Hosea 8
1 Put a trumpet to your lips! An eagle swoops over the house of the Lord because they have broken my agreement and rebelled against my law.
Set the trumpet to your mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
2 Israel calls out to me, “Our God, we know you!”
Israel shall cry to me, My God, we know you.
3 But Israel has rejected what is good. An enemy will chase after them.
Israel has cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
4 They appointed kings without my consent and chose princes without my knowledge. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.
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 them idols, that they may be cut off.
5 Samaria, I reject this calf idol you have made! My anger burns against them! How long will you be incapable of being good?
Your calf, O Samaria, has cast you off; my anger is kindled against them: how long will it be before they attain to innocence?
6 This idol is from Israel! A craftsman made it—it's not God! The calf of Samaria will be broken in pieces!
For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
7 Those who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head of grain; it will produce no flour. Even if it did produce grain, foreigners would swallow it all up.
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it has no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up; among the nations they are like something nobody wants.
Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
9 They have gone up to Assyria like a donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers.
For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Even though they have hired allies among the nations, I will gather them together. Then they will writhe under the burden of the great king.
Yes, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
11 Though Ephraim built many altars to make sin offerings, they instead became altars of sin!
Because Ephraim has made many altars to sin, altars shall be to him to sin.
12 I wrote down for them the many aspects of my law, but they looked on them as foreign.
I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
13 They present me with their sacrifices, and they eat the meat, but I the Lord do not accept them. Now he will remember their wickedness, and punish them for their sins. They will return to Egypt.
They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of my offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepts them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten his maker, and built palaces; Judah has built many fortified cities. But I will rain fire down on their cities and burn up their fortresses.
For Israel has forgotten his Maker, and builds temples; and Judah has multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire on his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
