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“Put the trumpet to your lips!

    Something like an eagle is over Yahweh’s house,
    because they have broken my covenant,
    and rebelled against my law.
They cry to me, ‘My God, we Israel acknowledge you!’
    Israel has cast off that which is good.
    The enemy will pursue him.
They have set up kings, but not by me.
    They have made princes, and I didn’t approve.
    Of their silver and their gold they have made themselves idols,
    that they may be cut off.
Let Samaria throw out his calf idol!
    My anger burns against them!
    How long will it be until they are capable of purity?
For this is even from Israel!
    The workman made it, and it is no God;
    indeed, the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
For they sow the wind,
    and they will reap the whirlwind.
He has no standing grain.
    The stalk will yield no head.
    If it does yield, strangers will swallow it up.
Israel is swallowed up.
    Now they are among the nations like a worthless thing.
For they have gone up to Assyria,
    like a wild donkey wandering alone.
    Ephraim has hired lovers for himself.
10 But although they sold themselves among the nations,
    I will now gather them;
    and they begin to waste away because of the oppression of the king of mighty ones.
11 Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning,
    they became for him altars for sinning.
12 I wrote for him the many things of my law;
    but they were regarded as a strange thing.
13 As for the sacrifices of my offerings,
    they sacrifice meat and eat it;
    But Yahweh doesn’t accept them.
Now he will remember their iniquity,
    and punish their sins.
    They will return to Egypt.
14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces;
    and Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
    but I will send a fire on his cities,
    and it will devour its fortresses.”

Israel Rejects the Good

Put to your lips the trumpet
like a vulture over the house of Yahweh,
because they have broken my covenant[a]
    and rebelled against my law.
They cry out to me,
    “My God! We, Israel, know you!”
Israel has spurned the good;
    the enemy will pursue him.
They appointed kings, but not through me;
    they made officials, but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold
    they made idols for themselves
        for their[b] own destruction.[c]
Your calf is rejected,[d] O Samaria;
    my anger burns against them.
How long[e] will they be incapable of innocence?
    Because it is from Israel,
an artisan made it,
    it is not a god;
for the calf of Samaria
    will be broken to pieces.
Because they sow the wind,
    they will reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain does not have heads;[f]
    it will not yield flour.
And if it would yield,
    strangers would devour it.
Israel is swallowed up;
    now they are among the nations,
        like an object that no one desires.
For they have gone up to Assyria,
    a wild donkey alone to itself;
        Ephraim has sold itself for lovers.
10 Even though they have sold themselves to the nations,
    now I will gather them.
They will soon writhe
    from the burden of kings[g] and princes.
11 When Ephraim multiplied altars
    to expiate sins,
        they became to him altars to sin on.
12 I write for him myriads of my instruction;[h]
    they are regarded as a strange thing.
13 They offer sacrifices of my choice[i]
    and they eat flesh;
        Yahweh does not accept them.
Now he will remember their iniquity
    and punish their sins;
they will return to Egypt.
14     Israel has forgotten his maker and built palaces,
and Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
    but I will send fire on his cities
    and it will devour her strongholds.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 8:1 Literally “transgressed my covenant”
  2. Hosea 8:4 Hebrew “his”
  3. Hosea 8:4 Literally “cut off”
  4. Hosea 8:5 Hebrew “he rejects” or “has rejected you”
  5. Hosea 8:5 Hebrew “Until when”
  6. Hosea 8:7 Hebrew “head”
  7. Hosea 8:10 Hebrew “king”
  8. Hosea 8:12 Or “my law”
  9. Hosea 8:13 Hebrew uncertain; or “loved ones”