince, Without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or household idols.
 hos:3.5     Then the people of Israel shall turn back and seek the LORD, their God, and David, their king; They shall come trembling to the LORD and to his bounty, in the last days.
   
 hos:4.1     Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel, for the LORD has a grievance against the inhabitants of the land: There is no fidelity, no mercy, no knowledge of God in the land.
 hos:4.2     False swearing, lying, murder, stealing and adultery! in their lawlessness, bloodshed follows bloodshed.
 hos:4.3     Therefore the land mourns, and everything that dwells in it languishes: The beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and even the fish of the sea perish.
 hos:4.4     But let no one protest, let no one complain; with you is my grievance, O priests!
 hos:4.5     You shall stumble in the day, and the prophets shall stumble with you at night; I will destroy your mother.
 hos:4.6     My people perish for want of knowledge! Since you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from my priesthood; Since you have ignored the law of your God, I will also ignore your sons.
 hos:4.7     One and all they sin against me, exchanging their glory for shame.
 hos:4.8     They feed on the sin of my people, and are greedy for their guilt.
 hos:4.9     The priests shall fare no better than the people: I will punish them for their ways, and repay them for their deeds.
 hos:4.10    They shall eat but not be satisfied, they shall play the harlot but not increase, Because they have abandoned the LORD
 hos:4.11    to practice harlotry. Old wine and new deprive my people of understanding.
 hos:4.12    They consult their piece of wood, and their wand makes pronouncements for them, For the spirit of harlotry has led them astray; they commit harlotry, forsaking their God.
 hos:4.13    On the mountaintops they offer sacrifice and on the hills they burn incense, Beneath oak and poplar and terebinth, because of their pleasant shade. That is why your daughters play the harlot, and your daughters-in-law are adulteresses.
 hos:4.14    Am I then to punish your daughters for their harlotry, your daughters-in-law for their adultery? You yourselves consort with harlots, and with prostitutes you offer sacrifice! So must a people without understanding come to ruin.
 hos:4.15    Though you play the harlot, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty! Come not to Gilgal, nor up to Beth-aven, to swear, "As the Lord lives!"
 hos:4.16    For Israel is as stubborn as a heifer; will the LORD now give them broad pastures as though they were lambs?
 hos:4.17    Ephraim is an associate of idols, let him alone!
 hos:4.18    When their carousing is over, they give themselves to harlotry; in their arrogance they love shame.
 hos:4.19    The wind has bound them up in its pinions; they shall have only shame from their altars.
   
 hos:5.1     Hear this, O priests, Pay attention, O house of Israel, O household of the king, give ear! It is you who are called to judgment. For you have become a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
 hos:5.2     In their perversity they have sunk into wickedness, and I am rejected by them all.
 hos:5.3     I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; Now Ephraim has played the harlot, Israel is defiled.
 hos:5.4     Their deeds do not allow them to return to their God; For the spirit of harlotry is in them, and they do not recognize the LORD.
 hos:5.5     The arrogance of Israel bears witness against him; Ephraim stumbles in his guilt, and Judah stumbles with them.
 hos:5.6     With their flocks and their herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they shall not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them.
 hos:5.7     They have been untrue to the LORD, for they have begotten illegitimate children; Now shall the new moon devour them together with their fields.
 hos:5.8     Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah! Sound the alarm in Beth-aven: "Look behind you, O Benjamin!"
 hos:5.9     Ephraim shall become a waste on the day of chastisement: Against the tribes of Israel I announce what is sure to be.
 hos:5.10    The princes of Judah have become like those that move a boundary line; Upon them I will pour out my wrath like water.
 hos:5.11    Is Ephraim maltreated, his rights violated? No, he has willingly gone after filth!
 hos:5.12    I am like a moth for Ephraim, like maggots for the house of Judah.
 hos:5.13    When Ephraim saw his infirmity, and Judah his sore, Ephraim went to Assyria, and Judah sent to the great king. But he cannot heal you nor take away your sore.
 hos:5.14    For I am like a lion to Ephraim, like a young lion to the house of Judah; It is I who rend the prey and depart, I carry it away and no one can save it from me.
 hos:5.15    I will go back to my place until they pay for their guilt and seek my presence.
   
