Hoshea 10

¹Yisroel is a running gefen,

he bringeth forth p'ri unto himself;

according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the mizbechot;

according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly matzevot (stone pillars, monuments) .

²Their lev is deceitful;

now shall they bear guilt;

He shall break down their mizbechot,

He shall destroy their matzevot.

³For now they shall say:

We have no Melech,

because we feared not Hashem ;

but if we did have a Melech, what could he do for us?

⁴They have spoken words,

swearing falsely in cutting brit (covenant) ;

thus mishpat springeth up as poisonous herb

in the furrows of the sadeh.

⁵The inhabitants of Shomron tremble

because of the eglot (calf-idols) of Beit-Aven;

for the people thereof shall mourn over it,

likewise the komer (idolatrous priests) ,

who shout for joy over it,

for its kavod from it has departed.

⁶It shall be also carried unto Assyria

for a minchah (present) to the great king;

Ephrayim shall receive disgrace,

and Yisroel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

⁷As for Shomron,

her melech will float off like a twig upon the surface of the mayim.

⁸The high places also of Aven, the chattat Yisroel,

shall be made shmad;

the kotz (thorn) and the dardar (thistle) shall come up on their mizbechot;

and they shall say to the mountains: Cover us;

and to the hills: Fall on us.

⁹O Yisroel, thou hast sinned

from the yamei Giv'ah;

there they have continued.

Did not milchamah (war) overtake

the bnei alvah (children of unruliness) in Giv'ah?

¹⁰When I please, I will chastise them;

amim shall be gathered against them,

when they are punished for their shtei avon (double iniquity) .

¹¹And Ephrayim is an eglah melummadah (a trained heifer) ,

and loveth to tread out the grain;

but I will put a yoke on her fair neck;

I will drive Ephrayim;

Yehudah shall plow,

and Ya'akov shall break his clods.

¹²Sow to yourselves in tzedakah,

reap in chesed;

break up your fallow ground;

for it is time to seek Hashem ,

till He come and rain tzedek upon you.

¹³Ye have plowed resha,

ye have reaped avlah;

ye have eaten the pri kachash (fruit of lies) ;

because thou didst trust in thy way,

in the multitude of thy gibborim (mighty men) .

¹⁴Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people,

and all thy fortresses shall be devastated,

as Shalman devastated Beit-Arbel on the yom milchamah;

the em were dashed in pieces with their banim.

¹⁵So, O Beit-El, shall it be done unto you

because of your great wickedness;

in the shachar (dawn) shall the Melech Yisroel

utterly be cut off.