Hosea 8
1 Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
Put a trumpet to your lips! An eagle swoops over the house of the Lord because they have broken my agreement and rebelled against my law.
2 Israel cries out to Me, “O our God, we know You!”
Israel calls out to me, “Our God, we know you!”
3 But Israel has rejected good; an enemy will pursue him.
But Israel has rejected what is good. An enemy will chase after them.
4 They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction.
They appointed kings without my consent and chose princes without my knowledge. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.
5 He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?
Samaria, I reject this calf idol you have made! My anger burns against them! How long will you be incapable of being good?
6 For this thing is from Israel— a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria.
This idol is from Israel! A craftsman made it—it's not God! The calf of Samaria will be broken in pieces!
7 For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up.
Those who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head of grain; it will produce no flour. Even if it did produce grain, foreigners would swallow it all up.
8 Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like a worthless vessel.
Israel is swallowed up; among the nations they are like something nobody wants.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey on its own. Ephraim has hired lovers.
They have gone up to Assyria like a donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Though they hire allies among the nations, I will now round them up, and they will begin to diminish under the oppression of the king of princes.
Even though they have hired allies among the nations, I will gather them together. Then they will writhe under the burden of the great king.
11 Though Ephraim multiplied the altars for sin, they became his altars for sinning.
Though Ephraim built many altars to make sin offerings, they instead became altars of sin!
12 Though I wrote for them the great things of My law, they regarded them as something strange.
I wrote down for them the many aspects of my law, but they looked on them as foreign.
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to Me, and though they eat the meat, the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt.
They present me with their sacrifices, and they eat the meat, but I the Lord do not accept them. Now he will remember their wickedness, and punish them for their sins. They will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has multiplied its fortified cities. But I will send fire upon their cities, and it will consume their citadels.
Israel has forgotten his maker, and built palaces; Judah has built many fortified cities. But I will rain fire down on their cities and burn up their fortresses.
