Hosea 10
New King James Version

Israel’s Sin and Captivity

10 Israel^(A)emptieshisvine;
He brings forth fruit for himself.
According to the multitude of his fruit
^(B)He has increased the altars;
According to the bounty of his land
They have embellishedhis sacredpillars.
²Their heart is^(C)divided;^[a]
Now they are held guilty.
He will break down their altars;
He will ruin theirsacredpillars.

³For now they say,
“We have no king,
Because we did not fear theLord.
And as for a king, what would he do for us?”
⁴They have spoken words,
Swearing falsely in making a covenant.
Thus judgment springs up^(D)like hemlock in the furrows of the field.

⁵The inhabitants of Samaria fear
Because of the^(E)calf^[b]of Beth Aven.
For its people mourn for it,
And^[c]its priests shriek for it—
Because its^(F)glory has departed from it.
⁶The idolalso shall be carried to Assyria
Asa present for King^(G)Jareb.
Ephraim shall receive shame,
And Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

⁷As forSamaria, her king is cut off
Like a twig on the water.
⁸Also the^(H)high places of^[d]Aven,^(I)the sin of Israel,
Shall be destroyed.
The thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars;
^(J)They shall say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

⁹“O Israel, you have sinned from the days of^(K)Gibeah;
There they stood.
The^(L)battle in Gibeah against the children of^[e]iniquity
Did not^[f]overtake them.
¹⁰Whenit isMy desire, I will chasten them.
^(M)Peoples shall be gathered against them
When I bind them^[g]for their two transgressions.
¹¹Ephraimis^(N)a trained heifer
That loves to threshgrain;
But I harnessed her fair neck,
I will make Ephraim^[h]pulla plow.
Judah shall plow;
Jacob shall break his clods.”

¹²Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
^(O)Break up your fallow ground,
Forit istime to seek theLord,
Till He^(P)comes and rains righteousness on you.

¹³^(Q)You have plowed wickedness;
You have reaped iniquity.
You have eaten the fruit of lies,
Because you trusted in your own way,
In the multitude of your mighty men.
¹⁴Therefore tumult shall arise among your people,
And all your fortresses shall be plundered
As Shalman plundered Beth Arbel in the day of battle—
A mother dashed in pieces uponherchildren.
¹⁵Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,
Because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel
Shall be cut off utterly.