Hosea 10:11-15

Good News Translation

¹¹ “Israel was once like a well-trained young cow, ready and willing to thresh grain. But I decided to put a yoke^[a] on her beautiful neck and to harness her for harder work. I made Judah pull the plow and Israel pull the harrow. ^12 (A)I said, ‘Plow new ground for yourselves, plant righteousness, and reap the blessings that your devotion to me will produce. It is time for you to turn to me, your Lord, and I will come and pour out blessings upon you.’ ¹³ But instead you planted evil and reaped its harvest. You have eaten the fruit produced by your lies.

“Because you trusted in your chariots^[b] and in the large number of your soldiers, ¹⁴ war will come to your people, and all your fortresses will be destroyed. It will be like the day when King Shalman destroyed the city of Betharbel in battle, and mothers and their children were crushed to death. ¹⁵ That is what will happen to you, people of Bethel, because of the terrible evil that you have done. As soon as the battle begins, the king of Israel will die.”