Osee 10

1 Israel is a vine with goodly branches, her fruit is abundant: according to the multitude of her fruits she has multiplied [her] altars; according to the wealth of his land, he has set up pillars.

A luxuriant vine is Israel. He bore fruit lavishly. In proportion to the increase of his fruit he increased altars to idols. In proportion to the beauty of his land he made beautiful the sacred pillars.

2 They have divided their hearts; now shall they be utterly destroyed: he shall dig down their altars, their pillars shall mourn.

Their heart is false, now they must be punished. God himself will break the necks of their altars, he will destroy their sacred pillars.

3 Because now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord:

Yes, soon they will be saying, ‘We have no king, for we have not revered the Lord, and a king, what could he do for us anyway?’

4 and what should a king do for us, speaking false professions [as his] words? he will make a covenant: judgment shall spring up as a weed on the soil of the field.

Speaking words, perjuring themselves, making agreements, and litigation springs up like a poisonous weed in a ploughed field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall dwell near the calf of the house of On; for the people of it mourned for it: and as they provoked him, they shall rejoice at his glory, because he has departed from them.

The inhabitants of Samaria will tremble with fear for their calf of Beth-aven. Its people will mourn over it, and so will its priests, who had rejoiced for its glory, now departed from it.

6 And having bound it for the Assyrians, they carried it away as presents to king Jarim: Ephraim shall receive a gift, and Israel shall be ashamed of his counsel.

It will be carried off to Assyria as a present to the patron king. Disgrace will Ephraim bear and Israel will be ashamed of its idol.

7 Samaria has cast off her king as a twig on the surface of the water.

As for Samaria, her king will disappear, like foam on the face of the waters.

8 And the altars of On, the sins of Israel, shall be taken away: thorns and thistles shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.

And the high places of Aven will be destroyed, the shrines of Israel’s sin, thorns and thistles will grow on their altars, and they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us,’ and to the hills, ‘Fall upon us.’

9 From the time the hills [existed] Israel has sinned: there they stood: war [waged] against the children of iniquity

From the time of Gibeah, Israel has sinned. There they took their stand. Will not war overtake them in Gibeah because of the wicked?

10 to chastise them shall not overtake them on the hill, the nations shall be gathered against them, when they are chastened for their two sins,

When I please, I will punish them. Nations will gather against them to chain them for their double crimes.

11 Ephraim is a heifer taught to love victory, but I will come upon the fair part of her neck: I will mount Ephraim; I will pass over Juda in silence; Jacob shall prevail against him.

Ephraim indeed was a trained heifer that loved to thresh grain, and I myself laid a yoke upon his fair neck, I made Ephraim draw and Judah must plough, Jacob must turn the soil for himself.

12 Sow to yourselves for righteousness, gather in for the fruit of life: light you for yourselves the light of knowledge; seek the Lord till the fruits of righteousness come upon you.

Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruits of love. Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, so righteousness may come to you.

13 Therefore have you passed over ungodliness in silence, and reaped the sins of it? you have eaten false fruit; for you has trusted in your sins, in the abundance of your power.

But you have ploughed wickedness, iniquity have you reaped. You have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own path, in the multitude of your warriors,

14 Therefore shall destruction rise up among your people, and all your strong places shall be ruined: as a prince Solomon [departed] out of the house of Jeroboam, in the days of battle they dashed the mother to the ground upon the children,

the alarm of war will sound in your cities and all your fortresses will be ruined, as Shalman laid in ruins Beth-arbel in the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to pieces over their children.

15 thus will I do to you, O house of Israel, because of the unrighteousness of your sins.

Thus will I do to you, Bethel, because of the enormity of your wickedness. When dawn breaks, so will the king of Israel be broken.