Hosea 10–12

¹‘An empty vine is Israel, Fruit he maketh like to himself, According to the abundance of his fruit, He hath multiplied for the altars, According to the goodness of his land, They have made goodly standing-pillars. ²Their heart hath been divided, now they are guilty, He doth break down their altars, He doth destroy their standing-pillars. ³For now they say: We have no king, Because we have not feared Jehovah, And the king—what doth he for us? ⁴They have spoken words, To swear falsehood in making a covenant, And flourished as a poisonous herb hath judgment, on the furrows of a field. ⁵For the calves of Beth-Aven fear do inhabitants of Samaria, Surely mourned on account of it hath its people, And its priests on account of it leap about, Because of its honour, for it hath removed from it, ⁶Also it to Asshur is carried, a present to a warlike king, Shame doth Ephraim receive, And ashamed is Israel of its own counsel. ⁷Cut off is Samaria! Its king is as a chip on the face of the waters. ⁸And destroyed have been high places of Aven, the sin of Israel. Thorn and bramble go up on their altars, And they have said to hills, Cover us, And to heights, Fall upon us.

⁹From the days of Gibeah thou hast sinned, O Israel, There they have stood, Not overtake them in Gibeah doth battle, Because of sons of perverseness. ¹⁰When I desire, then I do bind them, And gathered against them have peoples, When they bind themselves to their two iniquities. ¹¹And Ephraim is a trained heifer—loving to thresh, And I—I have passed over on the goodness of its neck, I cause one to ride Ephraim, Plough doth Judah, harrow for him doth Jacob. ¹²Sow for yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to loving-kindness, Till for yourselves tillage of knowledge, To seek Jehovah, Till he come and shew righteousness to you. ¹³Ye have ploughed wickedness, Perversity ye have reaped, Ye have eaten the fruit of lying, For thou hast trusted in thy way, In the abundance of thy might. ¹⁴And rise doth a tumult among thy people, And all thy fortresses are spoiled, As the spoiling of Shalman of Beth-Arbel, In a day of battle, Mother against sons dashed in pieces. ¹⁵Thus hath Beth-El done to you, Because of the evil of your wickedness, In the dawn cut off utterly is a king of Israel!

Chapter 11

¹Because Israel is a youth, and I love him, Out of Egypt I have called for My Son. ²They have called to them rightly, They have gone from before them, To lords they do sacrifice, And to graven images they make perfume. ³And I have caused Ephraim to go on foot, Taking them by their arms, And they have not known that I strengthened them. ⁴With cords of man I do draw them, With thick cords of love, And I am to them as a raiser up of a yoke on their jaws, And I incline unto him—I feed him. ⁵He turneth not back unto the land of Egypt, And Asshur—he is his king, For they have refused to return. ⁶Grievous hath been the sword in his cities, And it hath ended his bars, and consumed—from their own counsels. ⁷And My people are hanging in suspense, about My returning, And unto the Most High they do call, Together they exalt not.

⁸How do I give thee up, O Ephraim? Do I deliver thee up, O Israel? How do I make thee as Admah? Do I set thee as Zeboim? Turned in Me is My heart, kindled together have been My repentings. ⁹I do not the fierceness of My anger, I turn not back to destroy Ephraim, For God I am, and not a man. In thy midst the Holy One, and I enter not in enmity, ¹⁰After Jehovah they go—as a lion He roareth, When He doth roar, then tremble do the sons from the west. ¹¹They tremble as a sparrow out of Egypt, And as a dove out of the land of Asshur, And I have caused them to dwell in their own houses, An affirmation of Jehovah. ¹²Compassed Me with feigning hath Ephraim, And with deceit the house of Israel. And Judah again is ruling with God, And with the Holy Ones is faithful!

Chapter 12

¹Ephraim is enjoying wind, And is pursuing an east wind, All the day lying and spoiling he multiplieth, And a covenant with Asshur they make, And oil to Egypt is carried. ²And a controversy hath Jehovah with Judah, To lay a charge on Jacob according to his ways, According to his doings He returneth to him. ³In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he was a prince with God, ⁴Yea, he is a prince unto the Messenger, And he overcometh by weeping, And he maketh supplication to Him, At Bethel He doth find him, And there He doth speak with us, ⁵Even Jehovah, God of the Hosts, Jehovah is His memorial. ⁶And thou, through thy God, dost turn, Kindness and judgment keep thou, And wait on thy God continually.

⁷Canaan! in his hand are balances of deceit! To oppress he hath loved. ⁸And Ephraim saith: ‘Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself, All my labours—they find not against me iniquity that is sin.’ ⁹And I—Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt, Again do I turn thee back into tents, As in the days of the appointed time. ¹⁰And I have spoken unto the prophets, And I have multiplied vision, And by the hand of the prophets I use similes. ¹¹Surely Gilead is iniquity, Only, vanity they have been, In Gilead bullocks they have sacrificed, Also their altars are as heaps, on the furrows of a field. ¹²And Jacob doth flee to the country of Aram, And Israel doth serve for a wife, Yea, for a wife he hath kept watch. ¹³And by a prophet hath Jehovah brought up Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet it hath been watched. ¹⁴Ephraim hath provoked most bitterly, And his blood on himself he leaveth, And his reproach turn back to him doth his Lord!

Chapter 13