July 7
The Book of Hosea
Chapter 8
The Trumpet and the Eagle
1Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed my covenant, And trespassed against my law. 2Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. 3Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: The enemy shall pursue him.
The Calf of Samaria
4They have set up kings, but not by me: They have made princes, and I knew it not: Of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, That they may be cut off. 5Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; Mine anger is kindled against them: How long will it be ere they attain to innocency? 6For from Israel was it also: The workman made it; therefore it is not God: But the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
Sowing the Wind
7For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: It hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: If so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. 8Israel is swallowed up: Now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure. 9For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers. 10Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, And they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
Altars to Sin
11Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, Altars shall be unto him to sin. 12I have written to him the great things of my law, But they were counted as a strange thing. 13They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; But the LORD accepteth them not; Now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: They shall return to Egypt. 14For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: But I will send a fire upon his cities, And it shall devour the palaces thereof.
Chapter 9
Punishment for Spiritual Harlotry
1Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: For thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, Thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor. 2The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, And the new wine shall fail in her. 3They shall not dwell in the LORD’S land; But Ephraim shall return to Egypt, And they shall eat unclean things in Assyria. 4They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, Neither shall they be pleasing unto him: Their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; All that eat thereof shall be polluted: For their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD. 5What will ye do in the solemn day, And in the day of the feast of the LORD? 6For lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: The pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: Thorns shall be in their tabernacles.
The Days of Visitation
7The days of visitation are come, The days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, For the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. 8The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: But the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, And hatred in the house of his God. 9They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: Therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.
Ephraim's Glory Flees Away
10I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: But they went to Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; And their abominations were according as they loved. 11As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, From the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception. 12Though they bring up their children, Yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: Yea, woe also to them when I depart from them! 13Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: But Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer. 14Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
Cast Away Among the Nations
15All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them: For the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: All their princes are revolters. 16Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: Yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. 17My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: And they shall be wanderers among the nations.
Chapter 10
An Empty Vine
1Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: According to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; According to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. 2Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: He shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images. 3For now they shall say, We have no king, Because we feared not the LORD; What then should a king do to us? 4They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: Thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
The Calves of Beth-aven
5The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: For the people thereof shall mourn over it, And the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, For the glory thereof, because it is departed from it. 6It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, And Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel. 7As for Samaria, her king is cut off As the foam upon the water. 8The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: The thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; And they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; And to the hills, Fall on us.
Chastisement for Gibeah
9O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: The battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them. 10It is in my desire that I should chastise them; And the people shall be gathered against them, When they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.
Sow in Righteousness, Reap in Mercy
11And Ephraim is as a heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; But I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, And Jacob shall break his clods. 12Sow to yourselves in righteousness, Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground: For it is time to seek the LORD, Till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; Ye have eaten the fruit of lies: Because thou didst trust in thy way, In the multitude of thy mighty men. 14Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, And all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, As Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: The mother was dashed in pieces upon her children. 15So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness; In a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.
Chapter 11
A Son Called Out of Egypt
1When Israel was a child, then I loved him, And called my son out of Egypt. 2As they called them, so they went from them: They sacrificed unto Baalim, and burnt incense to graven images. 3I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; But they knew not that I healed them. 4I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, And I laid meat unto them.
The Sword upon the Cities
5He shall not return into the land of Egypt, But the Assyrian shall be his king, Because they refused to return. 6And the sword shall abide on his cities, And shall consume his branches, and devour them, Because of their own counsels. 7And my people are bent to backsliding from me: Though they called them to the most High, None at all would exalt him.
How Shall I Give Thee Up, Ephraim?
8How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within me, My repentings are kindled together. 9I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: For I am God, and not man; The Holy One in the midst of thee: And I will not enter into the city.
They Shall Walk After the LORD
10They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: When he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. 11They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, And as a dove out of the land of Assyria: And I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD. 12Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: But Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.
Chapter 12
Ephraim Feeds on Wind
1Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: He daily increaseth lies and desolation; And they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried into Egypt. 2The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; According to his doings will he recompense him.
Jacob's Wrestling and Weeping
3He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And by his strength he had power with God: 4Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: He wept, and made supplication unto him: He found him in Beth-el, and there he spake with us; 5Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial. 6Therefore turn thou to thy God: Keep mercy and judgment, And wait on thy God continually.
Balances of Deceit
7He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: He loveth to oppress. 8And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin. 9And I that am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt Will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
A Prophet Brought Israel Out
10I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, And used similitudes by the ministry of the prophets. 11Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: They sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; Yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields. 12And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, And Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. 13And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet was he preserved. 14Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: Therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, And his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.