 hos:6.1     In their affliction, they shall look for me: "Come, let us return to the LORD, For it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
 hos:6.2     He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence.
 hos:6.3     Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD; as certain as the dawn is his coming, and his judgment shines forth like the light of day! He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth."
 hos:6.4     What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away.
 hos:6.5     For this reason I smote them through the prophets, I slew them by the words of my mouth;
 hos:6.6     For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.
 hos:6.7     But they, in their land, violated the covenant; there they were untrue to me.
 hos:6.8     Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood.
 hos:6.9     As brigands ambush a man, a band of priests slay on the way to Shechem, committing monstrous crime.
 hos:6.10    In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: there harlotry is found in Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
 hos:6.11    For you also, O Judah, a harvest has been appointed.
   
 hos:7.1     When I would bring about the restoration of my people, when I would heal Israel, The guilt of Ephraim stands out, the wickedness of Samaria; They practice falsehood, thieves break in, bandits plunder abroad.
 hos:7.2     Yet they do not remind themselves that I remember all their wickedness. Even now their crimes surround them, present to my sight.
 hos:7.3     In their wickedness they regale the king, the princes too, with their deceits.
 hos:7.4     They are all kindled to wrath like a blazing oven, Whose fire the baker desists from stirring once the dough is kneaded until it has risen.
 hos:7.5     On the day of our king, the princes are overcome with the heat of wine. He extends his hand among dissemblers;
 hos:7.6     the plotters approach with hearts like ovens. All the night their anger sleeps; in the morning it flares like a blazing fire.
 hos:7.7     They are all heated like ovens, and consume their rulers. All their kings have fallen; none of them calls upon me.
 hos:7.8     Ephraim mingles with the nations, Ephraim is a hearth cake unturned.
 hos:7.9     Strangers have sapped his strength, but he takes no notice of it; Of gray hairs, too, there is a sprinkling, but he takes no notice of it.
 hos:7.10    The arrogance of Israel bears witness against him; yet they do not return to the LORD, their God, nor seek him, for all that.
 hos:7.11    Ephraim is like a dove, silly and senseless; They call upon Egypt, they go to Assyria.
 hos:7.12    Even as they go I will spread my net around them, like birds in the air I will bring them down. In an instant I will send them captive from their land.
 hos:7.13    Woe to them, they have strayed from me! Ruin to them, they have sinned against me! Though I wished to redeem them, they spoke lies against me.
 hos:7.14    They have not cried to me from their hearts when they wailed upon their beds; For wheat and wine they lacerated themselves, while they rebelled against me.
 hos:7.15    Though I trained and strengthened their arms, yet they devised evil against me.
 hos:7.16    They have again become useless, like a treacherous bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongues; thus they shall be mocked in the land of Egypt.
   
 hos:8.1     A trumpet to your lips, You who watch over the house of the LORD! Since they have violated my covenant, and sinned against my law,
 hos:8.2     While to me they cry out, "O, God of Israel, we know you!"
 hos:8.3     The men of Israel have thrown away what is good; the enemy shall pursue them.
 hos:8.4     They made kings, but not by my authority; they established princes, but without my approval. With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction.
 hos:8.5     Cast away your calf, O Samaria! my wrath is kindled against them; How long will they be unable to attain innocence in Israel?
 hos:8.6     The work of an artisan no god at all, Destined for the flames-- such is the calf of Samaria!
 hos:8.7     When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind; The stalk of grain that forms no ear can yield no flour; Even if it could, strangers would swallow it.
 hos:8.8     Israel is swallowed up; he is now among the nations a thing of no value.
 hos:8.9     They went up to Assyria-- a wild ass off on its own-- Ephraim bargained for lovers.
 hos:8.10    Even though they bargain with the nations, I will now gather an army; King and princes shall shortly succumb under the burden.
 hos:8.11    When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin, his altars became occasions of sin.
 hos:8.12    Though I write for him my many ordinances, they are considered as a stranger's.
 hos:8.13    Though they offer sacrifice, immolate flesh and eat it, the LORD is not pleased with them. He shall still remember their guilt and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt.
 hos:8.14    Israel has forgotten his maker and built palaces. Judah, too, has fortified many cities, but I will send fire upon his cities, to devour their castles.
   
