Hosea 10

Israel Is Punished

10Israel is a luxuriant vine;^a

he yields fruit for himself.

The more his fruit increased,

the more he made numerous altars.

The more his land prospered,

the more he^b improved^c his stone pillars.

²Their heart is false;

now they must bear their guilt.

He himself^d will break down their altars;

he will destroy their stone pillars.

³For now they will say,

“We have no king;

indeed, we did not fear Yahweh,

and what can a king do for us?”

⁴They utter words of vain oaths

when making covenants,^e

and judgment blossoms like a poisonous plant

on the furrows of the field.

⁵The inhabitants^f of Samaria tremble

for the calf^g of Beth-aven.

Indeed, his people will mourn for it,

and his idolatrous priests will wail^h over it—

over its glory because it has departed from it.

⁶It will also be brought to Assyria,

as tribute to the great king.ⁱ

Ephraim will obtain disgrace

and Israel will be ashamed from his advice.^j

⁷Samaria will be destroyed;

her king is like a chip on the surface of the water.

⁸The high places of Aven,

the sin of Israel, will be destroyed.

Thorn and thistle will grow

on their altars.

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

and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

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

there they have remained.^k

Will not war in Gibeah overtake them

against the children of evil?

¹⁰In my desire^l I will punish them;

nations will be gathered against them

when they are punished for their double iniquities.^m

¹¹Ephraim was a trained heifer,

that loved to thresh grain,

and I myself sparedⁿ

the fairness of her neck;

I will make Ephraim break the ground,

Judah will plow,

Jacob must till for himself.

¹²Sow for yourselves righteousness;

reap loyal love.^o

Break up for yourself fallow ground;

it is time to seek Yahweh

so he will come and rain

righteousness upon you.

¹³You have plowed wickedness,

you have reaped injustice,

you have eaten the fruit of lies,^p

because you have trusted in your strength,

in the multitude of your warriors.

¹⁴The tumult of war will rise up against your people,

and all your fortresses will be destroyed,

as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel;

on the day of war

mothers were dashed to pieces with their children.^q

¹⁵So it will be done to you, O Bethel,

because of the evil of your wickedness;

at dawn, the king of Israel

will be utterly destroyed.