Hosea 8

¹Put the trumpet to thy mouth! Like an eagle cometh an enemy against the house of Jehovah, Because they have transgressed my covenant, And have rebelled against my law.

²They shall say to me, My God, we know thee, we, thine Israel!

³Israel hath cast away what is good; The enemy shall pursue him.

⁴They have set up kings, but not by me; They have made princes, and I knew it not. Of their silver and their gold have they made themselves idols, That they may be brought to destruction.

⁵An abomination is thy calf, O Samaria! Mine anger is kindled against them; How long will it be ere they can attain to purity!

⁶For from Israel it came; The workman made it, and it is no God; Yea, into fragments shall the calf of Samaria be broken.

⁷They have sown the wind, And they shall reap the whirlwind. They shall have no standing harvest; The ear shall yield no meal; If perchance it yield, strangers shall devour it.

⁸Israel is swallowed up; Soon shall they become among the nations As a vessel which no one desireth.

⁹For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a solitary wild-ass; Ephraim hireth lovers;

¹⁰But though they hire among the nations, Soon will I gather the nations against them; Then shall they rest a little while from the burden of their king, and their princes!

¹¹Ephraim hath built many altars for sin, Therefore shall he have altars for sin.

¹²Though I write for him many laws, They are accounted as a strange thing;

¹³As to the sacrifices which they should offer me, they slay flesh and eat it; Jehovah hath no pleasure in them. Now will he remember their iniquity, And punish their sins; To Egypt shall they return.

¹⁴For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and builded palaces, And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities; But I will send a fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces.

Hosea 8

¹Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.

²Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.

³Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.

⁴They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.

⁵Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?

⁶For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.

⁷For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

⁸Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.

⁹For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.

¹⁰Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.

¹¹Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.

¹²I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.

¹³They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.

¹⁴For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.