Humanitext Reader

Septuagint · Hosea §13.1-13.15

Ephraim's Idolatry and the Lord's Inevitable Judgment

Passage 13 of 14 · Greek

Summary

The downfalls of Ephraim due to their idolatry, their rebellion against the unique God who brought them out of Egypt, and the prophecies of relentless judgment and destruction upon them are described.

§13.1Κατὰ τὸν λόγον Ἐφράιμ δικαιώματα αὐτὸς ἔλαβεν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἔθετο αὐτά τῇ Βάαλ καὶ ἀπέθανεν.
According to the word of Ephraim, he himself received ordinances of justice in Israel, and he appointed them for Baal and died.
§13.2καὶ προσέθεντο τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν, καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς χώνευμα ἐκ τοῦ ἀργυρίου αὐτῶν κατʼ εἰκόνα εἰδώλων, ἔργα τεκτόνων συντετελεσμένα αὐτοῖς·
And they went on to sin, and made for themselves a molten image from their silver according to the likeness of idols, the work of craftsmen completed for them.
αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν Θύσατε ἀνθρώπους. μόσχοι γὰρ ἐκλελοίπασιν. §13.3διὰ τοῦτο ἔσονται ὡς νεφέλη πρωινὴ καὶ ὡς δρόσος ὀρθρινὴ πορευομένη, ὡς χνοῦς ἀποφυσώμενος ἀφʼ ἅλωνος καὶ ὡς ἀτμὶς ἀπὸ δακρύων.
They say, "Sacrifice men, for the calves have failed." Therefore they shall be as a morning cloud, and as the early dew that passes away, as chaff blown away from the threshing-floor, and as vapor from tears.
§13.4ἐγὼ δὲ Κύριος ὁ θεός σου, στερεῶν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ κτίζων γῆν, οὗ αἱ χεῖρες ἔκτισαν πᾶσαν τὴν στρατείαν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οὐ παρέδειξά σοι αὐτὰ τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ὀπίσω αὐτῶν·
But I am the Lord your God, who establishes the heaven and creates the earth, whose hands created all the host of heaven; and I did not show them to you that you should walk after them.
καὶ ἐγὼ ἀνήγαγόν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ θεὸν πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐ γνώσῃ, καὶ σώζων οὐκ ἔστιν παρέξ ἐμοῦ.
And I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and you shall know no god but me, and there is no savior besides me.
§13.5ἐγὼ ἐποίμαινόν σε ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἐν γῇ ἀοικήτῳ §13.6κατὰ τὰς νομὰς αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐνεπλήσθησαν εἰς πλησμομήν, καὶ ὑψώθησαν αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν, ἕνεκα τούτου ἐπελάθοντό μου.
I pastured you in the wilderness, in an uninhabited land, according to their pastures; and they were filled to satiety, and their hearts were lifted up; therefore they forgot me.
§13.7καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς ὡς πανθὴρ καὶ ὡς πάρδαλις κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν Ἀσσυρίων·
And I will be to them as a panther, and as a leopard by the way of the Assyrians.
§13.8ἀπαντήσομαι αὐτοῖς ὡς ἄρκος ἀπορουμένη, καὶ διαρρήξω συνκλεισμὸν καρδίας αὐτῶν, καὶ καταφάγονται αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ σκύμνοι δρυμοῦ, θηρία ἀγροῦ διασπάσει αὐτούς.
I will meet them as a she-bear baffled, and I will rend the enclosure of their heart, and there the lions' whelps of the forest shall devour them; the wild beasts of the field shall tear them in pieces.
§13.9τῇ διαφθορᾷ σου, Ἰσραήλ, τίς βοηθήσει;
In your destruction, O Israel, who will help?
§13.10ποῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς σου οὕτος;
Where is this king of yours?
καὶ διασωσάτω σε ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσίν σου· κρινάτω σε ὃν εἶπας Δός μοι βασιλέα καὶ ἄρχοντα. §13.11καὶ ἔδωκά σοι βασιλέα ἐν ὀργῇ μου, καὶ ἔσχον ἐν τῷ θυμῷ μου.
Let him save you in all your cities; let him judge you of whom you said, "Give me a king and a ruler." And I gave you a king in my anger, and held him back in my wrath.
§13.12συστροφὴν ἀδικίας Ἐφράιμ, ἐνκεκρυμμένη ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ·
The injustice of Ephraim is bound up, his sin is hidden.
§13.13ὠδῖνες ὡς τικτούσης ἥξουσιν αὐτῷ. οὗτος ὁ υἱός σου ὁ φρόνιμος, διότι οὐ μὴ ὑποστῇ ἐν συντριβῇ τέκνων.
Pangs as of a woman in travail shall come upon him; this is your wise son, because he shall not withstand in the destruction of children.
§13.14ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου ῥύσομαι καὶ ἐκ θανάτου λυτρώσομαι αὐτούς·
I will deliver them from the hand of Hades, and I will redeem them from death.
ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου, θάνατε;
Where is your penalty, O death?
ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου, ᾅδη;
Where is your sting, O Hades?
παράκλησις κέκρυπται ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μοῦ, §13.15διότι οὗτος ἀνὰ μέσον ἀδελφῶν διαστελεῖ ἐπάξει καύσωνα ἄνεμον Κύριος ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου ἐπʼ αὐτόν, καὶ ἀναξηρανεῖ τὰς φλέβας αὐτοῦ, ἐξερημώσει τὰς πηγὰς αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς καταξηρανεῖ τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἐπιθυμητὰ αὐτοῦ.
Consolation is hidden from my eyes, because he shall make a division among his brethren; the Lord shall bring a hot wind from the wilderness upon him, and shall dry up his veins, and make his fountains desolate; he shall dry up his land, and all his choice vessels.

Notes

  1. 13.2μόσχοι γὰρ ἐκλελοίπασιν — Translated literally as 'for the calves have failed (or run out)'. This phrase appears to stem from a translator's misreading or variant reading of the Hebrew text ('kiss the calves'). In the Greek context, it implies a macabre situation where humans are sacrificed because calf offerings have been exhausted.
  2. 13.3ἀτμὶς ἀπὸ δακρύων — Meaning 'vapor from tears'. This is likely due to a misreading of the Hebrew word for 'chimney' (arubbah) as 'tears' (dakruon), or a scribal corruption in the Greek tradition. The translation strictly follows the Greek text as 'from tears'.
  3. 13.10κρινάτω σε ὃν εἶπας — The relative pronoun ὅν is in the accusative case as the object of εἶπας, and its antecedent is the implied 'king' whom they previously demanded. The subject of the main verb κρινάτω (third-person singular imperative) is this implied antecedent, establishing the structure: 'let him whom you spoke of... judge you'.
  4. 13.13οὗτος ὁ υἱός σου ὁ φρόνιμος — Literally 'this is your wise son', which contradicts the Hebrew 'he is an unwise son'. In the Septuagint, because it is followed by the explanation that he cannot withstand the birth-pangs, this is best understood either ironically ('Is this your wise son?') or as a text where a negative particle (οὐ) was omitted.
  5. 13.15διαστελεῖ — Third-person singular future of διαστέλλω ('to divide, distinguish, clarify'). This likely derives from a confusion of the Hebrew 'he is fruitful' (yaphri) with 'he divides/makes a division' (yaphrid). Following the Greek text, it is translated as 'he shall make a division'.

Cite this passage

Septuagint, Hosea §13.1-13.15. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0527.tlg036.humanitext-grc1:13.1-13.15

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