 hos:9.1     Rejoice not, O Israel, exult not like the nations! For you have been unfaithful to your God, loving a harlot's hire upon every threshing floor.
 hos:9.2     Threshing floor and wine press shall not nourish them, the new wine shall fail them.
 hos:9.3     They shall not dwell in the LORD'S land; Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and in Assyria they shall eat unclean food.
 hos:9.4     They shall not pour libations of wine to the LORD, or proffer their sacrifices before him. Theirs will be like mourners' bread, that makes unclean all who eat of it; Such food as they have shall be for themselves; it cannot enter the house of the LORD.
 hos:9.5     What will you do on the festival day, the day of the LORD'S feast?
 hos:9.6     When they go from the ruins, Egypt shall gather them in, Memphis shall bury them. Weeds shall overgrow their silver treasures, and thorns invade their tents.
 hos:9.7     They have come, the days of punishment! they have come, the days of recompense! Let Israel know it! "The prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad!" Because your iniquity is great, great, too, is your hostility.
 hos:9.8     A prophet is Ephraim's watchman with God, yet a fowler's snare is on all his ways, hostility in the house of his God.
 hos:9.9     They have sunk to the depths of corruption, as in the days of Gibeah; He shall remember their iniquity and punish their sins.
 hos:9.10    Like grapes in the desert, I found Israel; Like the first fruits of the fig tree in its prime, I considered your fathers. When they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the Shame, they became as abhorrent as the thing they loved.
 hos:9.11    The glory of Ephraim flies away like a bird: no birth, no carrying in the womb, no conception. Were they to bear children, I would slay the darlings of their womb.
 hos:9.12    Even though they bring up their children, I will make them childless, till not one is left. Woe to them when I turn away from them!
 hos:9.13    Ephraim, as I saw, was like Tyre, planted in a beauteous spot; But Ephraim shall bring out his children to the slayer.
 hos:9.14    Give them, O LORD! give them what? Give them an unfruitful womb, and dry breasts!
 hos:9.15    All their wickedness is in Gilgal; yes, there they incurred my hatred. Because of their wicked deeds I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no longer; all their princes are rebels.
 hos:9.16    Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit.
 hos:9.17    My God will disown them because they have not listened to him; they shall be wanderers among the nations.
   
 hos:10.1    Israel is a luxuriant vine whose fruit matches its growth. The more abundant his fruit, the more altars he built; The more productive his land, the more sacred pillars he set up.
 hos:10.2    Their heart is false, now they pay for their guilt; God shall break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars.
 hos:10.3    If they would say, "We have no king"-- Since they do not fear the LORD, what can the king do for them?
 hos:10.4    Nothing but make promises, swear false oaths, and make alliances, While justice grows wild like wormwood in a plowed field!
 hos:10.5    The inhabitants of Samaria fear for the calf of Beth-aven; The people mourn for it and its priests wail over it, because the glory has departed from it.
 hos:10.6    It too shall be carried to Assyria, as an offering to the great king. Ephraim shall be taken into captivity, Israel be shamed by his schemes.
 hos:10.7    The king of Samaria shall disappear, like foam upon the waters.
 hos:10.8    The high places of Aven shall be destroyed, the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars. Then they shall cry out to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to the hills, "Fall upon us!"
 hos:10.9    Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel. There they took their stand; war was not to reach them in Gibeah.
 hos:10.10   Against the wanton people I came and I chastised them; I gathered troops against them when I chastised them for their two crimes.
 hos:10.11   Ephraim was a trained heifer, willing to thresh; I myself laid a yoke upon her fair neck; Ephraim was to be harnessed, Judah was to plow, Jacob was to break his furrows:
 hos:10.12   "Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; Break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain down justice upon you."
 hos:10.13   But you have cultivated wickedness, reaped perversity, and eaten the fruit of falsehood. Because you have trusted in your chariots, and in your many warriors,
 hos:10.14   Turmoil shall break out among your tribes and all your fortresses shall be ravaged As Salman ravaged Beth-arbel in time of war, smashing mothers and their children.
 hos:10.15   So shall it be done to you, Bethel, because of your utter wickedness: At dawn the king of Israel shall perish utterly.
   
 hos:11.1   Then Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son.
 hos:11.2   the more I called them, the farther they went from me, Sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols.
 hos:11.3   Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms;
 hos:11.4   a drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer.
 hos:11.5   he shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be his king;
 hos:11.6   the sword shall begin with his cities and end by consuming his solitudes. Because they refused to repent, their own counsels shall devour them.
 hos:11.7   his people are in suspense about returning to him; and God, though in unison they cry out to him, shall not raise them up.
 hos:11.8   How could I give you up, O Ephraim, or deliver you up, O Israel? How could I treat you as Admah, or make you like Zeboiim? My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred.
 hos:11.9   I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you.
 hos:11.10   They shall follow the LORD, who roars like a lion; When he roars, his sons shall come frightened from the west,
 hos:11.11   Out of Egypt they shall come trembling, like sparrows, from the land of Assyria, like doves; And I will resettle them in their homes, says the LORD.
   
