Hosea 8
1 Put the trumpet to thy mouth! Like an eagle cometh an enemy against the house of Jehovah, Because they have transgressed my covenant, And have rebelled against my law.
Set the cornet to thy mouth. [Let the enemy come] like the eagle against the house of the Lord: because they have transgressed my covenant, and against my law have they trespassed.
2 They shall say to me, My God, we know thee, we, thine Israel!
To me will they then cry, My God, we, Israel, know thee.
3 Israel hath cast away what is good; The enemy shall pursue him.
[But] Israel did reject the good; so let the enemy pursue him.
4 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 themselves idols, That they may be brought to destruction.
They set up kings, but not my advice: they chose princes and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made themselves idols so that they will be cut off.
5 An abomination is thy calf, O Samaria! Mine anger is kindled against them; How long will it be ere they can attain to purity!
Thy calf, O Samaria, hath caused thy rejection; my anger is kindled against them: how long will it be that they cannot cleanse themselves?
6 For from Israel it came; The workman made it, and it is no God; Yea, into fragments shall the calf of Samaria be broken.
For whom Israel did also that [idol] spring; an artisan made it, and no God is it: so then shall it become broken in splinters— that calf of Samaria.
7 They have sown the wind, And they shall reap the whirlwind. They shall have no standing harvest; The ear shall yield no meal; If perchance it yield, strangers shall devour it.
For the wind do they sow, and the whirlwind shall they reap: [their seed] bringeth no standing corn; the plant yieldeth no meal; but should it yield it, strangers would swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up; Soon shall they become among the nations As a vessel which no one desireth.
Swallowed up is Israel: now are they among the nations as a vessel without any value.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a solitary wild-ass; Ephraim hireth lovers;
For they are needs gone up to Assyria, they who like a wild ass should dwell alone: Ephraim spendeth lovers' gifts.
10 But though they hire among the nations, Soon will I gather the nations against them; Then shall they rest a little while from the burden of their king, and their princes!
But even though they should spend gifts among the nations, now will I gather them: and they shall be humbled a little through the burden of the king of princes.
11 Ephraim hath built many altars for sin, Therefore shall he have altars for sin.
Because Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin, the altars have been unto him the means of sinning.
12 Though I write for him many laws, They are accounted as a strange thing;
I ever wrote down for him the great things of my law; but as a strange thing are they accounted.
13 As to the sacrifices which they should offer me, they slay flesh and eat it; Jehovah hath no pleasure in them. Now will he remember their iniquity, And punish their sins; To Egypt shall they return.
My sacrificial offerings they slay as common flesh that they may eat it; the Lord accepteth them not in favor: now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins; they shall indeed return to Egypt.
14 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 his palaces.
For Israel forgot his Maker, and built palaces; and Judah multiplied fortified cities; but I will send a fire among his cities, and it shall devour their fine edifices.
