Hosea 8

1 'Unto thy mouth — a trumpet, As an eagle against the house of Jehovah, Because they transgressed My covenant, And against My law they have rebelled.

Let there be a trumpet in your throat, like an eagle over the house of the Lord, on behalf of those who have transgressed my covenant and violated my law.

2 To Me they cry, 'My God, we — Israel — have known Thee.'

They will call on me: “O my God, we, Israel, know you.”

3 Cast off good hath Israel, an enemy pursueth him.

Israel has thrown away goodness; the enemy will overtake 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 reigned, but not by me. Leaders have emerged, and I did not recognize them. Their silver and their gold, they have made into idols for themselves, so that they might cross over.

5 Cast off hath thy calf, O Samaria, Burned hath Mine anger against them, Till when are they not capable of purity?

Your calf, Samaria, has been rejected. My fury has been enraged against them. How long will they be incapable of being cleansed?

6 For even it [is] of Israel; an artificer made it, And it [is] not God, For the calf of Samaria is fragments!

For it is itself also from Israel: a workman made it, and it is not God. For the calf of Samaria will be used for the webs of spiders.

7 For wind they sow, and a hurricane they reap, Stalk it hath none — a shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield — strangers do swallow it up.

For they will sow wind and reap a whirlwind. It does not have a firm stalk; the bud will yield no grain. But if it does yield, strangers will eat it.

8 Israel hath been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight.

Israel has been devoured. Now, among the nations, it has become like an unclean vessel.

9 For they — they have gone up [to] Asshur, A wild ass alone by himself [is] Ephraim, They have hired lovers!

For they have gone up to Assur, a wild ass alone by himself. Ephraim has given presents to his lovers.

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.

But even when they will have brought the nations together for the sake of money, now I will assemble them. And they will rest for a little while from the burden of the king and the leaders.

11 Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.

For Ephraim multiplied altars to sin, and sanctuaries have become an offense for him.

12 I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.

I will write to him my intricate laws, which have been treated like strangers.

13 The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They — [to] Egypt they turn back.

They will offer victims, they will immolate flesh and will eat, and the Lord will not accept them. For now he will remember their iniquity, and he will repay their sins: they will be turned back to Egypt.

14 And forget doth Israel his Maker, and buildeth temples, And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it hath consumed their palaces!

And Israel has forgotten his Maker and has built shrines. And Judah has increased its fortified cities. And I will send fire upon his cities, and it will devour its structures.