Hosea 7–8

7The Lord says,

“I would like to heal Israel.

But when I try to, Ephraim’s sins

are brought out into the open.

The crimes of Samaria

are made known to everyone.

The people tell lies.

They break into houses and steal.

They rob others in the streets.

²But they do not realize

that I remember all of the evil things they do.

Their sins pile up and cover them.

I am always aware of those sins.

³“Their evil conduct even makes the king glad.

Their lies make the princes happy.

⁴But all of the people are unfaithful to the king.

Their anger against him burns

like the coals in an oven.

The baker does not even need to stir up the fire

until the dough is ready.”

⁵On special days to honor our king,

the princes get drunk with wine.

And the king enjoys the party.

He joins hands with those

who pretend to be faithful to him.

⁶Their hearts are as hot as an oven.

They make evil plans to get rid of him.

Their anger burns like a slow fire all night.

In the morning it blazes out like a flaming fire.

⁷All of them are as hot as an oven.

They destroy their rulers.

All of their kings fall from power.

But none of them calls on the Lord for help.

⁸The people of Ephraim mix with the nations.

They are like a flat cake

that is baked on only one side.

⁹People from other lands make them weaker and weaker.

But they don’t realize it.

Their hair is becoming gray.

But they don’t even notice it.

¹⁰The pride of Israel witnesses that they are guilty.

But in spite of everything,

they don’t return to the Lord their God.

They don’t go to him for help.

¹¹The Lord says,

“The people of Ephraim are like a dove.

They are easily tricked.

They do not have any sense at all.

First they call out to Egypt for help.

Then they turn to Assyria.

¹²When they send for help,

I will throw my net over them.

I will capture them like birds of the air.

I will punish them,

just as I warned them I would.

¹³How terrible it will be for them!

They have wandered away from me.

So they will be destroyed.

They have refused to obey me.

I long to save them.

But they tell lies about me.

¹⁴They do not cry out to me from their hearts.

Instead, they just lie on their beds and sob.

They cut themselves when they pray to Baal

for grain and fresh wine.

So they turn away from me.

¹⁵I brought them up and made them strong.

But they make evil plans against me.

¹⁶I am the Most High God. But they do not turn to me.

They are like a bow that does not shoot straight.

Their leaders will be killed with swords.

They will die because they have spoken too proudly.

The people of Egypt

will make fun of them.”

Israel Will Harvest a Windstorm

8The Lord said to me,

“Put a trumpet to your lips!

Give a warning to my people!

Assyria is like an eagle.

It is ready to attack my land.

My people have broken the covenant I made with them.

They have refused to obey my law.

²Israel shouts to me,

‘We recognize you as our God!’

³But they have turned away from what is good.

So an enemy will chase them.

⁴My people appoint kings I do not want.

They choose princes without my permission.

They use their silver and gold

to make statues of gods.

That is how they destroy themselves.”

⁵The Lord says, “People of Samaria,

throw out your god that looks like a calf!

My anger burns against you.

How long will it be until you are able

to remain faithful to me?

⁶Your calf is not God.

A skilled worker from Israel made it.

But it will be broken to pieces.”

⁷The Lord says,

“Worshiping other gods is like worshiping the wind.

It is like planting worthless seeds.

Assyria is like a windstorm.

That is all my people will harvest.

There are no heads of grain

on the stems that will come up.

So they will not produce any flour.

Even if they did produce grain,

the Assyrians would eat all of it up.

⁸So the people of Israel are swallowed up.

Now they are like a worthless pot to me

among the nations.

⁹They have gone up to Assyria for help.

They are like a wild donkey

that wanders around by itself.

Ephraim’s people have sold themselves

to their Assyrian lovers.

¹⁰They have sold themselves to the nations

to get their help.

But now I will gather them together.

They will get weaker and weaker.

The mighty kings of Assyria will crush them.

¹¹“Ephraim built many altars where they sacrificed

sin offerings to other gods.

So their altars have become

places where they commit sin.

¹²I wrote down many things in my law for their good.

But they considered my laws as something strange.

¹³They offer sacrifices to me.

They eat the meat of the animals they bring.

But I am not pleased with any of that.

I will remember the evil things they have done.

I will punish them for their sins.

And they will return to Egypt.

¹⁴Israel has forgotten the One who made them.

They have built palaces for themselves.

Judah has built forts in many towns.

But I will send fire down on their cities.

It will burn up their forts.”