Hosea 8

Israel Reaps the Whirlwind

1 Put the trumpet to your lips. An enemy is swooping down like an eagle over the house of the LORD, because they broke My covenant and rebelled against My law.

2 Israel cries out to Me, “My God, we know You,”

3 but Israel rejected what is good. An enemy will chase them down.

4 They set up kings without My approval, they appoint leaders without asking Me. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves, just setting themselves up for destruction.

5 Samaria, your calf idol makes Me sick. My anger burns against them. How long are they going to stay unclean,

6 This thing came from Israel, a craftsman made it, it is not God. That calf from Samaria is going to get smashed to pieces.

7 They planted the wind and now they reaping the whirlwind. The crops got no stalk, no grain to eat. Even if something grows, foreigners will swallow it up.

8 Israel is swallowed up, now they among the nations like something nobody wants.

9 They ran to Assyria like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim paid lovers for protection.

10 Even though they hire nations, I will gather them up, and soon they will start shrinking under the heavy burden of kings and rulers.

11 Ephraim built a bunch of altars to deal with sin, but those altars just became more places to sin.

12 I wrote for them many instructions from My law, but they treated it like something foreign.

13 They love bringing sacrifices to Me and eating the meat, but the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their guilt and punish their sins. They will return to Egypt.

14 Israel forgot his Maker and built palaces. Judah built fortified cities. But I will send fire on their cities, and it will burn down their strongholds.