HOSEA
Hosea 8 ©
God gives notice unto Israel of the enemies’ approach, ready to pursue, destroy and carry away the people, and to consume the fruits of the land, because of their forgetting, forsaking and despising of God, His covenant, law, and all wholesome instructions, in a word, all that is good, and setting up a kingdom of their own without God, having therewithal instituted and pursued all manner of idolatry, hypocritical worship, and especially that abominable one of the calves, together with pagan leagues and alliances, v. 1, etc. God threatens Judah also, 14.
SET the 1trumpet to thy 2mouth. 3He shall come as an 4eaglea against the 5house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant,b and 6trespassed against my law.
7Israel shall 8cry unto me, My God, 9we know thee.
Israel hath cast off the thing that is 10good: the 11enemy shall pursue him.
They have set up kings, but not 12by me: they have made 13princes, and I knew it 14not: of their silver and their gold have they made them 15idols, 16that they may be cut off.
¶Thy 17calf, O Samaria, hath cast 18thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they 19attain to 20innocency?
For from Israel was 21it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in 22pieces.
For they have sown the 23wind, and they shall reap the 24whirlwind: 25it hath no stalk: the 26bud shall 27yield no meal: if so be it yield, the 28strangers shall swallow it up.
Israel 29is swallowed up: 30now shall they be among the Gentiles as a 31vessel wherein is no pleasure.
For they are gone up to 32Assyria, a 33wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired 34lovers.
Yea, 35though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather 36them, and 37they shall sorrow a little for the 38burden of the king 39of princes.
Because Ephraim hath 40made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
I have written to him the 41great things of my 42law, but 43they were counted as a 44strange thing.
They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of 45mine offerings, and 46eat it; but the LORD 47accepteth 48them not; now will he 49remember their iniquity, and 50visit their sins: they shall return to 51Egypt.
For Israel hath forgotten his 52Maker, and buildeth 53temples; and Judah hath multiplied 54fenced cities: but I will send a 55fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces 56thereof.