Hosea 10:1–8

THE VINE AND THE CALF

10 Israel is a lushB vine;w

it yields fruit for itself.

The more his fruit increased,

the more he increased the altars.x

The better his land produced,

the better they made the sacred pillars.y

2 Their hearts are devious;C,z

now they must bear their guilt.aa

The Lord will break down their altarsab

and demolish their sacred pillars.

3 In fact, they are now saying,

“We have no king!

For we do not fear the Lord.ac

What can a king do for us?”

4 They speak mere words,

taking false oaths while making covenants.ad

So lawsuits break out

like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.ae

5 The residents of Samariaaf will have anxiety

over the calfag of Beth-aven.ah

Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it;

the people will mourn over it,

over its glory.ai

It will certainly go into exile.

6 The calf itself will be taken to Assyriaaj

as an offering to the great king.A,ak

Ephraim will experience shame;al

Israel will be ashamed of its counsel.am

7 Samaria’s king will disappearB,an

like foamC on the surface of the water.

8 The high placesao of Aven, the sin of Israel,ap

will be destroyed;

thorns and thistles will grow over their altars.aq

They will say to the mountains,ar “Cover us!”

and to the hills, “Fall on us!”as