Hosea 10

10Israel was a spreading vine;^d

he brought forth fruit for himself.

As his fruit increased,

he built more altars;^e

as his land prospered,^f

he adorned his sacred stones.^g

²Their heart is deceitful,^h

and now they must bear their guilt.ⁱ

The Lord will demolish their altars^j

and destroy their sacred stones.^k

³Then they will say, “We have no king

because we did not revere the Lord.

But even if we had a king,

what could he do for us?”

⁴They make many promises,

take false oaths^l

and make agreements;^m

therefore lawsuits spring up

like poisonous weedsⁿ in a plowed field.

⁵The people who live in Samaria fear

for the calf-idol^o of Beth Aven.^ap

Its people will mourn over it,

and so will its idolatrous priests,^q

those who had rejoiced over its splendor,

because it is taken from them into exile.^r

⁶It will be carried to Assyria^s

as tribute^t for the great king.^u

Ephraim will be disgraced;^v

Israel will be ashamed^w of its foreign alliances.

⁷Samaria’s king will be destroyed,^x

swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.

⁸The high places^y of wickedness^bz will be destroyed—

it is the sin of Israel.

Thorns^a and thistles will grow up

and cover their altars.^b

Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”^c

and to the hills, “Fall on us!”^d

⁹“Since the days of Gibeah,^e you have sinned,^f Israel,

and there you have remained.^c

Will not war again overtake

the evildoers in Gibeah?

¹⁰When I please, I will punish^g them;

nations will be gathered against them

to put them in bonds for their double sin.

¹¹Ephraim is a trained heifer

that loves to thresh;

so I will put a yoke^h

on her fair neck.

I will drive Ephraim,

Judah must plow,

and Jacob must break up the ground.

¹²Sowⁱ righteousness^j for yourselves,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;^k

for it is time to seek^l the Lord,

until he comes

and showers his righteousness^m on you.

¹³But you have planted wickedness,

you have reaped evil,ⁿ

you have eaten the fruit of deception.^o

Because you have depended on your own strength

and on your many warriors,^p

¹⁴the roar of battle will rise against your people,

so that all your fortresses will be devastated^q—

as Shalman^r devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,

when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.^s

¹⁵So will it happen to you, Bethel,

because your wickedness is great.

When that day dawns,

the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.^t