HOSEA
Hosea 10 ©
God complains about Israel’s unthankfulness, idolatry (especially with the golden calves), perjury, wickedness, perverseness, and vain confidence in their own practices and heroes. All this against His faithful warnings. And therefore He foretells them the destruction of all their idolatrous trumperies, and the carrying away of their golden calves, to their shame and disgrace, together with the ruin of their king, and prosperous state, and their extremity and disconsolate condition, in all these approaching evils, which, through His just judgment, would be inflicted upon them by their enemies.
ISRAEL 1is an empty vine, 2he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars;a according to the 3goodness of his land they have made 4goodly images.
5Their heart is 6divided; now shall they be found 7faulty: he shall 8break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.
For 9now they shall say, We have 10no king,b because we feared not the LORD; what then should a 11king do to us?
They have spoken 12words, swearing 13falsely in making a covenant: thus 14judgment 15springeth up as 16hemlock in the furrows of the field.
The 17inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the 18calves of 19Beth-aven: for the 20people thereof 21shall mourn over it, and the 22priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, 23because it is departed from it.
24It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king 25Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own 26counsel.
As for 27Samaria, her king is cut off as the 28foam upon the water.
The high places also of 29Aven, the 30sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the 31thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and theyc shall say to the mountains, 32Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.
O Israel, thou hast sinned 33from the days of Gibeah:d there they 34stood: the battle in Gibeah against the 35children of iniquity did 36not overtake them.
37It is in my desire that I should 38chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, 39when they shall bind themselves in their two 40furrows.
And Ephraim is as an 41heifer that is 42taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her 43fair neck: I will make Ephraim to 44ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall 45break his clods.
46Sow to yourselves 47in righteousness, reap 48in mercy; 49breake up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and 50rain 51righteousness upon you.
52Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped 53iniquity; ye have eaten the 54fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy 55way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
Therefore shall a 56tumult arise among thy 57people, and all thy fortresses 58shall be spoiled, as 59Shalman spoiled 60Beth-arbel in the day of 61battle: the 62mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.
So shall 63Beth-el do unto you because of your great 64wickedness: 65in a morning shall the 66king of Israel 67utterly be cut off.