5:4 Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God;
because a spirit of idolatry 1 controls their heart, 2
and they do not acknowledge the Lord.
5:14 I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will tear them to pieces,
then I will carry them off, and no one will be able to rescue them!
5:1 Hear this, you priests!
Pay attention, you Israelites! 3
Listen closely, 4 O king! 5
For judgment is about to overtake you! 6
For you were like a trap 7 to Mizpah, 8
like a net 9 spread out to catch Tabor. 10
1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.
1 tn Heb “a spirit of harlotries”; NIV “a spirit of prostitution”; TEV “Idolatry has a powerful hold on them.” However, CEV takes this literally: “your constant craving for sex keeps you from knowing me.”
2 tn Heb “is in their heart” (so NIV); NASB, NRSV “is within them.”
3 tn Heb “O house of Israel” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NLT “all of Israel’s leaders.”
4 tn Heb “Use the ear”; ASV “give ear.”
5 tn Heb “O house of the king” (so KJV); NIV “O royal house.”
6 tn Heb “for the judgment is to you”; or “For this accusation is against you.” Cf. NIV “This judgment is against you.”
7 sn The noun פַּח (pakh, “trap”) is used (1) literally of a bird-trap, used in similes and metaphors (Amos 3:5; Prov 7:23; Eccl 9:12), and (2) figuratively to refer to (a) calamities and plots (Job 18:9; 22:10; Pss 91:3; 119:110; 124:7; 140:6; 141:9; 142:4; Prov 22:5; Isa 24:17-18; Jer 18:22; 48:43-44; Hos 9:8) and (b) a source of calamity (Josh 23:13; Pss 11:6; 69:23; Isa 8:14; Hos 5:1; BDB 809 s.v. פַּח).
8 tn Heb “you were a trap to Mizpah.”
9 sn The noun רֶשֶׁת (reshet, “net”) is used (1) literally of a net used to catch birds (Prov 1:17) and (2) in figurative descriptions of the wicked plotting to ensnare their victims (Prov 29:5; Pss 9:16; 10:9; 25:15; 31:5; 35:7; 57:7; 140:6; Job 18:8; BDB 440 s.v. רֶשֶׁת).
10 tn Heb “and a net spread out over Tabor.”
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
12 tn Grk “says” (a historical present).
13 tn The present imperative with μή (mh) is used here to command cessation of an action in progress (ExSyn 724 lists this verse as an example).
14 tn Or “has been victorious”; traditionally, “has overcome.”
15 tn The infinitive has been translated as an infinitive of result here.