Hosea 8
1 Put the horn to your mouth. He comes like an eagle against the house of the Lord; because they have gone against my agreement, they have not kept my law.
“Place a trumpet at your lips! An eagle is coming over the house of Yahweh because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law.
2 They will send up to me a cry for help: We, Israel, have knowledge of you, O God of Israel.
They cry out to me, 'My God, we in Israel know you.'
3 Israel has given up what is good; his haters will go after him.
But Israel has rejected what is good, and the enemy will pursue him.
4 They have put up kings, but not by me; they have made princes, but I had no knowledge of it; they have made images of silver and gold, so that they may be cut off.
They have set up kings, but not by me. They have made princes, but without my knowledge. With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves, but it was only so they might be cut off.”
5 I will have nothing to do with your young ox, O Samaria; my wrath is burning against them; how long will it be before the children of Israel make themselves clean?
“Your calf has been rejected, Samaria. My anger is burning against these people. For how long will they stay guilty?
6 The workman made it, it is no god; the ox of Samaria will be broken into bits.
For this idol came from Israel; a workman made it; it is not God! The calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.
7 For they have been planting the wind, and their fruit will be the storm; his grain has no stem, it will give no meal, and if it does, a strange nation will take it.
For the people sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it yields no flour. If it does come to maturity, foreigners will devour it.
8 Israel has come to destruction; now they are among the nations like a cup in which there is no pleasure.
Israel is swallowed up; now they lie among the nations like something useless.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria like an ass going by himself; Ephraim has given money to get lovers.
For they went up to Assyria like a wild donkey all alone. Ephraim has hired lovers for herself.
10 But though they give money to the nations for help, still I will send them in all directions; and in a short time they will be without a king and rulers.
Even though they have hired lovers among the nations, I will now gather them together. They will begin to waste away because of the oppression of the king of princes.
11 Because Ephraim has been increasing altars for sin, altars have become a cause of sin to him.
For Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin offerings, but they have become altars for committing sins instead.
12 Though I put my law in writing for him in ten thousand rules, they are to him as a strange thing.
I could write down my law for them ten thousand times, but they would view it as something strange to them.
13 He gives the offerings of his lovers, and takes the flesh for food; but the Lord has no pleasure in them; now he will keep in mind their evil-doing and give them the punishment of their sins; they will go back to Egypt.
As for the sacrifices of my offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it, but I, Yahweh, do not accept them. Now I will think about their iniquity and punish their sins. They will return to Egypt.
14 For Israel has no memory of his Maker, and has put up the houses of kings; and Judah has made great the number of his walled towns. But I will send a fire on his towns and put an end to his great houses.
Israel has forgotten me, his Maker, and has built palaces. Judah has fortified many cities, but I will send fire on his cities; it will destroy his fortresses.
