Hosea

10 A luxuriant vine is Israel, Fruit beseemeth him,—According to the abundance of his fruit hath he brought abundance to the altars, According to the goodliness of his land hath he made goodly statues.

2 Hypocritical is their heart, Now shall they be held guilty,—He will break down their altars, He will destroy their statues.

3 For now will they say, We have no king,—For we revere not Yahweh, And what could a king do for us?

4 They have spoken words, swearing falsely in solemnizing a covenant,—Therefore shall judgment spring up like a poisonous plant on the ridges of the field.

5 About the calves of Beth-aven will the inhabitant of Samaria be concerned,—For the people thereof have mourned over it And the ascetics thereof who over it used to exult [shall mourn] for the glory thereof because it hath departed therefrom.

6 Itself also to Assyria shall be borne along, as a present to a hostile king,—Shame shall Ephraim receive, that Israel may be ashamed of his own counsel.

7 Silenced is Samaria: Her king is as a chip on the face of the waters.

8 So shall the high places of Aven be destroyed, the sin of Israel, Thorn and prickle shall come up on their altars,—Therefore shall they say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us.

9 Beyond the days of Gibeah hast thou sinned, O Israel: There came they to a stand, The battle against the sons of perversity touched them not in Gibeah.

10 When I please then will I chastise them,—And there shall be gathered together against them—peoples, They being harnessed to their two Iniquities;

11 But Ephraim shall be a heifer broken in, loving to tread out corn, when I have passed over upon her fair neck,—I will drive Ephraim, Judah shall plow, Jacob shall harrow to him.

12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, Reap ye at the bidding of lovingkindness, Furrow to yourselves the newly-ploughed soil,—Then will be the time to seek Yahweh, Until he come that he may rain down righteousness for you.

13 Ye have plowed lawlessness, Perversity have ye reaped, Ye have eaten the fruit of deception,—Because thou didst trust in thy chariots, In the multitude of thy mighty men.

14 Therefore shall there arise a tumult among thy peoples, And all thy fortresses shall be plundered, As Shalman plundered Beth-arbêl in the day of battle,—The mother upon her children dashed to the ground.

15 Even so hath Bethel done to you, because of your exceeding wickedness,—In the dawn shall the king of Israel be utterly silenced.