< Hosea 9 >

1 Rejoice not, O Israel: rejoice not as the nations do: for thou hast committed fornication against thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.
Rejoice not too loudly, Israel, like the nations, for you have commited adultery, being untrue to your God. You have loved a prostitute’s wages on every threshing floor.
2 The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the wine shall deceive them.
Threshing floor and wine vat won’t feed them, the new wine will fail them.
3 They shall not dwell in the Lord’s land: Ephraim is returned to Egypt, and hath eaten unclean things among the Assyrians.
They will not stay in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim will return to Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat what is unclean.
4 They shall not offer wine to the Lord, neither shall they please him: their sacrifices shall be like the bread of mourners: all that shall eat it shall be defiled: for their bread is life for their soul, it shall not enter into the house of the Lord.
They will not pour out libations of wine to the Lord, nor please him with their sacrifices. Their bread will be like the bread of mourners: all who eat it will defile themselves. For their bread will be only for their hunger, it will not come into the Lord’s temple.
5 What will you do in the solemn day, in the day of the feast of the Lord?
What will you do on the day of the festival? Or on the day of the Lord’s feast?
6 For behold they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them together, Memphis shall bury them: nettles shall inherit their beloved silver, the bur shall be in their tabernacles.
Even if they flee from destruction, Egypt will gather them, Memphis will bury them. Nettles will take possession of their treasure of silver, thorns will push into their tents.
7 The days of visitation are come, the days of repaying are come: know ye, O Israel, that the prophet was foolish, the spiritual man was mad, for the multitude of thy iniquity, and the multitude of thy madness.
The days of punishment are come, the days of recompense are at hand, as soon the Israelites will know! “The prophet is a fool, the inspired man is raving mad!” It is because of the greatness of your iniquity and the greatness of your hatred.
8 The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: the prophet is become a snare of ruin upon all his ways, madness is in the house of his God.
Ephraim acts the spy with my God, a prophet finds the snares of a fowler are in all his ways. In the house of his God they lay hostile plots,
9 They have sinned deeply, as in the days of Gabaa: he will remember their iniquity, and will visit their sin.
they commit crimes as in the days of Gibeah, God will remember their iniquity. He will punish their sin.
10 I found Israel like grapes in the desert, I saw their fathers like the firstfruits of the fig tree in the top thereof: but they went in to Beelphegor, and alienated themselves to that confusion, and became abominable, as those things were, which they loved.
I found Israel like finding grapes in the wilderness. I saw your ancestors like they were the first fruit on a fig tree, but as soon as they came to Baal-peor, they consecrated themselves to shamefulness, and became as abominable as the object of their love.
11 As for Ephraim, their glory hath flown away like a bird from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.
Ephraim – like a bird his glory flies away. There will be no more birth, no more motherhood, no more conception.
12 And though they should bring up their children, I will make them without children among men: yea, and woe to them, when I shall depart from them.
Even though they bring up their children, I will bereave them until not one is left. Woe to them when I turn away from them!
13 Ephraim, as I saw, was a Tyre founded in beauty: and Ephraim shall bring out his children to the murderer.
Ephraim – planted like Tyre in a meadow, But Ephraim too must lead forth their children to slaughter.
14 Give them, O Lord. What wilt thou give them? Give them a womb without children, and dry breasts.
Give them, Lord – what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and shrivelled up breasts!
15 All their wickedness is in Galgal, for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their devices I will cast them forth out of my house: I will love them no more, all their princes are revolters.
All their evil began in Gilgal, there I learned to hate them. Because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them, for all their princes are rebels.
16 Ephraim is struck, their root is dried up, they shall yield no fruit. And if they should have issue, I will slay the best beloved fruit of their womb.
Ephraim is blighted, their root withered. If they do bear children, I will slay the darlings of their womb,
17 My God will cast them away, because they hearkened not to him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.
My God will reject them because they have not listened to him, and they will become wanderers among the nations.

< Hosea 9 >