Hosea 10
Expanded Bible
Israel Will Pay for Sin
10 Israel is like a ·large [spreading; lush; luxuriant] vine
that produced plenty of fruit.
As ·the people became richer [L his fruit increased],
they built more altars [C for idols].
As their land ·became better [prospered; improved],
they ·put up better [or adorned their] ·stone pillars to honor gods [sacred pillars].
2 Their heart was ·false [or divided; fickle],
and now they must ·pay for [bear] their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars;
he will destroy their holy stone pillars.
3 Then they will say, “We have no king,
because we didn’t ·honor [revere; fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7].
As for the king,
·he couldn’t do anything [L what could he do…?] for us.”
4 With words that mean nothing they make ·false [empty] ·promises [oaths]
and ·agreements [covenants; treaties] which they don’t keep.
So ·people sue each other in court [L lawsuits/judgments spring up];
they are like poisonous weeds growing in [L the rows/furrows of] a plowed field.
5 The people from ·Israel [L Samaria; C the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel] are worried about
the ·calf-shaped idol [calf; heifer; 1 Kin. 12:28] at Beth Aven [4:15].
The people will ·cry about [mourn over] it,
and the ·priests [idol-priests] will ·cry about [lament/wail over] it.
They used to ·shout for joy [rejoice] about its glory,
but ·it has been taken from them into exile [or its glory has departed].
6 It will be carried off to Assyria
as a gift to ·the great king [or King Jareb; C this may be a title or a personal name].
·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17] will be disgraced,
and ·the people [L Israel] will be ashamed for ·not obeying [or its counsel; or its wooden idol].
7 ·Israel [L Samaria; v. 5] will be destroyed;
its king will be like a ·chip of wood [twig] floating on the water.
8 The ·places of false worship [L high places of wickedness; or high places of Aven; v. 5; 4:15] will be destroyed,
the places where Israel sins.
Thorns and ·weeds [thistles] will grow up
and cover their altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us! [Luke 23:30; Rev. 6:16]”
9 “Israel, you have sinned since the ·time [L days] of Gibeah [9:9; Judg. 19–21],
and ·the people there have continued sinning [L there they have remained; or there they took their stand].
·But war will surely overwhelm [L Did not war overtake…?] them in Gibeah,
because of the evil they have done there.
10 When I ·am ready [desire; please],
I will come to ·punish [discipline] them.
Nations will come together against them,
and they will be ·punished [bound in chains] for their ·double [L two] sins [C could mean “twice the punishment” (Is. 40:2) or the two sins of rejecting God and his anointed Davidic king].
11 ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17] is like a well-trained ·young cow [heifer]
that likes to thresh grain.
I will put a ·yoke [or a fine yoke] on her ·neck [or fair neck]
and ·make her work hard in the field [drive Ephraim hard].
Israel will plow,
and Judah will break up the ground.
12 I said, ‘·Plant goodness [Sow righteousness],
·harvest the fruit of loyalty [reap mercy/lovingkindness],
·plow the new ground of knowledge [L break up the unplowed/fallow ground].
·Look for [or For it is time to seek] the Lord until he comes
and ·pours goodness on you like water [L rains/showers righteousness/justice on you].’
13 But you have plowed ·evil [wickedness; iniquity]
and ·harvested [reaped] ·trouble [evil; injustice];
you have eaten the fruit of ·your lies [deception; treachery].
Because you have trusted in your own ·power [or chariots]
and your many ·soldiers [warriors],
14 ·your people will hear [L against your people will rise] the ·noise [roar; tumult] of battle,
and all your ·strong, walled cities [fortresses] will be destroyed.
It will be like the time King Shalman
destroyed Beth Arbel in battle [2 Kin. 17:3],
when mothers and their children were ·bashed to death [dashed to pieces].
15 The same will happen to you, ·people of Bethel [L Bethel],
because ·you did so much evil [your wickedness is great].
·When the sun comes up [or When judgment day dawns; or As swiftly as the dawn; L At dawn],
the king of Israel will ·die [L be completely cut off].
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