Hosea 8
1 Set the horn to thy mouth. As a vulture he cometh against the house of the LORD; because they have transgressed My covenant, and trespassed 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 Will they cry unto Me: 'My God, we Israel know Thee'?
Israel calls out to me, “Our God, we know you!”
3 Israel hath cast off that which is good; the enemy shall pursue him.
But Israel has rejected what is good. An enemy will chase after them.
4 They have set up kings, but not from 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.
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 Thy calf, O Samaria, is cast off; Mine anger is kindled against them; how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
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 from Israel is even this: the craftsman made it, and it is no God; yea, the calf of Samaria shall be broken in shivers.
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; it hath no stalk, the bud that shall yield no meal; if so be it yield, strangers shall 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 are they become among the nations as a vessel wherein is no value.
Israel is swallowed up; among the nations they are like something nobody wants.
9 For they are gone up to Assyria, like a wild ass alone by himself; Ephraim hath hired lovers.
They have gone up to Assyria like a donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Yea, though they hire among the nations, now will I gather them up; and they begin to be minished by reason of the burden of king and 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 For Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin, yea, altars have been unto him to sin.
Though Ephraim built many altars to make sin offerings, they instead became altars of sin!
12 Though I write for him never so many things of My Law, they are accounted as a stranger's.
I wrote down for them the many aspects of my law, but they looked on them as foreign.
13 As for the sacrifices that are made by fire unto Me, let them sacrifice flesh and eat it, for the LORD accepteth them not. Now will He remember their iniquity, and punish their sins; they shall 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 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and builded palaces, and Judah hath multiplied fortified cities; but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the castles thereof.
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.
