Hosea 8
1 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.
[SET] the trumpet to thy mouth. As an eagle [he cometh] against the house of the LORD: because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
2 Israel calls out to me, “Our God, we know you!”
They shall cry unto me, My God, we Israel know thee.
3 But Israel has rejected what is good. An enemy will chase after them.
Israel hath cast off that which is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
4 They appointed kings without my consent and chose princes without my knowledge. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.
They have set up kings, but not by me; they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
5 Samaria, I reject this calf idol you have made! My anger burns against them! How long will you be incapable of being good?
He hath cast off thy calf, O Samaria; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
6 This idol is from Israel! A craftsman made it—it's not God! The calf of Samaria will be broken in pieces!
For from Israel is even this; the workman made it, and it is no God: yea, the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
7 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.
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: he hath no standing corn; the blade shall yield no meal; if so be it yield, strangers shall swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up; among the nations they are like something nobody wants.
Israel is swallowed up: now are they among the nations as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
9 They have gone up to Assyria like a donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers.
For they are gone up to Assyria, [like] a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
10 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.
Yea, though they hire among the nations, now will I gather them; and they begin to be minished by reason of the burden of the king of princes.
11 Though Ephraim built many altars to make sin offerings, they instead became altars of sin!
Because Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin, altars have been unto him to sin.
12 I wrote down for them the many aspects of my law, but they looked on them as foreign.
Though I write for him my law in ten thousand [precepts], they are counted as a strange thing.
13 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.
As for the sacrifices of mine offerings, they sacrifice flesh and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not: now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins; they shall return to Egypt.
14 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.
For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and builded palaces; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the castles thereof.
