Hosea 10–12

Israel was a spreading vine;^c

he brought forth fruit for himself.

As his fruit increased,

he built more altars;^d

as his land prospered,^e

he adorned his sacred stones.^f

Their heart is deceitful,^g

and now they must bear their guilt.^h

The Lord will demolish their altarsⁱ

and destroy their sacred stones.^j

Then 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?”

They make many promises,

take false oaths^k

and make agreements;^l

therefore lawsuits spring up

like poisonous weeds^m in a plowed field.

The people who live in Samaria fear

for the calf-idolⁿ of Beth Aven.^o

Its people will mourn over it,

and so will its idolatrous priests,^p

those who had rejoiced over its splendor,

because it is taken from them into exile.^q

It will be carried to Assyria^r

as tribute^s for the great king.^t

Ephraim will be disgraced;^u

Israel will be ashamed^v of its foreign alliances.

Samaria’s king will be destroyed,^w

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

The high places^x of wickedness^y will be destroyed—

it is the sin of Israel.

Thorns^z and thistles will grow up

and cover their altars.^a

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

and to the hills, “Fall on us!”^c

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

and there you have remained.

Will not war again overtake

the evildoers in Gibeah?

When I please, I will punish^f them;

nations will be gathered against them

to put them in bonds for their double sin.

Ephraim is a trained heifer

that loves to thresh;

so I will put a yoke^g

on her fair neck.

I will drive Ephraim,

Judah must plow,

and Jacob must break up the ground.

Sow^h for yourselves righteousness,ⁱ

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;^j

for it is time to seek^k the Lord,

until he comes

and showers his righteousness^l on you.

But you have planted wickedness,

you have reaped evil,^m

you have eaten the fruit of deception.ⁿ

Because you have depended on your own strength

and on your many warriors,^o

the roar of battle will rise against your people,

so that all your fortresses will be devastated^p—

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

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

So will it happen to you, Bethel,

because your wickedness is great.

When that day dawns,

the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.^s

God’s Love for Israel

“When Israel was a child,^a I loved^b him,

and out of Egypt I called my son.^c

But the more they were called,

the more they went away from me.^d

They sacrificed to the Baals^e

and they burned incense to images.^f

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

taking them by the arms;^g

but they did not realize

it was I who healed^h them.

I led them with cords of human kindness,

with ties of love.ⁱ

To them I was like one who lifts

a little child to the cheek,

and I bent down to feed^j them.^k

“Will they not return to Egypt^l

and will not Assyria^m rule over them

because they refuse to repent?ⁿ

Swords^o will flash in their cities,

will destroy the bars^p of their gates

and put an end to their plans.

My people are determined to turn^q from me.^r

Even though they call me God Most High,

I will by no means exalt them.

“How can I give you up,^s Ephraim?^t

How can I hand you over, Israel?

How can I treat you like Admah?

How can I make you like Zeboyim?^u

My heart is changed within me;

all my compassion^v is aroused.^w

I will not carry out my fierce anger,^x

nor will I devastate^y Ephraim again.

For I am God, and not a human being^z—

the Holy One^a among you.

I will not come against their cities.

They will follow the Lord;

he will roar^b like a lion.^c

When he roars,

his children will come trembling^d from the west.^e

They will come trembling

like birds from Egypt,

like doves^f from Assyria.^g

I will settle them in their homes,”^h

declares the Lord.

Israel’s Sin

^*Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,^a

the house of Israel with deceit.

And Judah is unruly against God,

even against the faithful^b Holy One.^c

^*Ephraim^d feeds on the wind;^e

he pursues the east wind all day

and multiplies lies and violence.^f

He makes a treaty with Assyria^g

and sends olive oil to Egypt.^h

The Lord has a chargeⁱ to bring against Judah;^j

he will punish^k Jacob according to his ways

and repay him according to his deeds.^l

In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;^m

as a man he struggledⁿ with God.

He struggled with the angel and overcame him;

he wept and begged for his favor.

He found him at Bethel^o

and talked with him there—

the Lord God Almighty,

the Lord is his name!^p

But you must return^q to your God;

maintain love and justice,^r

and wait for your God always.^s

The merchants use dishonest scales;^t

they love to defraud.

Ephraim boasts,^u

“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.^v

With all my wealth they will not find in me

any iniquity or sin.”

“I have been the Lord your God

ever since you came out of Egypt;^w

I will make you live in tents^x again,

as in the days of your appointed festivals.

I spoke to the prophets,

gave them many visions

and told parables^y through them.”^z

Is Gilead wicked?^a

Its people are worthless!

Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?^b

Their altars will be like piles of stones

on a plowed field.^c

Jacob fled to the country of Aram;^d

Israel served to get a wife,

and to pay for her he tended sheep.^e

The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,^f

by a prophet he cared for him.^g

But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;

his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed^h

and will repay him for his contempt.ⁱ