 hos:12.1    Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel, with deceit; Judah is still rebellious against God, against the Holy One, who is faithful.
 hos:12.2    Ephraim chases the wind, ever pursuing the gale. His lies and falsehoods are many: he comes to terms with Assyria, and carries oil to Egypt.
 hos:12.3    The LORD has a grievance against Israel: he shall punish Jacob for his conduct, for his deeds he shall repay him.
 hos:12.4    In the womb he supplanted his brother, and as a man he contended with God;
 hos:12.5    he contended with the angel and triumphed, entreating him with tears. At Bethel he met God and there he spoke with him:
 hos:12.6    the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD is his name!
 hos:12.7    you shall return by the help of your God, if you remain loyal and do right and always hope in your God.
 hos:12.8    a merchant who holds a false balance, who loves to defraud!
 hos:12.9    though Ephraim says, "How rich I have become; I have made a fortune!" All his gain shall not suffice him for the guilt of his sin.
 hos:12.10   "I am the LORD, your God, since the land of Egypt; I will again have you live in tents, as in that appointed time.
 hos:12.11   "I granted many visions and spoke to the prophets, through whom I set forth examples.
 hos:12.12   In Gilead is falsehood, they have come to nought, in Gilgal they sacrifice to bullocks; Their altars are like heaps of stones in the furrows of the field.
 hos:12.13   When Jacob fled to the land of Aram, he served for a wife; for a wife Israel tended sheep.
 hos:12.14   By a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet they were protected.
 hos:12.15   Ephraim has exasperated his lord; therefore he shall cast his blood-guilt upon him and repay him for his outrage.
   
 hos:13.1    Ehraim's word caused fear, for he was exalted in Israel; but he sinned through Baal and died.
 hos:13.2    Now they continue to sin, making for themselves molten images, Silver idols according to their fancy, all of them the work of artisans. "To these," they say, "offer sacrifice." Men kiss calves!
 hos:13.3    Therefore, they shall be like a morning cloud or like the dew that early passes away, Like chaff storm-driven from the threshing floor or like smoke out of the window.
 hos:13.4    I am the LORD, your God, since the land of Egypt; You know no God besides me, and there is no savior but me.
 hos:13.5    I fed you in the desert, in the torrid land.
 hos:13.6    They ate their fill; when filled, they became proud of heart and forgot me.
 hos:13.7    Therefore, I will be like a lion to them, like a panther by the road I will keep watch.
 hos:13.8    I will attack them like a bear robbed of its young, and tear their hearts from their breasts; I will devour them on the spot like a lion, as though a wild beast were to rend them.
 hos:13.9    Your destruction, O Israel! who is there to help you?
 hos:13.10   Where now is your king, that he may rescue you in all your cities? And your rulers, of whom you said, "Give me a king and princes"?
 hos:13.11   I give you a king in my anger, and I take him away in my wrath.
 hos:13.12   The guilt of Israel is wrapped up, his sin is stored away.
 hos:13.13   The birth pangs shall come for him, but he shall be an unwise child; For when it is time he shall not present himself where children break forth.
 hos:13.14   Shall I deliver them from the power of the nether world? shall I redeem them from death? Where are your plagues, O death! where is your sting, O nether world! My eyes are closed to compassion.
 hos:13.15   Though he be fruitful among his fellows, an east wind shall come, a wind from the LORD, rising from the desert, That shall dry up his spring, and leave his fountain dry. It shall loot his land of every precious thing.
   
 hos:14.1    Samaria shall expiate her guilt, for she has rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword, their little ones shall be dashed to pieces, their expectant mothers shall be ripped open.
 hos:14.2    Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt.
 hos:14.3    Take with you words, and return to the LORD; Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
 hos:14.4    Assyria will not save us, nor shall we have horses to mount; We shall say no more, 'Our god,' to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion."
 hos:14.5    I will heal their defection, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them.
 hos:14.6    I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
 hos:14.7    and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
 hos:14.8    again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
 hos:14.9    Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols? I have humbled him, but I will prosper him. "I am like a verdant cypress tree"-- Because of me you bear fruit!
 hos:14.10   Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them. [end of Hosea]

