Hosea 8

Put the Horn to Your Mouth

1Put the ram’s horn to your mouth!
One comes like an eagle
against the house of the LORD,
because they transgressed my covenant
and rebelled against my instruction. 2To me they cry,
“My God, we Israel know you!” 3Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.

They Made Kings, but Not from Me

4They made kings,
but not from me;
they made officials,
but I did not know it.
With their silver and their gold
they made idols for themselves,
so that they might be cut off. 5Your calf is rejected, Samaria!
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable
of innocence? 6For it is from Israel;
a craftsman made it,
and it is not God.
Surely the calf of Samaria
will become splinters.

They Sow Wind and Reap Whirlwind

7For they sow wind
and reap whirlwind.
Standing grain has no head;
it produces no flour.
Even if it produced,
strangers would swallow it. 8Israel is swallowed up.
Now they are among the nations
like a vessel
in which no one delights. 9For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild donkey wandering alone.
Ephraim has hired lovers. 10Though they hire among the nations,
now I will gather them,
and they will begin to diminish
under the burden
of king and officials.

Altars Have Become Altars for Sin

11Because Ephraim multiplied altars
for sin,
altars became for him
altars for sinning. 12Though I write for him
my instruction by tens of thousands,
they are regarded
as something foreign. 13As for my sacrificial gifts,
they sacrifice flesh and eat it,
but the LORD does not accept them.
Now he will remember their guilt
and attend to their sins.
They will return to Egypt.

Israel Forgot His Maker

14Israel forgot his Maker
and built palaces,
and Judah multiplied fortified cities.
But I will send fire upon his cities,
and it will devour her palaces.