Hosea 10:1-8

Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Vine and the Calf

10 Israel is a lush^[a] vine;^(A)
it yields fruit for itself.
The more his fruit increased,
the more he increased the altars.^(B)
The better his land produced,
the better they made the sacred pillars.^(C)
²Their hearts are devious;^[b]^(D)
now they must bear their guilt.^(E)
The Lord will break down their altars^(F)
and demolish their sacred pillars.
³In fact, they are now saying,
“We have no king!
For we do not fear the Lord.^(G)
What can a king do for us?”
⁴They speak mere words,
taking false oaths while making covenants.^(H)
So lawsuits break out
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.^(I)

⁵The residents of Samaria^(J) will have anxiety
over the calf^(K) of Beth-aven.^(L)
Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it;
the people will mourn over it,
over its glory.^(M)
It will certainly depart from them.
⁶The calf itself will be taken to Assyria^(N)
as an offering to the great king.^[c]^(O)
Ephraim will experience shame;^(P)
Israel will be ashamed of its counsel.^(Q)
⁷Samaria’s king will disappear^[d]^(R)
like foam^[e] on the surface of the water.
⁸The high places^(S) of Aven, the sin of Israel,^(T)
will be destroyed;
thorns and thistles will grow over their altars.^(U)
They will say to the mountains,^(V) “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”^(W)