8:1`Unto thy mouth -- a trumpet, As an eagle against the house of Jehovah, Because they transgressed My covenant, And against My law they have rebelled.

8:2To Me they cry, `My God, we -- Israel -- have known Thee.'

8:3Cast off good hath Israel, an enemy pursueth him.

8:4They have made kings, and not by Me, They have made princes, and I have not known, Their silver and their gold they have made to them idols, So that they are cut off.

8:5Cast off hath thy calf, O Samaria, Burned hath Mine anger against them, Till when are they not capable of purity?

8:6For even it is of Israel; an artificer made it, And it is not God, For the calf of Samaria is fragments!

8:7For wind they sow, and a hurricane they reap, Stalk it hath none -- a shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield -- strangers do swallow it up.

8:8Israel hath been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight.

8:9For they -- they have gone up to Asshur, A wild ass alone by himself is Ephraim, They have hired lovers!

8:10Also though they hire among nations, Now I gather them, and they are pained a little, From the burden of a king of princes.

8:11Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.

8:12I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.

8:13The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They -- to Egypt they turn back.

8:14And forget doth Israel his Maker, and buildeth temples, And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it hath consumed their palaces!

9:1`Rejoice not, O Israel, be not joyful like the peoples, For thou hast gone a-whoring from thy God, Thou hast loved a gift near all floors of corn.

9:2Floor and wine-press do not delight them, And new wine doth fail in her,

9:3They do not abide in the land of Jehovah, And turned back hath Ephraim to Egypt, And in Asshur an unclean thing they eat.

9:4They pour not out wine to Jehovah, Nor are they sweet to Him, Their sacrifices are as bread of mourners to them, All eating it are unclean: For their bread is for themselves, It doth not come into the house of Jehovah.

9:5What do ye at the day appointed? And at the day of Jehovah's festival?

9:6For, lo, they have gone because of destruction, Egypt gathereth them, Moph burieth them, The desirable things of their silver, Nettles possess them -- a thorn is in their tents.

9:7Come in have the days of inspection, Come in have the days of recompence, Israel doth know! a fool is the prophet, Mad is the man of the Spirit, Because of the abundance of thine iniquity, And great is the hatred.

9:8Ephraim is looking away from My God, The prophet! a snare of a fowler is over all his ways, Hatred is in the house of his God.

9:9They have gone deep -- have done corruptly, As in the days of Gibeah, He doth remember their iniquity, He doth inspect their sins.

9:10As grapes in a wilderness I found Israel, As the first-fruit in a fig-tree, at its beginning, I have seen your fathers, They -- they have gone in to Baal-Peor, And are separated to a shameful thing, And are become abominable like their love.

9:11Ephraim is as a fowl, Fly away doth their honour, without birth, And without womb, and without conception.

9:12For though they nourish their sons, I have made them childless -- without man, Surely also, wo to them, when I turn aside from them.

9:13Ephraim! when I have looked to the rock, Is planted in comeliness, And Ephraim is to bring out unto a slayer his sons.

9:14Give to them, Jehovah -- what dost Thou give? Give to them miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.

9:15All their evil is in Gilgal, Surely there I have hated them, Because of the evil of their doings, Out of My house I do drive them, I add not to love them, all their heads are apostates.

9:16Ephraim hath been smitten, Their root hath dried up, fruit they yield not, Yea, though they bring forth, I have put to death the desired of their womb.

9:17Reject them doth my God, Because they have not hearkened to Him, And they are wanderers among nations!

10:1`An empty vine is Israel, Fruit he maketh like to himself, According to the abundance of his fruit, He hath multiplied for the altars, According to the goodness of his land, They have made goodly standing-pillars.

10:2Their heart hath been divided, now they are guilty, He doth break down their altars, He doth destroy their standing-pillars.

10:3For now they say: We have no king, Because we have not feared Jehovah, And the king -- what doth he for us?

10:4They have spoken words, To swear falsehood in making a covenant, And flourished as a poisonous herb hath judgment, on the furrows of a field.

10:5For the calves of Beth-Aven fear do inhabitants of Samaria, Surely mourned on account of it hath its people, And its priests on account of it leap about, Because of its honour, for it hath removed from it,

10:6Also it to Asshur is carried, a present to a warlike king, Shame doth Ephraim receive, And ashamed is Israel of its own counsel.

10:7Cut off is Samaria! Its king is as a chip on the face of the waters.

10:8And destroyed have been high places of Aven, the sin of Israel. Thorn and bramble go up on their altars, And they have said to hills, Cover us, And to heights, Fall upon us.

10:9From the days of Gibeah thou hast sinned, O Israel, There they have stood, Not overtake them in Gibeah doth battle, Because of sons of perverseness.

10:10When I desire, then I do bind them, And gathered against them have peoples, When they bind themselves to their two iniquities.

10:11And Ephraim is a trained heifer -- loving to thresh, And I -- I have passed over on the goodness of its neck, I cause one to ride Ephraim, Plough doth Judah, harrow for him doth Jacob.

10:12Sow for yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to loving-kindness, Till for yourselves tillage of knowledge, To seek Jehovah, Till he come and shew righteousness to you.

10:13Ye have ploughed wickedness, Perversity ye have reaped, Ye have eaten the fruit of lying, For thou hast trusted in thy way, In the abundance of thy might.

10:14And rise doth a tumult among thy people, And all thy fortresses are spoiled, As the spoiling of Shalman of Beth-Arbel, In a day of battle, Mother against sons dashed in pieces.

10:15Thus hath Beth-El done to you, Because of the evil of your wickedness, In the dawn cut off utterly is a king of Israel!