Hosea 10
Names of God Bible
Israel Is Like a Rotten Vine
10 The people of Israel are like vines that used to produce fruit.
The more fruit they produced,
the more altars they built.
The more their land produced,
the more stone markers they set up to honor other gods.
2 They are hypocrites. Now they must take their punishment.
Elohim will tear down their altars and destroy their stone markers.
3 So they’ll say,
“We have no king because we didn’t fear Yahweh.
Even if we had a king, he couldn’t do anything for us.”
4 They say many things. They lie when they take oaths,
and they make promises they don’t intend to keep.
That’s why lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
5 Those who live in Samaria fear the calf-shaped idol at Beth Aven.
The people will mourn over it.
The priests will cry loudly
because its glory will be taken away into captivity.
6 The thing itself will be carried to Assyria
as a present to the great king.[a]
Ephraim will be disgraced.
Israel will be ashamed because of its plans.
7 The king of Samaria will be carried away
like a piece of wood on water.
8 The illegal worship sites of Aven will be destroyed.
Israel sins there.
Thorns and weeds will grow over those altars.
People will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 Israel, you have sinned ever since the incident at Gibeah.
You never change.
War will overtake the wicked people in Gibeah.
10 “I will punish them when I’m ready.
Armies will gather to attack them.
They will be punished for their many sins.
Israel Is Like a Cow That Threshed Grain
11 “Ephraim is like a trained calf that loves to thresh[b] grain.
I will put a yoke[c] on its beautiful neck.
I will harness Ephraim.
Judah must plow.
Jacob must break up the ground.
12 “Break new ground.
Plant righteousness,
and harvest the fruit that your loyalty will produce for me.”
It’s time to seek Yahweh!
When he comes, he will rain righteousness on you.
13 You have planted wickedness and harvested evil.
You have eaten the fruit that your lies produced.
You have trusted your own power and your many warriors.
14 So your army will hear the noise of battle.
All your fortresses will be destroyed
like the time Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel in battle.
Mothers and their children were smashed to death.
15 This is what will happen to you, Bethel,
because you have done many wicked things.
At daybreak, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:6 Or “to King Jareb.”
- Hosea 10:11 Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain.
- Hosea 10:11 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.
Hosea 10
English Standard Version
10 (A)Israel is a luxuriant vine
that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
(B)the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
he improved his pillars.
2 Their heart is false;
now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord[a] will break down their altars
and destroy their pillars.
3 For now they will say:
(C)“We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord;
and a king—what could he do for us?”
4 They utter (D)mere words;
with empty[b] oaths they make covenants;
so (E)judgment springs up like poisonous weeds
(F)in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
for (G)the calf[c] of (H)Beth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced over it and (I)over its glory—
for it has departed[d] from them.
6 (J)The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
as tribute to (K)the great king.[e]
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
and Israel shall be ashamed (L)of his idol.[f]
7 (M)Samaria's king shall perish
like a twig on the face of the waters.
8 The high places of (N)Aven, (O)the sin of Israel,
shall be destroyed.
(P)Thorn and thistle shall grow up
on their altars,
and (Q)they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”
and to the hills, “Fall on us.”
9 From (R)the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel;
there they have continued.
Shall not the war against the unjust[g] overtake them in Gibeah?
10 (S)When I please, (T)I will discipline them,
and nations shall be gathered against them
when they are bound up for (U)their double iniquity.
11 Ephraim was a trained calf
that (V)loved to thresh,
and I spared her fair neck;
but I will put (W)Ephraim to the yoke;
(X)Judah must plow;
Jacob must harrow for himself.
12 (Y)Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
(Z)break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and (AA)rain righteousness upon you.
13 (AB)You have plowed iniquity;
you have reaped injustice;
you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way
and in the multitude of your warriors,
14 therefore (AC)the tumult of war shall arise among your people,
and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
as (AD)Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;
(AE)mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
15 Thus it shall be done to you, O (AF)Bethel,
because of your great evil.
At dawn (AG)the king of Israel
shall be utterly cut off.
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:2 Hebrew He
- Hosea 10:4 Or vain (see Exodus 20:7)
- Hosea 10:5 Or calves
- Hosea 10:5 Or has gone into exile
- Hosea 10:6 Or to King Jareb
- Hosea 10:6 Or counsel
- Hosea 10:9 Hebrew the children of injustice
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
