Hosea 8

1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed 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 Israel shall cry to me, My God, we know thee.

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

3 Israel hath cast off the thing that is 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 for themselves 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; my anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?

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 was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but 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: the bud shall yield no meal: if it shall yield, the 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 shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel in which is no pleasure.

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

9 For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.

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

10 Yea, 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.

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 made many altars to sin, altars shall be to him to sin.

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

12 I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were 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 my offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and judge 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 fortified cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour his palaces.

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.