Hos 10 | ESV | STEP | Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit . The more his fruit increased , the more altars he built ; as his country improved , he improved his pillars .

1 ^aIsrael is a luxuriant vine
that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
^bthe more altars he built;
as his country improved,
he improved his pillars.
2 Their heart is false;
now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord ^{▼▼Hebrew He} will break down their altars
and destroy their pillars.
3 For now they will say:
^d“We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord;
and a king—what could he do for us?”
4 They utter ^emere words;
with empty oaths they make covenants;
so ^fjudgment springs up like poisonous weeds
^gin the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
for ^hthe calf ^{▼▼Or calves} of ^jBeth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced over it and ^kover its glory—
for it has departed ^{▼▼Or has gone into exile} from them.
6 ^mThe thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
as tribute to ⁿthe great king. ^{▼▼Or to King Jareb}
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
and Israel shall be ashamed ^pof his idol. ^{▼▼Or counsel}
7 ^rSamaria’s king shall perish
like a twig on the face of the waters.
8 The high places of ^sAven, ^tthe sin of Israel,
shall be destroyed.
^uThorn and thistle shall grow up
on their altars,
and ^vthey shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”
and to the hills, “Fall on us.”
9 From ^wthe days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel;
there they have continued.
Shall not the war against the unjust ^{▼▼Hebrew the children of injustice} overtake them in Gibeah?
10 ^yWhen I please, ^zI will discipline them,
and nations shall be gathered against them
when they are bound up for ^aatheir double iniquity.
11 Ephraim was a trained calf
that ^abloved to thresh,
and I spared her fair neck;
but I will put ^acEphraim to the yoke;
^adJudah must plow;
Jacob must harrow for himself.
12 ^aeSow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
^afbreak up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and ^agrain righteousness upon you.
13 ^ahYou have plowed iniquity;
you have reaped injustice;
you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way
and in the multitude of your warriors,
14 therefore ^aithe tumult of war shall arise among your people,
and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
as ^ajShalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;
^akmothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
15 Thus it shall be done to you, O ^alBethel,
because of your great evil.
At dawn ^amthe king of Israel
shall be utterly cut off.