Hosea 10–11

THE VINE AND THE CALF

10Israel is a lush^B 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

²Their hearts are devious;^Cz

now they must bear their guilt.^aa

The Lord will break down their altars^ab

and demolish their sacred pillars.

³In fact, they are now saying,

“We have no king!

For we do not fear the Lord.^ac

What can a king do for us?”

⁴They speak mere words,

taking false oaths while making covenants.^ad

So lawsuits break out

like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.^ae

⁵The residents of Samaria^af will have anxiety

over the calf^ag 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.

⁶The calf itself will be taken to Assyria^aj

as an offering to the great king.^Aak

Ephraim will experience shame;^al

Israel will be ashamed of its counsel.^am

⁷Samaria’s king will disappear^Ban

like foam^C on the surface of the water.

⁸The high places^ao 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

ISRAEL’S DEFEAT BECAUSE OF SIN

⁹Israel, you have sinned

since the days of Gibeah;^at

they have taken their stand there.

Will not war against the unjust

overtake them in Gibeah?

¹⁰I will discipline^au them at my discretion;^av

nations will be gathered against them

to put them in bondage^D

for their double iniquity.^a

¹¹Ephraim is a well-trained calf^b

that loves to thresh,

but I will place a yoke on^E her fine neck.^c

I will harness Ephraim;^d

Judah will plow;

Jacob will do the final plowing.

¹²Sow righteousness for yourselves^e

and reap faithful love;

break up your unplowed ground.^f

It is time to seek the Lord^g

until he comes^h and sends righteousness

on you like the rain.ⁱ

¹³You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice;^j

you have eaten the fruit of lies.^k

Because you have trusted in your own way^F

and in your large number of soldiers,^l

¹⁴the roar of battle will rise against your people,

and all your fortifications will be demolished^m

in a day of war,

like Shalman’s destruction of Beth-arbel.

Mothers will be dashed to pieces

along with their children.ⁿ

¹⁵So it will be done to you, Bethel,^o

because of your extreme evil.

At dawn the king of Israel will be totally destroyed.

THE LORD’S LOVE FOR ISRAEL

11When Israel was a child, I loved him,^p

and out of Egypt I called my son.^q

²Israel called to the Egyptians^r

even as Israel was leaving them.^A

They kept sacrificing to the Baals^s

and burning offerings to idols.^t

³It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,^u

taking them^B by the hand,^Cv

but they never knew that I healed them.^w

⁴I led them with human cords,

with ropes of love.^x

To them I was like one

who eases the yoke from their jaws;^y

I bent down to give them food.^z

⁵Israel will not return to the land of Egypt

and Assyria will be his king,^aa

because they refused to repent.^ab

⁶A sword will whirl through his cities;^ac

it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates,^Dad

because of their schemes.^ae

⁷My people are bent on turning from me.^af

Though they call to him on high,

he will not exalt them at all.

⁸How can I give you up, Ephraim?^ag

How can I surrender you, Israel?

How can I make you like Admah?^ah

How can I treat you like Zeboiim?^ai

I have had a change of heart;

my compassion is stirred!

⁹I will not vent the full fury of my anger;^aj

I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim.^ak

For I am God and not man,

the Holy One among you;^al

I will not come in rage.^E

¹⁰They will follow the Lord;^am

he will roar like a lion.^an

When he roars,

his children will come trembling from the west.^ao

¹¹They will be roused like birds from Egypt

and like doves^ap from the land of Assyria.^aq

Then I will settle them in their homes.^ar

This is the Lord’s declaration.

¹²Ephraim surrounds me with lies,^as

the house of Israel, with deceit.

Judah still wanders with God

and is faithful to the holy ones.^F