Hosea 10-11

English Standard Version

10 ^(A)Israel is a luxuriant vine
    that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
    ^(B)the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
    he improved his pillars.
²Their heart is false;
    now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord^[a] will break down their altars
    and destroy their pillars.

³For now they will say:
    ^(C)“We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord;
    and a king—what could he do for us?”
⁴They utter ^(D)mere words;
    with empty^[b] oaths they make covenants;
so ^(E)judgment springs up like poisonous weeds
    ^(F)in the furrows of the field.
⁵The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
    for ^(G)the calf^[c] of ^(H)Beth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—
    those who rejoiced over it and ^(I)over its glory—
    for it has departed^[d] from them.
⁶^(J)The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
    as tribute to ^(K)the great king.^[e]
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
    and Israel shall be ashamed ^(L)of his idol.^[f]

⁷^(M)Samaria's king shall perish
    like a twig on the face of the waters.
⁸The high places of ^(N)Aven, ^(O)the sin of Israel,
    shall be destroyed.
^(P)Thorn and thistle shall grow up
    on their altars,
and ^(Q)they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”
    and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

⁹From ^(R)the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel;
    there they have continued.
    Shall not the war against the unjust^[g] overtake them in Gibeah?
¹⁰^(S)When I please, ^(T)I will discipline them,
    and nations shall be gathered against them
    when they are bound up for ^(U)their double iniquity.

¹¹Ephraim was a trained calf
    that ^(V)loved to thresh,
    and I spared her fair neck;
but I will put ^(W)Ephraim to the yoke;
    ^(X)Judah must plow;
    Jacob must harrow for himself.
¹²^(Y)Sow for yourselves righteousness;
    reap steadfast love;
    ^(Z)break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
    that he may come and ^(AA)rain righteousness upon you.

¹³^(AB)You have plowed iniquity;
    you have reaped injustice;
    you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way
    and in the multitude of your warriors,
¹⁴therefore ^(AC)the tumult of war shall arise among your people,
    and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
as ^(AD)Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;
    ^(AE)mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
¹⁵Thus it shall be done to you, O ^(AF)Bethel,
    because of your great evil.
At dawn ^(AG)the king of Israel
    shall be utterly cut off.

The Lord's Love for Israel

11 ^(AH)When Israel was a child, ^(AI)I loved him,
    and out of Egypt I ^(AJ)called ^(AK)my son.
²^(AL)The more they were called,
    the more they went away;
^(AM)they kept sacrificing to the Baals
    and burning offerings to idols.

³Yet it was ^(AN)I who taught Ephraim to walk;
    I took them up by their arms,
    but they did not know that ^(AO)I healed them.
⁴^(AP)I led them with cords of kindness,^[h]
    with the bands of love,
and ^(AQ)I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
    and ^(AR)I bent down to them and fed them.

⁵^(AS)They shall not^[i] return to the land of Egypt,
    but ^(AT)Assyria shall be their king,
    ^(AU)because ^(AV)they have refused to return to me.
⁶^(AW)The sword shall rage against their cities,
    consume the bars of their gates,
    and devour them ^(AX)because of their own counsels.
⁷My people are bent ^(AY)on turning away from me,
    and though ^(AZ)they call out to the Most High,
    he shall not raise them up at all.

⁸How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
    How can I hand you over, O Israel?
^(BA)How can I make you ^(BB)like Admah?
    How can I treat you ^(BC)like Zeboiim?
^(BD)My heart recoils within me;
    my compassion grows warm and tender.
⁹I will not execute my burning anger;
    I will not again destroy Ephraim;
^(BE)for I am God and not a man,
    ^(BF)the Holy One in your midst,
    and I will not come in wrath.^[j]

¹⁰^(BG)They shall go after the Lord;
    ^(BH)he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
    his children shall come trembling ^(BI)from the west;
¹¹they shall come trembling like birds ^(BJ)from Egypt,
    and ^(BK)like doves ^(BL)from the land of Assyria,
    and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
¹²^[k] Ephraim ^(BM)has surrounded me with lies,
    and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
    and is faithful to the Holy One.