Hosea 8

Israel’s False Hopes

¹Put the ram’s horn to your mouth! ^a

One like an eagle comes

against the house of the Lord, ^b

because they transgress my covenant ^c

and rebel against my law. ^d

²Israel cries out to me, ^e

“My God, we know you! ”

³Israel has rejected what is good; ^f

an enemy will pursue him.

⁴They have installed kings, ^g

but not through me.

They have appointed leaders,

but without my approval.

They make their silver and gold ^h

into idols for themselves

for their own destruction. ⁱ

⁵Your calf-idol ^j,^k is rejected, Samaria. ^l

My anger burns against them.

How long will they be incapable of innocence? ^m

⁶For this thing is from Israel —

a craftsman made it, ⁿ and it is not God.

The calf of Samaria will be smashed to bits!

⁷Indeed, they sow the wind ^o

and reap the whirlwind. ^p

There is no standing grain;

what sprouts fails to yield flour. ^q

Even if they did,

foreigners would swallow it up.

⁸Israel is swallowed up! ^r

Now they are among the nations

like discarded pottery. ^s

⁹For they have gone up to Assyria ^t

like a wild donkey going off on its own.

Ephraim has paid for love. ^u

¹⁰Even though they hire lovers among the nations,

I will now round them up,

and they will begin to decrease in number ^v

under the burden of the king and leaders. ^w

¹¹When Ephraim multiplied his altars for sin, ^x

they became his altars for sinning.

¹²Though I were to write out for him

ten thousand points of my instruction, ^y

they would be ^z regarded as something strange.

¹³Though they offer sacrificial gifts ^aa,^ab

and eat the flesh, ^ac

the Lord does not accept them.

Now he will remember their guilt ^ad

and punish their sins; ^ae

they will return to Egypt. ^af

¹⁴Israel has forgotten his Maker ^ag and built palaces; ^ah

Judah has also multiplied fortified cities.

I will send fire on their cities, ^ai

and it will consume their citadels.