Hosea 8

¹ Put the trumpet to your lips! Like an eagle, disaster is swooping on Yahweh's home! Because they haveviolated my covenant and been unfaithful to my Law,

² in vain wil they cry, 'My God!' In vain, 'We, Israel, know you!'

³ Israel has rejected the good, the enemy will pursue them.

⁴ They have set up kings, but without my consent, and appointed princes, but without my knowledge.With their silver and gold, they have made themselves idols, but only to be destroyed.

⁵ I spurn your calf, Samaria! My anger blazes against them! How long wil it be before they recover theirinnocence?

⁶ For it is the product of Israel- a craftsman made the thing, it is no god at al ! The calf of Samaria wil bebroken to pieces!

⁷ Since they sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind; stalk without ear, it wil never yield flour- or if itdoes, foreigners will swallow it.

⁸ Israel has himself been swal owed; now they are lost among the nations like something no one wants,

⁹ for having made approaches to Assyria- like a wild donkey, al alone. Ephraim has rented lovers

¹⁰ and because he has rented them from the nations I am now going to round them up; soon they wilfeel the weight of the king of princes!

¹¹ Ephraim keeps building altars for his sins, these very altars are themselves a sin.

¹² However much of my Law I write for him, Ephraim regards it as alien to him.

¹³ They offer sacrifices to me and eat the meat, they do not win Yahweh's favour. On the contrary, he wilremember their guilt and punish their sins; they wil have to go back to Egypt.

¹⁴ Israel has forgotten his Maker and has built palaces, while Judah keeps on building fortified towns; butI shal send fire down on his cities to devour their citadels.