Hosea 5

International Children’s Bible

⁴ “And those bad things they have done
    keep them from returning to their God.
They are determined to be unfaithful to me.
    They do not know the Lord.
⁵ Israel’s pride testifies against them.
    The people of Israel will stumble because of their sin.
    The people of Judah will also stumble with them.
⁶ The people will come to worship the Lord.
    They will come with their sheep and cattle.
But they will not be able to find him,
    because he has left them.
⁷ They have not been true to the Lord.
    Their children do not belong to him.
So their false worship
    will destroy them and their land.

⁸ “Blow the horn in Gibeah.
    Blow the trumpet in Ramah.
Give the warning at Beth Aven.
    Be first into battle, people of Benjamin.
⁹ A time of punishment is coming.
    Israel will be destroyed.
I warn the tribes of Israel
    that this will surely happen.
¹⁰ The leaders of Judah are like thieves.
    They try to steal the property of others.
My punishment will overwhelm them
    like a flood of water.
¹¹ Israel will be crushed by the punishments,
    because they decided to follow idols.
¹² I will destroy Israel
    as a moth destroys clothing.
I will destroy Judah
    as rot destroys wood.

¹³ “Israel saw how weak she was.
    Judah saw the wounds she suffered.
So Israel turned to Assyria for help.
    She sent to the great king of Assyria for help.
But he cannot heal you.
    He cannot cure your wound.
¹⁴ I will be like a lion to Israel.
    I will be like a young lion to Judah.
I will attack them
    and tear them to pieces.
I will drag them off,
    and no one will be able to save them.
¹⁵ Then I will go back to my place
    until the people admit they are guilty.
At that time they must look for me.
    In their trouble they must turn to me.”