הושע יHosea 10

Israel is a ravaged vineAnd its fruit is like it.When his fruit was plentiful,He made altars aplenty;When his land was bountiful,Cult pillars abounded.

Now that his boughs are broken up,He feels his guilt;He himself pulls apart his altars,Smashes his pillars.

Truly, now they say,“We have no king;For, since we do not fear GOD,What can a king do to us?”

So they conclude agreements and make covenantsWith false oaths,And justice degenerates into poison weeds,Breaking out on the furrows of the fields.

The inhabitants of Samaria fearFor the calf of Beth-aven; Indeed, its people and priestlings,Whose joy it once was, Mourn over it for the gloryThat is departed from it.

It too shall be brought to AssyriaAs tribute to a patron king;Ephraim shall be chagrined,Israel shall be dismayedBecause of his plans.

Samaria’s monarchy is vanishingLike foam upon water,

Ruined shall be the shrines of [Beth-]aven, That sin of Israel.Thorns and thistlesShall grow on their altars.They shall call to the mountains, “Bury us!”To the hills, “Fall on us!”

You have sinned more, O Israel,Than in the days of Gibeah. There they stand [as] at Gibeah!Shall they not be overtakenBy a war upon scoundrels

As peoples gather against them? When I chose [them], I broke them in,Harnessing them for two furrows.

Ephraim became a trained heifer,But preferred to thresh;I placed a yokeUpon her sleek neck. I will make Ephraim do advance plowing; in the sense of the Arabic krb. Judah shall do [main] plowing!Jacob shall do final plowing!

“Sow righteousness for yourselves;Reap the fruits of goodness;Break for yourselves betimes fresh groundOf seeking GOD,So that you may obtain a teacher of righteousness.”

You have plowed wickedness,You have reaped iniquity—[And] you shall eat the fruits of treachery—Because you relied on your way, On your host of warriors.

But the din of war shall arise in your own people,And all your fortresses shall be ravagedAs Beth-arbel was ravaged by Shalman On a day of battle,When mothers and babes were dashed to death together.

This is what Bethel has done to you For your horrible wickedness:At dawn shall Israel’s monarchyUtterly perish.