CHAPTER 10

1 A vine robbed is Israel; Fruit will he lay up for himself: (351) According to the abundance of his fruit Hath he abounded towards altars; According to the goodness of his land Hath he done good to statues.

2 Divided has been their heart; They shall now be proved guilty: -- He will overturn their altars, He will destroy their statues.

3 For now they will say, -- "We have no king, Because we feared not Jehovah; And a king, what will he do for us?" --

4 They have spoken words only, -- Swearing falsely, -- making a covenant: (356) Judgment grows up as wormwood in the furrows of the field.

5 For the calves of Bethaven, (359) Tremble will the inhabitants of Samaria; For mourn over it will its people, And its priests, who rejoice in it, over its glory: For it shall depart from it;

6 And itself shall to Assyria be carried, A present to king Jareb: -- Shame shall Ephraim receive, And ashamed shall Israel be of his counsel.

7 Cut down shall be the king of Samaria, As a foam on the surface of the waters. (363)

8 Perish shall the high places of Aven -- the sin of Israel; The thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; And they shall say to the mountains, "Cover us," And to the hills, "Fall on us."

9 From the days of Gibeah hast thou, Israel, sinned: There they stood, -- the battle in Gibeah, Against the children of iniquity, laid not hold on them.

10 It is my wish, and I will chastise them; And assembled against them shall nations be, When they shall be bound together by their two furrows. (371)

11 Ephraim is an heifer, trained to love the treading of corn; But I passed over on her beautiful neck; -- To ride will I make Ephraim, -- Plough shall Judah, -- harrow for himself shall Jacob.

12 Sow for yourselves in righteousness, Gather for your measure kindness; Plough for yourselves what has been ploughed: And time it is to seek Jehovah, till he come, And rain righteousness upon you: --

13 Ye have ploughed ungodliness, iniquity have ye reaped; Ye have eaten the fruit of falsehood: For you have trusted in your own way, In the multitude of thy valiant ones.

14 A tumult shall therefore rise among thy people, And every one of thy fortresses shall be laid waste, According to the devastation of Shalman in Betharbel: In the day of battle shall the mother, With the children, be dashed in pieces. --

15 Thus shall Bethel do to you, On account of wickedness -- of your wickedness: In one morning shall utterly perish the king of Israel.