Hosea 8:4-9

New Living Translation

⁴The people have appointed kings without my consent,
and princes without my approval.
By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold,
they have brought about their own destruction.

⁵“O Samaria, I reject this calf—
    this idol you have made.
My fury burns against you.
    How long will you be incapable of innocence?
⁶This calf you worship, O Israel,
    was crafted by your own hands!
It is not God!
    Therefore, it must be smashed to bits.

⁷“They have planted the wind
    and will harvest the whirlwind.
The stalks of grain wither
    and produce nothing to eat.
And even if there is any grain,
    foreigners will eat it.
⁸The people of Israel have been swallowed up;
    they lie among the nations like an old discarded pot.
⁹Like a wild donkey looking for a mate,
    they have gone up to Assyria.
The people of Israel^[a] have sold themselves—
    sold themselves to many lovers.