< Hosea 9 >
1 Do not rejoice, Israel, to jubilation like the nations; for you were unfaithful to your God. You love the wages of a prostitute at every grain 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 the winepress won't feed them, and the new wine will fail her.
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 won't dwell in the LORD's land; but Ephraim will return to Egypt, and they will 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 won't pour out wine offerings to the LORD, neither will they be pleasing to him. Their sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat of it will be polluted; for their bread will be for their appetite. It will not come into 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 in the day of solemn assembly, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?
What will you do on the day of worship, and on the day of the feast of the Lord?
6 For, look, they have gone away from destruction. Egypt will gather them up. Memphis will bury them. Nettles will possess their pleasant things of silver. Thorns will be in 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 visitation have come. The days of reckoning have come. Let Israel know. The prophet is a fool, and the man of the spirit is mad, because of the abundance of your sins, and because your hostility is great.
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 A prophet watches over Ephraim with my God. A fowler's snare is on all of his paths, and hostility 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 iniquity. He will punish them for 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 first ripe in the fig tree at its first season; but they came to Baal Peor, and consecrated themselves to the shameful thing, and became abominable like that which 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 As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird. There will be no birth, none with child, 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 Though they bring up their children, yet I will bereave them, so that not a man shall be left. Indeed, woe also to them when I depart 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 pleasant place; but Ephraim will bring out his children to the murderer.
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—LORD what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
O Lord, what will you give them? Give them bodies which may not give birth and breasts without milk.
15 "All their wickedness is in Gilgal; for there I hated them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more. All their rulers are rebels.
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. Their root has dried up. They will bear no fruit. Even though they bring forth, yet I will kill the beloved ones of their womb."
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 cast them away, because they did not listen to him; and they will 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.