The Apostasy of Israel

Set the [a]trumpet to your mouth!
He shall come (A)like an eagle against the house of the Lord,
Because they have transgressed My covenant
And rebelled against My law.
(B)Israel will cry to Me,
‘My God, (C)we know You!’
Israel has rejected the good;
The enemy will pursue him.

“They(D) set up kings, but not by Me;
They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.
From their silver and gold
They made idols for themselves—
That they might be cut off.
Your [b]calf [c]is rejected, O Samaria!
My anger is aroused against them—
(E)How long until they attain to innocence?
For from Israel is even this:
A (F)workman made it, and it is not God;
But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

“They(G) sow the wind,
And reap the whirlwind.
The stalk has no bud;
It shall never produce meal.
If it should produce,
(H)Aliens would swallow it up.
(I)Israel is swallowed up;
Now they are among the Gentiles
(J)Like a vessel in which is no pleasure.
For they have gone up to Assyria,
Like (K)a wild donkey alone by itself;
Ephraim (L)has hired lovers.
10 Yes, though they have hired among the nations,
Now (M)I will gather them;
And they shall [d]sorrow a little,
Because of the [e]burden of (N)the king of princes.

11 “Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin,
They have become for him altars for sinning.
12 I have written for him (O)the great things of My law,
But they were considered a strange thing.
13 For the sacrifices of My offerings (P)they sacrifice flesh and eat it,
(Q)But the Lord does not accept them.
(R)Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.
They shall return to Egypt.

14 “For(S) Israel has forgotten (T)his Maker,
And has built [f]temples;
Judah also has multiplied (U)fortified cities;
But (V)I will send fire upon his cities,
And it shall devour his [g]palaces.”

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 8:1 ram’s horn, Heb. shophar
  2. Hosea 8:5 Golden calf image
  3. Hosea 8:5 Or has rejected you
  4. Hosea 8:10 Or begin to diminish
  5. Hosea 8:10 Or oracle or proclamation
  6. Hosea 8:14 Or palaces
  7. Hosea 8:14 Or citadels

אֶל־חִכְּךָ֣ שֹׁפָ֔ר כַּנֶּ֖שֶׁר עַל־בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה יַ֚עַן עָבְר֣וּ בְרִיתִ֔י וְעַל־תּוֹרָתִ֖י פָּשָֽׁעוּ׃

לִ֖י יִזְעָ֑קוּ אֱלֹהַ֥י יְֽדַעֲנ֖וּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

זָנַ֥ח יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל ט֑וֹב אוֹיֵ֖ב יִרְדְּֽפוֹ׃

הֵ֤ם הִמְלִיכוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מִמֶּ֔נִּי הֵשִׂ֖ירוּ וְלֹ֣א יָדָ֑עְתִּי כַּסְפָּ֣ם וּזְהָבָ֗ם עָשׂ֤וּ לָהֶם֙ עֲצַבִּ֔ים לְמַ֖עַן יִכָּרֵֽת׃

זָנַח֙ עֶגְלֵ֣ךְ שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן חָרָ֥ה אַפִּ֖י בָּ֑ם עַד־מָתַ֕י לֹ֥א יוּכְל֖וּ נִקָּיֹֽן׃

כִּ֤י מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְה֔וּא חָרָ֣שׁ עָשָׂ֔הוּ וְלֹ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים ה֑וּא כִּֽי־שְׁבָבִ֣ים יִֽהְיֶ֔ה עֵ֖גֶל שֹׁמְרֽוֹן׃

כִּ֛י ר֥וּחַ יִזְרָ֖עוּ וְסוּפָ֣תָה יִקְצֹ֑רוּ קָמָ֣ה אֵֽין־ל֗וֹ צֶ֚מַח בְּלִ֣י יַֽעֲשֶׂה־קֶּ֔מַח אוּלַ֣י יַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה זָרִ֖ים יִבְלָעֻֽהוּ׃

נִבְלַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַתָּה֙ הָי֣וּ בַגּוֹיִ֔ם כִּכְלִ֖י אֵֽין־חֵ֥פֶץ בּֽוֹ׃

כִּֽי־הֵ֙מָּה֙ עָל֣וּ אַשּׁ֔וּר פֶּ֖רֶא בּוֹדֵ֣ד ל֑וֹ אֶפְרַ֖יִם הִתְנ֥וּ אֲהָבִֽים׃

10 גַּ֛ם כִּֽי־יִתְנ֥וּ בַגּוֹיִ֖ם עַתָּ֣ה אֲקַבְּצֵ֑ם וַיָּחֵ֣לּוּ מְּעָ֔ט מִמַּשָּׂ֖א מֶ֥לֶךְ שָׂרִֽים׃

