Hosea 8 (Hoshea) in Hebrew and English
Tenakh Study · Read Hosea in Hebrew and English, one chapter per page. Our Tenakh study meets every Wednesday at 7 pm (Central Time) on Zoom. Text us for the Zoom link.
Text (469) 608-9944Hosea, Chapter 8
The shofar sounds against the house of Hashem, for Israel has transgressed His covenant and His Torah: they set up kings without Him and a calf in Shomron, sowed the wind to reap the whirlwind, hired lovers in Ashur, multiplied altars to sin, and forgot their Maker.
8:1Set the shofar (trumpet) to your mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of Hashem, because they have transgressed My covenant, and trespassed against My Torah.
אאֶל־חִכְּךָ֣ שֹׁפָ֔ר כַּנֶּ֖שֶׁר עַל־בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה יַ֚עַן עָבְר֣וּ בְרִיתִ֔י וְעַל־תּוֹרָתִ֖י פָּשָֽׁעוּ׃
8:2Israel shall cry unto Me, “My God, we know You.”
בלִ֖י יִזְעָ֑קוּ אֱלֹהַ֥י יְֽדַעֲנ֖וּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
8:3Israel has cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
גזָנַ֥ח יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל ט֑וֹב אוֹיֵ֖ב יִרְדְּֽפוֹ׃
8:4They have set up kings, but not by Me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
דהֵ֤ם הִמְלִיכוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מִמֶּ֔נִּי הֵשִׂ֖ירוּ וְלֹ֣א יָדָ֑עְתִּי כַּסְפָּ֣ם וּזְהָבָ֗ם עָשׂ֤וּ לָהֶם֙ עֲצַבִּ֔ים לְמַ֖עַן יִכָּרֵֽת׃
8:5Your calf, O Shomron (Samaria), has cast you off; My anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
הזָנַח֙ עֶגְלֵ֣ךְ שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן חָרָ֥ה אַפִּ֖י בָּ֑ם עַד־מָתַ֕י לֹ֥א יוּכְל֖וּ נִקָּיֹֽן׃
8:6For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Shomron shall be broken in pieces.
וכִּ֤י מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְה֔וּא חָרָ֣שׁ עָשָׂ֔הוּ וְלֹ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים ה֑וּא כִּֽי־שְׁבָבִ֣ים יִֽהְיֶ֔ה עֵ֖גֶל שֹׁמְרֽוֹן׃
8:7For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it has no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
זכִּ֛י ר֥וּחַ יִזְרָ֖עוּ וְסוּפָ֣תָה יִקְצֹ֑רוּ קָמָ֣ה אֵֽין־ל֗וֹ צֶ֚מַח בְּלִ֣י יַֽעֲשֶׂה־קֶּ֔מַח אוּלַ֣י יַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה זָרִ֖ים יִבְלָעֻֽהוּ׃
8:8Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
חנִבְלַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַתָּה֙ הָי֣וּ בַגּוֹיִ֔ם כִּכְלִ֖י אֵֽין־חֵ֥פֶץ בּֽוֹ׃
8:9For they are gone up to Ashur (Assyria), a wild donkey alone by himself: Efrayim (Ephraim) has hired lovers.
טכִּֽי־הֵ֨מָּה֙ עָל֣וּ אַשּׁ֔וּר פֶּ֖רֶא בּוֹדֵ֣ד ל֑וֹ אֶפְרַ֖יִם הִתְנ֥וּ אֲהָבִֽים
8:10Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
יגַּ֛ם כִּֽי־יִתְנ֥וּ בַגּוֹיִ֖ם עַתָּ֣ה אֲקַבְּצֵ֑ם וַיָּחֵ֣לּוּ מְּעָ֔ט מִמַּשָּׂ֖א מֶ֥לֶךְ שָׂרִֽים׃
8:11Because Efrayim has made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
יאכִּֽי־הִרְבָּ֥ה אֶפְרַ֛יִם מִזְבְּחֹ֖ת לַחֲטֹ֑א הָיוּ־ל֥וֹ מִזְבְּח֖וֹת לַחֲטֹֽא׃
8:12I have written to him the great things of My Torah, but they were counted as a strange thing.
יבאֶ֨כְתָּב (כתיב אכתוב)־ל֔וֹ רֻבֵּ֖י (כתיב רבו) תּֽוֹרָתִ֑י כְּמוֹ־זָ֖ר נֶחְשָֽׁבוּ׃
8:13They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of My offerings, and eat it; but Hashem accepts them not; now will He remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Mitzrayim (Egypt).
יגזִבְחֵ֣י הַבְהָבַ֗י יִזְבְּח֤וּ בָשָׂר֙ וַיֹּאכֵ֔לוּ יְהוָ֖ה לֹ֣א רָצָ֑ם עַתָּ֞ה יִזְכֹּ֤ר עֲוֺנָם֙ וְיִפְקֹ֣ד חַטֹּאותָ֔ם הֵ֖מָּה מִצְרַ֥יִם יָשֽׁוּבוּ׃
8:14For Israel has forgotten his Maker, and builds temples; and Yehudah (Judah) has multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
ידוַיִּשְׁכַּ֨ח יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־עֹשֵׂ֗הוּ וַיִּ֨בֶן֙ הֵֽיכָל֔וֹת וִֽיהוּדָ֕ה הִרְבָּ֖ה עָרִ֣ים בְּצֻר֑וֹת וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵ֣שׁ בְּעָרָ֔יו וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנֹתֶֽיהָ׃
Sources & method
- Hebrew text
- The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
- English translation
- The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
- Verse numbers
- Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In Hosea they differ from most English Bibles, or a verse is divided differently, in chapters 1, 2, 11, 12, 13 and 14; a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
- Hebrew font
- SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.