It is ‘them’ and us.
Hosea 8 to the old and new Israel —
Set the trumpet to your lips,
for[a] a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because they have broken my covenant,
and transgressed my law.
2 To me they cry,
My God, we Israel know thee.
3 Israel has spurned the good;
the enemy shall pursue him.
4 They made kings, but not through me.
They set up princes, but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
5 I have[b] spurned your calf, O Samar′ia.
My anger burns against them.
How long will it be
till they are pure 6 in Israel?[c]
A workman made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samar′ia
shall be broken to pieces.[d]
7 For they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads,
it shall yield no meal;
if it were to yield,
aliens would devour it.
8 Israel is swallowed up;
already they are among the nations
as a useless vessel.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild ass wandering alone;
E′phraim has hired lovers.
10 Though they hire allies among the nations,
I will soon gather them up.
And they shall cease[e] for a little while
from anointing[f] king and princes.
11 Because E′phraim has multiplied altars for sinning,
they have become to him altars for sinning.
12 Were I to write for him my laws by ten thousands,
they would be regarded as a strange thing.
13 They love sacrifice;[g]
they sacrifice flesh and eat it;
but the Lord has no delight in them.
Now he will remember their iniquity,
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt [slavery]
14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker,
and built palaces;
and Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
but I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it shall devour his strongholds.
Footnotes
- Hosea 8:1 Cn: Heb as
- Hosea 8:5 Heb He has
- Hosea 8:6 Gk: Heb for from Israel
- Hosea 8:6 Or shall go up in flames
- Hosea 8:10 Gk: Heb begin
- Hosea 8:10 Gk: Heb burden
- Hosea 8:13 Cn: Heb uncertain
