Hosea 10

1 Israel [is] an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit to himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath multiplied the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.

“Israel [is] an empty vine, He makes fruit like to himself, According to the abundance of his fruit, He has multiplied for the altars, According to the goodness of his land, They have made good standing-pillars.

2 Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.

Their heart has been divided, now they are guilty, He breaks down their altars, He destroys their standing-pillars.

3 For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the LORD; what then should a king do to us?

For now they say: We have no king, Because we have not feared YHWH, And the king—what does he do for us?

4 They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

They have spoken words, To swear falsehood in making a covenant, And flourished as a poisonous herb has judgment, on the furrows of a field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: for its people shall mourn over it, and its priests [that] rejoiced on it, for its glory, because it is departed from it.

For the inhabitants of Samaria fear the calves of Beth-Aven, Surely its people have mourned on account of it, And its priests leap about on account of it, Because of its glory, for it has removed from it,

6 It shall also be carried to Assyria, [for] a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

Also, it is carried to Asshur, a present to a warlike king, Ephraim receives shame, And Israel is ashamed of its own counsel.

7 [As for] Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.

Samaria is cut off! Its king [is] as wrath on the face of the waters.

8 The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.

And high places of Aven have been destroyed, the sin of Israel. Thorn and bramble go up on their altars, And they have said to hills, Cover us, And to heights, Fall on us.

9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.

From the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel, There they have stood, Battle does not overtake them in Gibeah, Because of sons of perverseness.

10 [It is] in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.

When I desire, then I bind them, And peoples have gathered against them, When they bind themselves to their two iniquities.

11 And Ephraim [is as] a heifer [that is] taught, [and] loveth to tread out [the corn]; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, [and] Jacob shall break his clods.

And Ephraim [is] a trained heifer—loving to thresh, And I have passed over on the goodness of its neck, I cause [one] to ride Ephraim, Judah plows, Jacob harrows for him.

12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he shall come and reign righteousness upon you.

Sow for yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to loving-kindness, Till for yourselves tillage of knowledge, To seek YHWH, Until He comes and shows righteousness to you.

13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou hast trusted in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

You have plowed wickedness, Perversity you have reaped, You have eaten the fruit of lying, For you have trusted in your way, In the abundance of your might.

14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be plundered, as Shalman plundered Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon [her] children.

And a tumult rises among your people, And all your fortresses are spoiled, As the spoiling of Shalman of Beth-Arbel, In a day of battle, Mother against sons dashed in pieces.

15 So shall Beth-el do to you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off.

Thus has Beth-El done to you, Because of the evil of your wickedness, In the dawn a king of Israel is utterly cut off!”