Add parallel Print Page Options

“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 Harvests the Whirlwind

“Sound the alarm!
    The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the Lord,
for they have broken my covenant
    and revolted against my law.
Now Israel pleads with me,
    ‘Help us, for you are our God!’
But it is too late.
The people of Israel have rejected what is good,
    and now their enemies will chase after them.
The people have appointed kings without my consent,
    and princes without my approval.
By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold,
    they have brought about their own destruction.

“O Samaria, I reject this calf—
    this idol you have made.
My fury burns against you.
    How long will you be incapable of innocence?
This calf you worship, O Israel,
    was crafted by your own hands!
It is not God!
    Therefore, it must be smashed to bits.

“They have planted the wind
    and will harvest the whirlwind.
The stalks of grain wither
    and produce nothing to eat.
And even if there is any grain,
    foreigners will eat it.
The people of Israel have been swallowed up;
    they lie among the nations like an old discarded pot.
Like a wild donkey looking for a mate,
    they have gone up to Assyria.
The people of Israel[a] have sold themselves—
    sold themselves to many lovers.
10 But though they have sold themselves to many allies,
    I will now gather them together for judgment.
Then they will writhe
    under the burden of the great king.

11 “Israel has built many altars to take away sin,
    but these very altars became places for sinning!
12 Even though I gave them all my laws,
    they act as if those laws don’t apply to them.
13 The people love to offer sacrifices to me,
    feasting on the meat,
    but I do not accept their sacrifices.
I will hold my people accountable for their sins,
    and I will punish them.
    They will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces,
    and Judah has fortified its cities.
Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities
    and will burn up their fortresses.”

Footnotes

  1. 8:9 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 8:11.

Israel to Reap the Whirlwind

“Put the trumpet(A) to your lips!
    An eagle(B) is over the house of the Lord
because the people have broken my covenant(C)
    and rebelled against my law.(D)
Israel cries out to me,
    ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
But Israel has rejected what is good;
    an enemy will pursue him.(E)
They set up kings without my consent;
    they choose princes without my approval.(F)
With their silver and gold
    they make idols(G) for themselves
    to their own destruction.
Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!(H)
    My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?(I)
    They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
    it is not God.(J)
It will be broken in pieces,
    that calf(K) of Samaria.(L)

“They sow the wind
    and reap the whirlwind.(M)
The stalk has no head;
    it will produce no flour.(N)
Were it to yield grain,
    foreigners would swallow it up.(O)
Israel is swallowed up;(P)
    now she is among the nations
    like something no one wants.(Q)
For they have gone up to Assyria(R)
    like a wild donkey(S) wandering alone.
    Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.(T)
10 Although they have sold themselves among the nations,
    I will now gather them together.(U)
They will begin to waste away(V)
    under the oppression of the mighty king.

11 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
    these have become altars for sinning.(W)
12 I wrote for them the many things of my law,
    but they regarded them as something foreign.(X)
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me,
    and though they eat(Y) the meat,
    the Lord is not pleased with them.(Z)
Now he will remember(AA) their wickedness
    and punish their sins:(AB)
    They will return to Egypt.(AC)
14 Israel has forgotten(AD) their Maker(AE)
    and built palaces;
    Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire on their cities
    that will consume their fortresses.”(AF)