Hosea 12:1

Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

but shun foolish questionings, genealogies, strife, and disputes about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says Yahweh.

Timothy, guard that which is committed to you, turning away from the empty chatter and oppositions of what is falsely called knowledge,

Though he is fruitful among his brothers, an east wind will come, the breath of Yahweh coming up from the wilderness; and his spring will become dry, and his fountain will be dried up. He will plunder the storehouse of treasure.

then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering for her: one tenth of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to memory.

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan, to this day.

But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless.

A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

How long will you go here and there, you backsliding daughter? For Yahweh has created a new thing in the earth: a woman will encompass a man.”

But it was plucked up in fury. It was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered. The fire consumed them.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols.

In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing. There is prostitution in Ephraim. Israel is defiled.

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he doesn’t realize it. Indeed, gray hairs are here and there on him, and he doesn’t realize it.

“Ephraim is like an easily deceived dove, without understanding. They call to Egypt. They go to Assyria.

It also will be carried to Assyria for a present to a great king. Ephraim will receive shame, and Israel will be ashamed of his own counsel.

“It will happen in that day”, says Yahweh, “that I will cut off your horses out from among you, and will destroy your chariots.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.

It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”

As soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, he killed his servants who had slain the king his father,

“How long will you speak these things? Shall the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; for emptiness will be his reward.

Shall vain words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer?

A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power.

For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mixed my drink with tears,

For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, and you shall be confounded for the gardens that you have chosen.

In that day he will cry out, saying, “I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing. You shall not make me ruler of the people.”

In the day of your planting, you hedge it in. In the morning, you make your seed blossom, but the harvest flees away in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

They shall all be ashamed because of a people that can’t profit them, that are not a help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.”

a wild donkey used to the wilderness, that sniffs the wind in her craving. When she is in heat, who can turn her away? All those who seek her will not weary themselves. In her month, they will find her.

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow, nor to cleanse;

For the shepherds have become brutish, and have not inquired of Yahweh. Therefore they have not prospered, and all their flocks have scattered.

Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard. They have trodden my portion under foot. They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

For Yahweh says, “Your hurt is incurable. Your wound is grievous.

Leave your fatherless children. I will preserve them alive. Let your widows trust in me.”

Our eyes still fail, looking in vain for our help. In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

We have given our hands to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

You have played the prostitute also with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; yes, you have played the prostitute with them, and yet you weren’t satisfied.

She gave herself as a prostitute to them, all of them the choicest men of Assyria. She defiled herself with the idols of whoever she lusted after.

She will follow after her lovers, but she won’t overtake them; and she will seek them, but won’t find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.’

Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.

As for the sacrifices of my offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it; But Yahweh doesn’t accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins. They will return to Egypt.

They won’t dwell in Yahweh’s land; but Ephraim will return to Egypt, and they will eat unclean food in Assyria.

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness. Break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Yahweh, until he comes and rains righteousness on you.

They will come trembling like a bird out of Egypt, and like a dove out of the land of Assyria; and I will settle them in their houses,” says Yahweh.

“I have only chosen you of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all of your sins.”

You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”

Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword will be on his arm, and on his right eye. His arm will be completely withered, and his right eye will be totally blinded!”

But refuse profane and old wives’ fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness.

For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore behold, I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”

At that time king Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him.

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness, don’t let all the travail seem little before you, that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, on our priests, on our prophets, on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.

So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels.

He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can’t deliver his soul, nor say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”

Why do you go about so much to change your ways? You will be ashamed of Egypt also, as you were ashamed of Assyria.

Why then have the people of Jerusalem fallen back by a perpetual backsliding? They cling to deceit. They refuse to return.

Yahweh says to this people, “Even so they have loved to wander. They have not restrained their feet. Therefore Yahweh does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish them for their sins.”

The wind will feed all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.

Yahweh says: “Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against those who dwell in Lebkamai, a destroying wind.

It will be to them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths to them; but he brings iniquity to memory, that they may be taken.

When Yahweh spoke at first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking Yahweh.”

“Yet let no man bring a charge, neither let any man accuse; for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.

“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to king Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither will he cure you of your wound.

Ephraim, he mixes himself among the nations. Ephraim is a pancake not turned over.

Ephraim surrounds me with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit. Judah still strays from God, and is unfaithful to the Holy One.

Now they sin more and more, and have made themselves molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, ‘They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calves.’

Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

But God turned, and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

But shun empty chatter, for it will go further in ungodliness,

Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

Do you intend to reprove words, since the speeches of one who is desperate are as wind?

“Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?

The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

For there are many words that create vanity. What does that profit man?

David’s house was told, “Syria is allied with Ephraim.” His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.

The burden of the animals of the South. Through the land of trouble and anguish, of the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches on the shoulders of young donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to an unprofitable people.

Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness.

You went to the king with oil, increased your perfumes, sent your ambassadors far off, and degraded yourself even to Sheol.

I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, even the whole offspring of Ephraim.

Yes, behold, being planted, will it prosper? Won’t it utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the beds where it grew.” ’ ”

“Oholah played the prostitute when she was mine. She doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,

It will no longer be the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to memory, when they turn to look after them. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.” ’ ”

Ephraim is joined to idols. Leave him alone!

The wind has wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be disappointed because of their sacrifices.

I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; for now, Ephraim, you have played the prostitute. Israel is defiled.

For they sow the wind, and they will reap the whirlwind. He has no standing grain. The stalk will yield no head. If it does yield, strangers will swallow it up.

For they have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers for himself.

Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.”

He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.

She is weary with toil; yet her great rust, rust by fire, doesn’t leave her.