Hosea 8

1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. [He cometh] as an eagle against the house of Jehovah, because they have transgressed my covenant, and rebelled against my law.

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.

2 They shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee; [we], Israel.

Israel calls out to me, “Our God, we know you!”

3 Israel hath cast off good: the enemy shall pursue him.

But Israel has rejected what is good. An enemy will chase after them.

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 them idols, that they may be cut off.

They appointed kings without my consent and chose princes without my knowledge. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.

5 Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast [thee] off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will they be incapable of purity?

Samaria, I reject this calf idol you have made! My anger burns against them! How long will you be incapable of being good?

6 For from Israel is this also: — a workman made it, and it is no God: for the calf of Samaria shall be [broken in] pieces.

This idol is from Israel! A craftsman made it—it's not God! The calf of Samaria will be broken in pieces!

7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; should it sprout, it would yield no meal; if so be it yield, strangers shall swallow it up.

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.

8 Israel is swallowed up: now are they become among the nations as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.

Israel is swallowed up; among the nations they are like something nobody wants.

9 For they are gone up [to] Assyria [as] a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.

They have gone up to Assyria like a donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers.

10 Although they hire among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall begin to be straitened under the burden of the king of princes.

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.

11 Because Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.

Though Ephraim built many altars to make sin offerings, they instead became altars of sin!

12 I have prescribed unto him the manifold things of my law: they are counted [as] a strange thing.

I wrote down for them the many aspects of my law, but they looked on them as foreign.

13 They sacrifice flesh [for] the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; Jehovah hath no delight in them. Now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.

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.

14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

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.