Font Size
Hosea 10
Expanded Bible
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].
Hosea 10
New International Version
Hosea 10
New International Version
10 Israel was a spreading vine;(A)
he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
he built more altars;(B)
as his land prospered,(C)
he adorned his sacred stones.(D)
2 Their heart is deceitful,(E)
and now they must bear their guilt.(F)
The Lord will demolish their altars(G)
and destroy their sacred stones.(H)
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
because we did not revere the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
what could he do for us?”
4 They make many promises,
take false oaths(I)
and make agreements;(J)
therefore lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds(K) in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear
for the calf-idol(L) of Beth Aven.[a](M)
Its people will mourn over it,
and so will its idolatrous priests,(N)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
because it is taken from them into exile.(O)
6 It will be carried to Assyria(P)
as tribute(Q) for the great king.(R)
Ephraim will be disgraced;(S)
Israel will be ashamed(T) of its foreign alliances.
7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed,(U)
swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places(V) of wickedness[b](W) will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns(X) and thistles will grow up
and cover their altars.(Y)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”(Z)
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”(AA)
9 “Since the days of Gibeah,(AB) you have sinned,(AC) Israel,
and there you have remained.[c]
Will not war again overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish(AD) them;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke(AE)
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow(AF) righteousness(AG) for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;(AH)
for it is time to seek(AI) the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness(AJ) on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,(AK)
you have eaten the fruit of deception.(AL)
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,(AM)
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated(AN)—
as Shalman(AO) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.(AP)
15 So will it happen to you, Bethel,
because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.(AQ)
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:5 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 10:8 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see verse 5.
- Hosea 10:9 Or there a stand was taken
Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.