Hosea 12:6-8;13:2-3,12-14 Oh, come back to God. Live by the principles of love and justice, and always be expecting much from Him, your God.
7 But no, my people are like crafty merchants selling from dishonest scales-they love to cheat. 8 Ephraim boasts, ” I am so rich! I have gotten it all by myself!” But riches can’t make up for sin.
Ch13:2,3,12-14 And now the people disobey more and more. They melt their silver to mold into idols, formed with skill by the hands of men. “Sacrifice to these!” they say-men kissing calves! 3 They shall disappear like morning mist, like dew that quickly dries away, like chaff blown by the wind, like a cloud of smoke.
12 Ephraim’s sins are harvested and stored away for punishment. 13 New birth is offered him, but he is like a child resisting in the womb-how stubborn! how foolish!
14 Shall I ransom him from hell? Shall I redeem him from Death? O death, bring forth your terrors for his tasting! O grave, demonstrate your plagues! For I will not relent!
The Living Bible version