11 כִּֽי־הִרְבָּ֥ה אֶפְרַ֛יִם מִזְבְּחֹ֖ת לַחֲטֹ֑א הָיוּ־ל֥וֹ מִזְבְּח֖וֹת לַחֲטֹֽא׃

12 ׳אֶכְתּוֹב־אֶ֨כְתָּב־ל֔וֹ׳ ׳רִבּוֹ׳ ״רֻבֵּ֖י״ תּֽוֹרָתִ֑י כְּמוֹ־זָ֖ר נֶחְשָֽׁבוּ׃

13 זִבְחֵ֣י הַבְהָבַ֗י יִזְבְּח֤וּ בָשָׂר֙ וַיֹּאכֵ֔לוּ יְהוָ֖ה לֹ֣א רָצָ֑ם עַתָּ֞ה יִזְכֹּ֤ר עֲוֺנָם֙ וְיִפְקֹ֣ד חַטֹּאותָ֔ם הֵ֖מָּה מִצְרַ֥יִם יָשֽׁוּבוּ׃

14 וַיִּשְׁכַּ֨ח יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־עֹשֵׂ֗הוּ וַיִּ֙בֶן֙ הֵֽיכָל֔וֹת וִֽיהוּדָ֕ה הִרְבָּ֖ה עָרִ֣ים בְּצֻר֑וֹת וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵ֣שׁ בְּעָרָ֔יו וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנֹתֶֽיהָ׃ ס

`Unto thy mouth -- a trumpet, As an eagle against the house of Jehovah, Because they transgressed My covenant, And against My law they have rebelled.

To Me they cry, `My God, we -- Israel -- have known Thee.'

Cast off good hath Israel, an enemy pursueth him.

They have made kings, and not by Me, They have made princes, and I have not known, Their silver and their gold they have made to them idols, So that they are cut off.

Cast off hath thy calf, O Samaria, Burned hath Mine anger against them, Till when are they not capable of purity?

For even it [is] of Israel; an artificer made it, And it [is] not God, For the calf of Samaria is fragments!

For wind they sow, and a hurricane they reap, Stalk it hath none -- a shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield -- strangers do swallow it up.

Israel hath been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight.

For they -- they have gone up [to] Asshur, A wild ass alone by himself [is] Ephraim, They have hired lovers!

10 Also though they hire among nations, Now I gather them, and they are pained a little, From the burden of a king of princes.

11 Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.

12 I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.

13 The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They -- [to] Egypt they turn back.

14 And forget doth Israel his Maker, and buildeth temples, And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it hath consumed their palaces!

Israel Reaps the Whirlwind

(A)Put the trumpet to your [a]lips!
(B)Like an eagle the enemy comes (C)against the house of the Lord,
Because they have (D)violated My covenant
And rebelled against My (E)Law.
(F)They cry out to Me,
“My God, (G)we of Israel know You!”
Israel has rejected the good;
The enemy will pursue him.
(H)They have set up kings, but not by Me;
They have appointed officials, but I did not know it.
With their (I)silver and gold they have made idols for themselves,
So that [b]they will be eliminated.
[c]He has rejected your (J)calf, Samaria, saying,
“My anger burns against them!”
How long will they be incapable of (K)innocence?
For from Israel comes even this!
A (L)craftsman made it, so it is not God;
Assuredly, the calf of Samaria will be broken to [d]pieces.
For (M)they sow wind
And they harvest a (N)storm.
The standing grain has no [e]kernels;
It yields (O)no [f]grain.
If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it.

Israel has been (P)swallowed up;
They are now among the nations
Like a (Q)vessel in which no one delights.
For they have gone up to (R)Assyria,
Like (S)a wild donkey all alone;
Ephraim has (T)paid fees for [g]lovers.
10 Even though they [h]pay for allies among the nations,
I will (U)gather them up now;
And they will begin (V)to diminish
Because of the burden of the (W)king of officials.

11 Since Ephraim has (X)multiplied altars for sin,
They have become altars of sinning for him.
12 Though (Y)I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My (Z)Law,
They are regarded as a strange thing.
13 As for My (AA)sacrificial gifts,
They (AB)sacrifice the flesh and eat it,
But the Lord has taken no delight in them.
Now He will (AC)remember their guilt,
And (AD)punish them for their sins;
They will return to (AE)Egypt.
14 For Israel has (AF)forgotten his Maker and (AG)built palaces;
And Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
But I will send a (AH)fire on its cities, and it will consume its palatial buildings.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 8:1 Lit palate
  2. Hosea 8:4 Lit he
  3. Hosea 8:5 Or Your calf has rejected you
  4. Hosea 8:6 Or splinters
  5. Hosea 8:7 Lit growth
  6. Hosea 8:7 Or meal
  7. Hosea 8:9 Lit love gifts
  8. Hosea 8:10 Or recruit allies