Hosea 9

1 Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations, for you have played the harlot against your God; you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.

Have no joy, O Israel, and do not be glad like the nations; for you have been untrue to your God; your desire has been for the loose woman's reward on every grain-floor.

2 The threshing floor and winepress will not feed them, and the new wine will fail them.

The grain-floor and the place where the grapes are crushed will not give them food; there will be no new wine for them.

3 They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.

They will have no resting-place in the Lord's land, but Ephraim will go back to Egypt, and they will take unclean food in Assyria.

4 They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD, and their sacrifices will not please Him, but will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat will be defiled. For their bread will be for themselves; it will not enter the house of the LORD.

They will give no wine offering to the Lord, they will not make offerings ready for him; their bread will be like the bread of those in sorrow; all who take it will be unclean, because their bread will be only for their desire, it will not come into the house of the Lord.

5 What will you do on the appointed day, on the day of the LORD’s feast?

What will you do on the day of worship, and on the day of the feast of the Lord?

6 For even if they flee destruction, Egypt will gather them and Memphis will bury them. Their precious silver will be taken over by thistles, and thorns will overrun their tents.

For see, they are going away into Assyria; Egypt will get them together, Memphis will be their last resting-place; their fair silver vessels will be covered over with field plants, and thorns will come up in their tents.

7 The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived— let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and hostility.

The days of punishment, the days of reward are come; Israel will be put to shame; the prophet is foolish, the man who has the spirit is off his head, because of your great sin.

8 The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman, along with my God, yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his paths. Hostility is in the house of his God!

There is great hate against the watchman of Ephraim, the people of my God; as for the prophet, there is a net in all his ways, and hate in the house of his God.

9 They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their guilt; He will punish their sins.

They have gone deep in evil as in the days of Gibeah; he will keep in mind their wrongdoing, he will give them punishment for their sins.

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruits of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves to Shame; so they became as detestable as the thing they loved.

I made discovery of Israel as of grapes in the waste land; I saw your fathers as the first-fruits of the fig-tree in her early fruit time; but they came to Baal-peor, and made themselves holy to the thing of shame, and became disgusting like that to which they gave their love.

11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird, with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.

As for Ephraim, their glory will go in flight like a bird: there will be no birth and no one with child and no giving of life.

12 Even if they raise their children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn away from them!

Even though their children have come to growth I will take them away, so that not a man will be there; for their evil-doing will be complete and they will be put to shame because of it.

13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a meadow. But Ephraim will bring out his children for slaughter.

As I have seen a beast whose young have been taken from her, so Ephraim will give birth to children only for them to be put to death.

14 Give them, O LORD— what will You give? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that dry up!

O Lord, what will you give them? Give them bodies which may not give birth and breasts without milk.

15 All their evil appears at Gilgal, for there I hated them. I will drive them from My house for the wickedness of their deeds. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious.

All their evil-doing is in Gilgal; there I had hate for them; because of their evil-doing I will send them out of my house; they will no longer be dear to me; all their rulers are uncontrolled.

16 Ephraim is struck down; their root is withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay the darlings of their wombs.

The rod has come on Ephraim, their root is dry, let them have no fruit; even though they give birth, I will put to death the dearest fruit of their bodies.

17 My God will reject them because they have not obeyed Him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

My God will give them up because they did not give ear to him; they will be wandering among the nations.