Hosea 10

¹ Israel was a luxuriant vine yielding plenty of fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built;the richer his land became, the richer he made the sacred pil ars.

² Theirs is a divided heart; now they wil have to pay for it. He himself will hack down their altars andwreck their sacred pil ars.

³ Then they wil say, 'We have no king because we have not feared Yahweh, but what could the king dofor us?'

⁴ Speeches are made, oaths sworn to no purpose, agreements concluded, and so-called justicespreads like a poisonous weed along the furrows of the fields!

⁵ Samaria's citizens wil tremble for the calf of Beth-Aven; the people there wil mourn for it, so wil itsidol-priests, as they exult in its glory once it has been carried away!

⁶ It wil be carried off to Assyria as tribute to the Great King. Ephraim will reap the shame, and Israelblush for his intentions.

⁷ Samaria has had her day. Her king is like a straw drifting on the water.

⁸ The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, wil be destroyed; thorns and thistles wil grow over theiraltars. Then they wil say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hil s, 'Fal on us!'

⁹ Since the days of Gibeah, Israel, you have sinned. There they have taken their stand, and will not warovertake the guilty at Gibeah?

¹⁰ I am coming to punish them; nations will muster against them to punish them for their two crimes.

¹¹ Ephraim is a wel -trained heifer that loves to tread the grain. But I have laid a yoke on her fine neck, Ishall put Ephraim into harness, Judah wil have to plough, Jacob must draw the harrow.

¹² Sow saving justice for yourselves, reap a harvest of faithful love; break up your fal ow ground: it istime to seek out Yahweh until he comes to rain saving justice down on you.

¹³ You have ploughed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity, you have eaten the fruit of falsehood.Because you have trusted in your chariots, in your great numbers of warriors,

¹⁴ turmoil is going to break out among your people, and al your fortresses will be laid waste. AsShalman laid Beth-Arbel waste on the day of battle, dashing mothers to pieces on their children,

¹⁵ so it shal be done to you, Bethel, because of your great wickedness; at dawn, the king of Israel wilbe no more.