Hosea 10

1 Israel is a branching vine, full of fruit; as his fruit is increased, so the number of his altars is increased; as the land is fair, so they have made fair pillars.

An emptied vine is Israel; how should he bring forth fruit for himself? the more numerous was his fruit the more he increased the altars; the more prosperous was his land, the more they made goodly statues.

2 Their mind is taken away; now they will be made waste: he will have their altars broken down, he will give their pillars to destruction.

Their heart is divided; now shall they bear their guilt: this will break down their altars, will devastate their statues.

3 Now, truly, they will say, We have no king, we have no fear of the Lord; and the king, what is he able to do for us?

For now will they say, We have no king; because we fear not the Lord: and the king—what can he do for us?

4 Their words are foolish; they make agreements with false oaths, so punishment will come up like a poison-plant in a ploughed field.

They have spoken [vain] words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: therefore springeth up the punishment as poison in the furrows of the field.

5 The people of Samaria will be full of fear because of the ox of Beth-aven; its people will have sorrow for it, and its priests will give cries of grief for its glory, for the glory has gone in flight.

For the calves of Beth-aven are terrified the inhabitants of Samaria: yea, the people thereof mourn over them, and also its false priests that [before] rejoiced over them, for its glory, because it is departed from it.

6 And they will take it to Assyria and give it to the great king; shame will come on Ephraim, and Israel will be shamed because of its image.

Also this shall be carried unto Assyria for a present to the contentious king: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed because of his own counsel.

7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off, like mist on the water.

As for Samaria, her king shall vanish like the foam upon the surface of the water.

8 And the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will come to destruction; thorns and waste plants will come up on their altars; they will say to the mountains, Be a cover over us; and to the hills, Come down on us.

And destroyed shall be the high-places of Aven, [the cause of] the sin of Israel; the thorn and the thistle shall grow upon their altars: and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall upon us.

9 O Israel, you have done evil from the days of Gibeah; there they took up their position, so that the fighting against the children of evil might not overtake them in Gibeah.

More than in the days of Gib'ah hast thou sinned, O Israel! there they stood; and the battle in Gib'ah against the children of wickedness did not overtake them.

10 I will come and give them punishment; and the peoples will come together against them when I give them the reward of their two sins.

[But now] after my desire will I chastise them: and the people shall be gathered against them, when they harness them [for labor] in their two furrows.

11 And Ephraim is a trained cow, taking pleasure in crushing the grain; but I have put a yoke on her fair neck; I will put a horseman on the back of Ephraim; Judah will be working the plough, Jacob will be turning up the earth.

And Ephraim is as a well-taught heifer that loveth to tread out the corn; and I passed over her fair neck: now will I make Ephraim draw the wagon, Judah shall plough, and Jacob shall harrow the field for the enemy.

12 Put in the seed of righteousness, get in your grain in mercy, let your unploughed earth be turned up: for it is time to make search for the Lord, till he comes and sends righteousness on you like rain.

Sow then for yourselves after righteousness, that you may reap [the fruit] of kindness; cultivate your fallow field; for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness down for you.

13 You have been ploughing sin, you have got in a store of evil, the fruit of deceit has been your food: for you put faith in your way, in the number of your men of war.

[But] ye have ploughed wickedness, iniquity have ye reaped, ye have eaten the fruit of lies; because thou didst trust in thy own way, in the multitude of thy mighty men:

14 So a great outcry will go up from among your people, and all your strong places will be broken, as Beth-arbel was broken by Shalman in the day of war, as the mother was broken on the rocks with her children.

Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be wasted, as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel on the day of battle, [when] the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.

15 So will Beth-el do to you because of your evil-doing; at dawn will the king of Israel be cut off completely.

The like of this doth Beth-el procure unto you because of your great wickedness: in the early morning shall utterly pass away the king of Israel.