8 “Blow the trumpet—

someone like a vulture is swooping over Yahweh’s residence

because Yahweh’s people have transgressed my covenant

and rebelled against my law.

2 They call out to me,

‘My God, we in Israel know you.’

3 Israel has rejected what’s good.

An enemy will chase after them.

4 They appointed kings, but not through me.

≈They’ve appointed leaders but I didn’t know about it.

They’ve made idols for themselves with their gold and silver

so they’ll end up being destroyed.”

5 “Your calf has been rejected, Shomron (Samaria).

My anger burns against them.

For how long will they be incapable of innocence,

6 because it came from Israel—a craftsman made it.

It’s not God.

That calf in Shomron will end up in pieces,

7 because they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.

The standing grain has no heads—it yields no flour.

If it were to produce, strangers would grab it anyway.

8 Israel is swallowed up.

Now they’re now among the nations like a cup that no one likes

9 because they’ve gone up to Assyria—a wild donkey all alone.

Efraim/Yisrael has hired lovers for herself.

10 Even though they hire lovers among the nations, now I’ll gather them together.

They’ll begin to diminish under the burden of the king of princes.

11 Since Efraim has set-up multiple altars for sin offerings,

they have become altars for their sinning.

12 Even if I wrote down my instructions for them ten thousand times,

they would regard them as something strange.

13 As for my sacrificial gifts, they sacrifice meat and eat it,

but Yahweh doesn’t accept their sacrifices.

Now he will remember their disobedience

≈and punish their sins.

They will return to Egypt.

14 Yisrael has forgotten his maker and has built palaces.

≈Yehudah has fortified many cities,

but I’ll send fire into their cities—

≈it’ll devour their fortresses.