Hosea 3 - 5 - Legacy Standard Bible

Hosea 3 - 5

Hosea Marries Again

Then Yahweh said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her companion and is an adulteress, even as Yahweh loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bargained for her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. 3 Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.” 4 For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek Yahweh their God and David their king; and they will come in dread to Yahweh and to His goodness in the last days.

Yahweh’s Contention with Israel

Listen to the word of Yahweh, O sons of Israel,

For Yahweh has a contention against the inhabitants of the land,

Because there is no truth or lovingkindness

Or knowledge of God in the land.

There is swearing of oaths, deception, murder, stealing, and adultery.

They break forth in violence so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Therefore the land mourns,

And everyone who inhabits it languishes

Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,

And also the fish of the sea disappear.

Yet let no man contend, and let no man offer reproof;

Indeed, your people are like those who contend with the priest.

So you will stumble by day,

And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;

And I will destroy your mother.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from ministering as My priest.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I Myself also will forget your children.

The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;

I will change their glory into disgrace.

They eat the sin of My people

And lift up their soul toward their iniquity.

And it will be like people, like priest;

So I will punish them for their ways

And cause their deeds to return to them.

They will eat, but not be satisfied;

They will play the harlot, but not break forth in number,

Because they have forsaken Yahweh to keep harlotry.

Harlotry, wine, and new wine take away a heart of wisdom.

My people ask their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand declares to them;

For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,

And they have played the harlot, departing from their God.

They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains

And burn incense on the hills,

Under oak, poplar, and terebinth

Because their shade is good.

Therefore your daughters play the harlot,

And your brides commit adultery.

I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot

Or your brides when they commit adultery,

For the men themselves go apart with harlots

And offer sacrifices with cult prostitutes;

So the people without understanding are ruined.

Though you, Israel, play the harlot,

Do not let Judah become guilty;

Also do not go to Gilgal

Nor go up to Beth‑aven

And swear the oath:

“As Yahweh lives!”

Since Israel is stubborn

Like a stubborn heifer,

Can Yahweh now feed them

Like a lamb in a large field?

Ephraim is joined to idols;

Let him alone.

Their drink gone;

They play the harlot continually;

Their rulers dearly love disgrace.

The wind binds them up in its wings,

And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Yahweh Withdraws from Israel

Hear this, O priests!

Give heed, O house of Israel!

Give ear, O house of the king!

For the judgment is for you,

For you have been a snare at Mizpah

And a net spread out on Tabor.

And the revolters have dug deep into slaughtering,

But I will chastise all of them.

I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;

For now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot;

Israel has defiled itself.

Their deeds will not allow them

To return to their God.

For a spirit of harlotry is within them,

And they do not know Yahweh.

Moreover, the pride of Israel answers against him,

And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;

Judah also has stumbled with them.

They will go with their flocks and herds

To seek Yahweh, but they will not find Him;

He has withdrawn from them.

They have dealt treacherously against Yahweh,

For they have borne children of strangers.

Now the new moon will devour them with their portions.

Blow the horn in Gibeah,

The trumpet in Ramah.

Make a loud shout at Beth‑aven:

“Behind you, Benjamin!”

Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of reproof;

Among the tribes of Israel I will make known what is true.

The princes of Judah have become like those who move a boundary;

On them I will pour out My wrath like water.

Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,

Because he was determined to walk after man’s command.

Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim

And like rottenness to the house of Judah.

Then Ephraim saw his sickness,

And Judah his sore,

So Ephraim went to Assyria

And sent to King Jareb.

But he is unable to heal you

Or to cure you of your sore.

For I will be like a lion to Ephraim

And like a young lion to the house of Judah.

I, even I, will tear to pieces and go away;

I will carry away, and there will be none to deliver.

I will go away and return to My place

Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;

In their affliction they will seek Me earnestly.

Mark 10:17 - 11:33

The Rich Young Ruler

17 And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” 21 And looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. 23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were even more astonished, saying to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 except one who will receive one hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection

32 And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him: 33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

A Request for Status

35 Then James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 And they said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 And calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Bartimaeus Regains His Sight

46 Then they *came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.” 50 And throwing off his outer garment, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered him and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

The Triumphal Entry

And as they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, 2 and *said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he will send it back here.” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. 5 And some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. 7 And they *brought the colt to Jesus and put their garments on it; and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their garments in the road, and others spread leafy branches, having cut them from the fields. 9 And those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:

“Hosanna!

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;

Hosanna in the highest!”

11 And Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

The Barren Fig Tree

12 And on the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 And seeing at a distance a fig tree that had leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And He answered and said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

Jesus Drives Merchants from the Temple

15 Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16 and He was not permitting anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. 19 And when evening came, they were going out of the city. 20 And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 And being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered and *said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 For this reason I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

27 Then they *came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders *came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” 31 And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for everyone was regarding John to have been a real prophet. 33 And answering Jesus, they *said, “We do not know.” And Jesus *said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Psalm 30

You Have Turned My Mourning into Dancing

A Psalm. A Song at the Dedication of the House. Of David.

I will exalt You, O Yahweh, for You have lifted me up,

And have not let my enemies be glad over me.

O Yahweh my God,

I cried to You for help, and You healed me.

O Yahweh, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;

You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.

Sing praise to Yahweh, you His holy ones,

And give thanks for the remembrance of His holy name.

For His anger is but for a moment,

His favor is for a lifetime;

Weeping may last for the night,

But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,

“I will never be shaken.”

O Yahweh, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;

You hid Your face, I was dismayed.

To You, O Yahweh, I called,

And to the Lord I made supplication:

“What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?

“Hear, O Yahweh, and be gracious to me;

O Yahweh, be my helper.”

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,

That my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.

O Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to You forever.