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Hosea 11 (Hoshea) in Hebrew and English

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Tenakh Study · Read Hosea in Hebrew and English, one chapter per page. Our Tenakh study meets every Wednesday at 7 pm (Central Time) on Zoom. Text us for the Zoom link.

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Tenakh Study · Hosea 11:1–11

Hosea, Chapter 11

הושע יא

Hashem recalls how He loved Israel as a child, called His son out of Mitzrayim and drew them with bands of love, yet they sacrificed to the Be’alim; though Ashur shall be their king, His heart turns within Him, He will not destroy Efrayim, and they shall come trembling back to their houses.

Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. Verse 11:12 of most English Bibles is 12:1 here.

11:1When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called My son out of Mitzrayim (Egypt).

אכִּ֛י נַ֥עַר יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וָאֹהֲבֵ֑הוּ וּמִמִּצְרַ֖יִם קָרָ֥אתִי לִבְנִֽי׃

11:2As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Be’alim (Baalim), and burned incense to graven images.

בקָרְא֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם כֵּ֚ן הָלְכ֣וּ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם לַבְּעָלִ֣ים יְזַבֵּ֔חוּ וְלַפְּסִלִ֖ים יְקַטֵּרֽוּן׃

11:3I taught Efrayim (Ephraim) also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.

גוְאָנֹכִ֤י תִרְגַּ֨לְתִּי֙ לְאֶפְרַ֔יִם קָחָ֖ם עַל־זְרֽוֹעֹתָ֑יו וְלֹ֥א יָדְע֖וּ כִּ֥י רְפָאתִֽים׃

11:4I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid food unto them.

דבְּחַבְלֵ֨י אָדָ֤ם אֶמְשְׁכֵם֙ בַּעֲבֹת֣וֹת אַהֲבָ֔ה וָאֶהְיֶ֥ה לָהֶ֛ם כִּמְרִ֥ימֵי עֹ֖ל עַ֣ל לְחֵיהֶ֑ם וְאַ֥ט אֵלָ֖יו אוֹכִֽיל׃

Ashur shall be his king

11:5He shall not return into the land of Mitzrayim, but Ashur (the Assyrian) shall be his king, because they refused to return.

הלֹ֤א יָשׁוּב֙ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם וְאַשּׁ֖וּר ה֣וּא מַלְכּ֑וֹ כִּ֥י מֵאֲנ֖וּ לָשֽׁוּב׃

11:6And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.

ווְחָלָ֥ה חֶ֨רֶב֙ בְּעָרָ֔יו וְכִלְּתָ֥ה בַדָּ֖יו וְאָכָ֑לָה מִֽמֹּעֲצ֖וֹתֵיהֶֽם׃

11:7And My people are bent to backsliding from Me: though they called them to the Most High, none at all would exalt Him.

זוְעַמִּ֥י תְלוּאִ֖ים לִמְשֽׁוּבָתִ֑י וְאֶל־עַל֙ יִקְרָאֻ֔הוּ יַ֖חַד לֹ֥א יְרוֹמֵם׃

How shall I give you up

11:8How shall I give you up, Efrayim? how shall I deliver you, Israel? how shall I make you as Admah? how shall I set you as Tzevoyim (Zeboim)? My heart is turned within Me, My repentings are kindled together.

חאֵ֞יךְ אֶתֶּנְךָ֣ אֶפְרַ֗יִם אֲמַגֶּנְךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֵ֚יךְ אֶתֶּנְךָ֣ כְאַדְמָ֔ה אֲשִֽׂימְךָ֖ כִּצְבֹאיִ֑ם נֶהְפַּ֤ךְ עָלַי֙ לִבִּ֔י יַ֖חַד נִכְמְר֥וּ נִחוּמָֽי׃

11:9I will not execute the fierceness of My anger, I will not return to destroy Efrayim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of you: and I will not enter into the city.

טלֹ֤א אֶֽעֱשֶׂה֙ חֲר֣וֹן אַפִּ֔י לֹ֥א אָשׁ֖וּב לְשַׁחֵ֣ת אֶפְרָ֑יִם כִּ֣י אֵ֤ל אָֽנֹכִי֙ וְלֹא־אִ֔ישׁ בְּקִרְבְּךָ֣ קָד֔וֹשׁ וְלֹ֥א אָב֖וֹא בְּעִֽיר׃

11:10They shall walk after Hashem: He shall roar like a lion: when He shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.

יאַחֲרֵ֧י יְהוָ֛ה יֵלְכ֖וּ כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה יִשְׁאָ֑ג כִּֽי־ה֣וּא יִשְׁאַ֔ג וְיֶחֶרְד֥וּ בָנִ֖ים מִיָּֽם׃

11:11They shall tremble as a bird out of Mitzrayim, and as a dove out of the land of Ashur: and I will place them in their houses, says Hashem.

יאיֶחֶרְד֤וּ כְצִפּוֹר֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם וּכְיוֹנָ֖ה מֵאֶ֣רֶץ אַשּׁ֑וּר וְהוֹשַׁבְתִּ֥ים עַל־בָּתֵּיהֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

Sources & method

Hebrew text
The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
English translation
The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
Verse numbers
Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In Hosea they differ from most English Bibles, or a verse is divided differently, in chapters 1, 2, 11, 12, 13 and 14; a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
Hebrew font
SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.