1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth: he shall come as an eagle against the House of the Lord, because they haue transgressed my couenant, and trespassed against my Lawe. 2 Israel shall crie vnto me, My God, we know thee. 3 Israel hath cast off ye thing that is good: the enemie shall pursue him. 4 They haue set vp a King, but not by me: they haue made princes, and I knew it not: of their siluer and their gold haue they made them idoles: therefore shall they be destroyed. 5 Thy calfe, O Samaria, hath cast thee off: mine anger is kindled against them: howe long will they be without innocencie! 6 For it came euen from Israel: the workeman made it, therefore it is not God: but the calfe of Samaria shall be broken in pieces. 7 For they haue sowne the winde, and they shall reape the whirlewind: it hath no stalke: the budde shall bring foorth no meale: if so be it bring forth, the strangers shall deuoure it. 8 Israel is deuoured, now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessell wherein is no pleasure. 9 For they are gone vp to Asshur: they are as a wilde asse alone by himselfe: Ephraim hath hired louers. 10 Yet though they haue hired among the nations, nowe will I gather them, and they shall sorowe a litle, for the burden of the King and the princes. 11 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sinne, his altars shalbe to sinne. 12 I haue written to them the great things of my Lawe: but they were counted as a strange thing. 13 They sacrifice flesh for ye sacrifices of mine offerings, and eate it: but the Lord accepteth them not: now will he remember their iniquitie, and visite their sinnes: they shall returne to Egypt. 14 For Israel hath forgotten his maker, and buildeth Temples, and Iudah hath increased strong cities: but I will sende a fire vpon his cities, and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof.
The Lord Condemns Israel for Idol Worship
1 The Lord says, “Sound the alarm! Enemies are swooping down on my land like eagles! My people have broken the covenant I made with them and have rebelled against my teaching. 2 Even though they call me their God and claim that they are my people and that they know me, 3 they have rejected what is good. Because of this their enemies will pursue them.
4 “My people chose kings, but they did it on their own. They appointed leaders, but without my approval. They took their silver and gold and made idols—for their own destruction. 5 I hate the gold bull worshiped by the people of the city of Samaria. I am furious with them. How long will it be before they give up their idolatry? 6 An Israelite craftsman made the idol, and it is not a god at all! The gold bull worshiped in Samaria will be smashed to pieces! 7 When they sow the wind, they will reap a storm! A field of grain that doesn't ripen can never produce any bread. But even if it did, foreigners would eat it up. 8 Israel has become like any other nation and is as useless as a broken pot. 9 Stubborn as wild donkeys, the people of Israel go their own way. They have gone off to seek help from Assyria and have paid other nations to protect them. 10 But now I am going to gather them together and punish them. Soon they will writhe in pain when the emperor of Assyria oppresses them.
11 “The more altars the people of Israel build for removing sin, the more places they have for sinning! 12 I write down countless teachings for the people, but they reject them as strange and foreign. 13 They offer sacrifices to me and eat the meat of the sacrifices. But I, the Lord, am not pleased with them, and now I will remember their sin and punish them for it; I will send them back to Egypt!
14 “The people of Israel have built palaces, but they have forgotten their own Maker. The people of Judah have built fortified cities. But I will send fire that will burn down their palaces and their cities.”