< Hosea 8 >
1 “To your mouth—a horn, As an eagle against the house of YHWH, Because they transgressed My covenant, And against My law they have rebelled.
“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 To Me they cry, My God, we—Israel—have known You.
They cry out to me, 'My God, we in Israel know you.'
3 Israel has cast off good, an enemy pursues him.
But Israel has rejected what is good, and the enemy will pursue him.
4 They have made kings, and not by Me, They have made princes, and I have not known, Their silver and their gold they have made to them idols, So that they are 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 Your calf has cast off, O Samaria, My anger has burned against them; Until when are they not capable of purity?
“Your calf has been rejected, Samaria. My anger is burning against these people. For how long will they stay guilty?
6 For even it [is] of Israel; a craftsman made it, And it [is] not God, For the calf of Samaria is fragments!
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 wind they sow, and a windstorm they reap, Stalk it has none—a shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield—strangers swallow it up.
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 been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight.
Israel is swallowed up; now they lie among the nations like something useless.
9 For they have gone up [to] Asshur, A wild donkey alone by himself [is] Ephraim, They have hired lovers!
For they went up to Assyria like a wild donkey all alone. Ephraim has hired lovers for herself.
10 Also though they hire among nations, Now I gather them, and they are pained a little, From the burden of a king of princes.
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 multiplied altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.
For Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin offerings, but they have become altars for committing sins instead.
12 I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.
I could write down my law for them ten thousand times, but they would view it as something strange to them.
13 The sacrifices of My offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, YHWH has not accepted them, Now He remembers their iniquity, And inspects their sin, They return [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 And Israel forgets his Maker, and builds temples, And Judah has multiplied cities of defense, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it has consumed their palaces!”
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.