Hosea 8

The Apostasy of Israel

1 "Set the trumpet to your mouth!

Heshallcome*Deut. 28:49; Jer. 4:13like an eagle against the house of the Lord,

Because they have transgressed My covenant

And rebelled against My law.

2 *Ps. 78:34; Hos. 5:15; 7:14Israel will cry to Me,

‘My God, *Titus 1:16we know You!’

3 Israel has rejected the good;

The enemy will pursue him.

4 "They*1 Kin. 12:20; 2 Kin. 15:23, 25; Hos. 13:10, 11 set up kings, but not by Me;

They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.

From their silver and gold

They made idols for themselves—

That they might be cut off.

5 Your calf is rejected, O Samaria!

My anger is aroused against them—

*Ps. 19:13; Jer. 13:27How long until they attain to innocence?

6 For from Israel is even this:

A *Is. 40:19workman made it, and it is not God;

But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

7 "They*Prov. 22:8 sow the wind,

And reap the whirlwind.

The stalk has no bud;

It shall never produce meal.

If it should produce,

*Hos. 7:9Aliens would swallow it up.

8 *2 Kin. 17:6; Jer. 51:34Israel is swallowed up;

Now they are among the Gentiles

*Jer. 22:28; 25:34Like a vessel in which is no pleasure.

9 For they have gone up to Assyria,

Like*Hos. 7:11; 12:1; Jer. 2:24a wild donkey alone by itself;

Ephraim *Ezek. 16:33, 34has hired lovers.

10 Yes, though they have hired among the nations,

Now *Ezek. 16:37; 22:20I will gather them;

And they shall sorrow a little,

Because of the burden of *Is. 10:8; Ezek. 26:7; Dan. 2:37the king of princes.

11 "Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin,

They have become for him altars for sinning.

12 I have written for him *(Deut. 4:6–8); Ps. 119:18; 147:19, 20the great things of My law,

But they were considered a strange thing.

13 For the sacrifices of My offerings *Zech. 7:6they sacrifice flesh and eat it,

*Jer. 14:10; Hos. 6:6; 9:4; 1 Cor. 4:5But the Lord does not accept them.

*Hos. 9:9; Amos 8:7; Luke 12:2Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.

They shall return to Egypt.

14 "For*Deut. 32:18; (Hos. 2:13; 4:6; 13:6) Israel has forgotten *Is. 29:23his Maker,

And has built temples;

Judah also has multiplied *Num. 32:17; 2 Kin. 18:13fortified cities;

But *Jer. 17:27I will send fire upon his cities,

And it shall devour his palaces."