Hosea 8

1`Unto thy mouth--a trumpet, As an eagle against the house of Jehovah, Because they transgressed My covenant, And against My law they have rebelled.

1Put the horn to your mouth. He comes like an eagle against the house of the Lord; because they have gone against my agreement, they have not kept my law.

2To Me they cry, `My God, we--Israel--have known Thee.'

2They will send up to me a cry for help: We, Israel, have knowledge of you, O God of Israel.

3Cast off good hath Israel, an enemy pursueth him.

3Israel has given up what is good; his haters will go after him.

4They have made kings, and not by Me, They have made princes, and I have not known, Their silver and their gold they have made to them idols, So that they are cut off.

4They have put up kings, but not by me; they have made princes, but I had no knowledge of it; they have made images of silver and gold, so that they may be cut off.

5Cast off hath thy calf, O Samaria, Burned hath Mine anger against them, Till when are they not capable of purity?

5I will have nothing to do with your young ox, O Samaria; my wrath is burning against them; how long will it be before the children of Israel make themselves clean?

6For even it <FI>is<Fi> of Israel; an artificer made it, And it <FI>is<Fi> not God, For the calf of Samaria is fragments!

6The workman made it, it is no god; the ox of Samaria will be broken into bits.

7For wind they sow, and a hurricane they reap, Stalk it hath none--a shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield--strangers do swallow it up.

7For they have been planting the wind, and their fruit will be the storm; his grain has no stem, it will give no meal, and if it does, a strange nation will take it.

8Israel hath been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight.

8Israel has come to destruction; now they are among the nations like a cup in which there is no pleasure.

9For they--they have gone up <FI>to<Fi> Asshur, A wild ass alone by himself <FI>is<Fi> Ephraim, They have hired lovers!

9For they have gone up to Assyria like an ass going by himself; Ephraim has given money to get lovers.

10Also though they hire among nations, Now I gather them, and they are pained a little, From the burden of a king of princes.

10But though they give money to the nations for help, still I will send them in all directions; and in a short time they will be without a king and rulers.

11Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.

11Because Ephraim has been increasing altars for sin, altars have become a cause of sin to him.

12I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.

12Though I put my law in writing for him in ten thousand rules, they are to him as a strange thing.

13The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They--<FI> to<Fi> Egypt they turn back.

13He gives the offerings of his lovers, and takes the flesh for food; but the Lord has no pleasure in them; now he will keep in mind their evil-doing and give them the punishment of their sins; they will go back to Egypt.

14And forget doth Israel his Maker, and buildeth temples, And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it hath consumed their palaces!

14For Israel has no memory of his Maker, and has put up the houses of kings; and Judah has made great the number of his walled towns. But I will send a fire on his towns and put an end to his great houses.