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.
'Unto thy mouth — a trumpet, As an eagle against the house of Jehovah, Because they transgressed My covenant, And against My law they have rebelled.
2 Israel cries out to Me, “O our God, we know You!”
To Me they cry, 'My God, we — Israel — have known Thee.'
3 But Israel has rejected good; an enemy will pursue him.
Cast off good hath Israel, an enemy pursueth him.
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 have made kings, and not by Me, They have made princes, and I have not known, Their silver and their gold they have made to them idols, So that they are cut off.
5 He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?
Cast off hath thy calf, O Samaria, Burned hath Mine anger against them, Till when are they not capable of purity?
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.
For even it [is] of Israel; an artificer made it, And it [is] not God, For the calf of Samaria is fragments!
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.
For wind they sow, and a hurricane they reap, Stalk it hath none — a shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield — strangers do swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like a worthless vessel.
Israel hath been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey on its own. Ephraim has hired lovers.
For they — they have gone up [to] Asshur, A wild ass alone by himself [is] Ephraim, They have 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.
Also though they hire among nations, Now I gather them, and they are pained a little, From the burden of a king of princes.
11 Though Ephraim multiplied the altars for sin, they became his altars for sinning.
Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.
12 Though I wrote for them the great things of My law, they regarded them as something strange.
I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.
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.
The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They — [to] Egypt they turn back.
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.
And forget doth Israel his Maker, and buildeth temples, And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it hath consumed their palaces!
