Hosea 10:1–11:1

^qIsrael is a luxuriant vine

that yields its fruit.

The more his fruit increased,

^rthe more altars he built;

as his country improved,

he improved his pillars.

²Their heart is false;

now they must bear their guilt.

The Lord¹ will break down their altars

and destroy their pillars.

³For now they will say:

^s“We have no king,

for we do not fear the Lord;

and a king—what could he do for us?”

⁴They utter ^tmere words;

with empty² oaths they make covenants;

so ^ujudgment springs up like poisonous weeds

^vin the furrows of the field.

⁵The inhabitants of Samaria tremble

for ^wthe calf³ of ^xBeth-aven.

Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—

those who rejoiced over it and ^yover its glory—

for it has departed⁴ from them.

^6zThe thing itself shall be carried to Assyria

as tribute to ^athe great king.⁵

Ephraim shall be put to shame,

and Israel shall be ashamed ^bof his idol.⁶

^7cSamaria’s king shall perish

like a twig on the face of the waters.

⁸The high places of ^xAven, ^dthe sin of Israel,

shall be destroyed.

^eThorn and thistle shall grow up

on their altars,

and ^fthey shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”

and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

⁹From ^gthe days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel;

there they have continued.

Shall not the war against the unjust⁷ overtake them in Gibeah?

^10hWhen I please, ⁱI will discipline them,

and nations shall be gathered against them

when they are bound up for ^jtheir double iniquity.

¹¹Ephraim was a trained calf

that ^kloved to thresh,

and I spared her fair neck;

but I will put ^lEphraim to the yoke;

^lJudah must plow;

Jacob must harrow for himself.

^12mSow for yourselves righteousness;

reap steadfast love;

ⁿbreak up your fallow ground,

for it is the time to seek the Lord,

that he may come and ^orain righteousness upon you.

^13pYou have plowed iniquity;

you have reaped injustice;

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your own way

and in the multitude of your warriors,

¹⁴therefore ^qthe tumult of war shall arise among your people,

and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,

as ^rShalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;

^smothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

¹⁵Thus it shall be done to you, O ^tBethel,

because of your great evil.

At dawn ^athe king of Israel

shall be utterly cut off.

The Lord’s Love for Israel

11^uWhen Israel was a child, ^vI loved him,

and out of Egypt I ^wcalled ^xmy son.