Hosea 10
Retribution for Israel’s Sin
¹ Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.
² Their hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars.
³ Surely now they will say, “We have no king, for we do not revere the LORD. What can a king do for us?”
⁴ They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
⁵ The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven.1 Indeed, its people will mourn over it with its idolatrous priests— those who rejoiced in its glory— for it has been taken from them into exile.
⁶ Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king.2 Ephraim 3 will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.4
⁷ Samaria will be carried off with her king like a twig on the surface of the water.
⁸ The high places of Aven 5 will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”6
⁹ Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not the battle in Gibeah overtake the sons of iniquity?7
¹⁰ I will chasten them when I please; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bondage for their double transgression.
¹¹ Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh; but I will place a yoke on her fair neck. I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, and Jacob will break the hard ground.
¹² Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.
¹³ You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your mighty men,
¹⁴ the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be demolished as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel in the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to pieces along with their children.
¹⁵ Thus it will be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness. When the day dawns, the king of Israel will be utterly cut off.
10:5 Beth-aven means house of wickedness. This is a derogatory term for Bethel, which means house of God; see 1 Kings 12:28–29. ↩︎
10:6 Or to King Jareb ↩︎
10:6 That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verse 11 ↩︎
10:6 Or of its own counsel ↩︎
10:8 Or of wickedness; Aven is a reference to Beth-aven (a derogatory term for Bethel); see verse 5. ↩︎
10:8 Cited in Luke 23:30; see also Revelation 6:16. ↩︎
10:9 Or Did not the battle overtake the sons of iniquity in Gibeah? ↩︎