The inhabitants of Samaria will fear
For the [a](A)calf of (B)Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn for it,
And its (C)idolatrous priests [b]will cry out over it,
Over its (D)glory, since it has left it.
The thing itself will be brought to (E)Assyria
As a gift of tribute to [c](F)King Jareb;
Ephraim will [d]be (G)seized with shame,
And Israel will be ashamed of its (H)own plan.
Samaria will be (I)destroyed with her king,
Like a twig on the surface of the water.
Also the (J)high places of Aven, the (K)sin of Israel, will be destroyed;
(L)Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars;
Then they will (M)say to the mountains,
“Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 10:5 As in some ancient versions; MT calves
  2. Hosea 10:5 Or who used to rejoice over
  3. Hosea 10:6 Another reading is the great king; or the contentious king
  4. Hosea 10:6 Lit receive shame

The people of Samaria tremble in fear
    for their calf idol at Beth-aven,[a]
    and they mourn for it.
Though its priests rejoice over it,
    its glory will be stripped away.[b]
This idol will be carted away to Assyria,
    a gift to the great king there.
Ephraim will be ridiculed and Israel will be shamed,
    because its people have trusted in this idol.
Samaria and its king will be cut off;
    they will float away like driftwood on an ocean wave.
And the pagan shrines of Aven,[c] the place of Israel’s sin, will crumble.
    Thorns and thistles will grow up around their altars.
They will beg the mountains, “Bury us!”
    and plead with the hills, “Fall on us!”

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Footnotes

  1. 10:5a Beth-aven means “house of wickedness”; it is being used as another name for Bethel, which means “house of God.”
  2. 10:5b Or will be taken away into exile.
  3. 10:8 Aven is a reference to Beth-aven; see 10:5a and the note there.