Hosea 10

1 Israel is a branching vine, full of fruit; as his fruit is increased, so the number of his altars is increased; as the land is fair, so they have made fair pillars.

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.

2 Their mind is taken away; now they will be made waste: he will have their altars broken down, he will give their pillars to destruction.

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

3 Now, truly, they will say, We have no king, we have no fear of the Lord; and the king, what is he able to do for us?

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

4 Their words are foolish; they make agreements with false oaths, so punishment will come up like a poison-plant in a ploughed field.

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

5 The people of Samaria will be full of fear because of the ox of Beth-aven; its people will have sorrow for it, and its priests will give cries of grief for its glory, for the glory has gone in flight.

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.

6 And they will take it to Assyria and give it to the great king; shame will come on Ephraim, and Israel will be shamed because of its image.

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.

7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off, like mist on the water.

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

8 And the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will come to destruction; thorns and waste plants will come up on their altars; they will say to the mountains, Be a cover over us; and to the hills, Come down on us.

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.

9 O Israel, you have done evil from the days of Gibeah; there they took up their position, so that the fighting against the children of evil might not overtake them in Gibeah.

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.

10 I will come and give them punishment; and the peoples will come together against them when I give them the reward of their two sins.

[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.

11 And Ephraim is a trained cow, taking pleasure in crushing the grain; but I have put a yoke on her fair neck; I will put a horseman on the back of Ephraim; Judah will be working the plough, Jacob will be turning up the earth.

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.

12 Put in the seed of righteousness, get in your grain in mercy, let your unploughed earth be turned up: for it is time to make search for the Lord, till he comes and sends righteousness on you like rain.

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.

13 You have been ploughing sin, you have got in a store of evil, the fruit of deceit has been your food: for you put faith in your way, in the number of your men of war.

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.

14 So a great outcry will go up from among your people, and all your strong places will be broken, as Beth-arbel was broken by Shalman in the day of war, as the mother was broken on the rocks with her children.

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.

15 So will Beth-el do to you because of your evil-doing; at dawn will the king of Israel be cut off completely.

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