Hosea 9

1 Rejoice not, O Israel, Exult not, like the nations! For thou committest fornication, forsaking thy God! Thou lovest hire on every corn-floor.

2 The floor and the vat shall not feed them, And the new wine shall deceive them.

3 They shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah; To Egypt shall Ephraim go back, And eat unclean things in Assyria.

4 They shall pour out no offerings of wine to Jehovah, Nor shall their sacrifices please him; They shall be to them as the bread of mourners; All that eat thereof shall be polluted. Their bread shall be for their own hunger; It shall not come into the house of Jehovah.

5 What will ye do in the festal day, In the day of the feast of Jehovah?

6 For, behold, they go forth from a wasted land; Egypt shall gather them; Memphis shall bury them; The precious places of their silver, Nettles shall possess them; Thorns shall spring up in their habitations.

7 The days of visitation are come; The days of retribution are come— Israel shall know that the prophet was foolish, That the man of the spirit was mad— For the greatness of` thy iniquity, and thy great hatred.

8 If Ephraim seek an answer from my God, The prophet is as the snare of the fowler in all his ways, A net 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 requite their sins.

10 I found Israel as grapes in the wilderness; As the early fruit on the fig-tree, at its first time of bearing, I saw your fathers. But they went to Baal Peor, And separated themselves to shame, And had abominable idols according to their love.

11 The glory of Ephraim shall fly away as a bird; They shall not bring forth, nor bear in the womb, nor conceive;

12 Yea, if they bring up children, I will utterly bereave them; Yea, woe to them when I depart from them!

13 I have seen Ephraim planted, like Tyre, in a rich pasture, Yet shall Ephraim bring out his children to the murderer.

14 Give them, O Jehovah! What wilt thou give them? Give them a miscarrying womb, And dry breasts!

15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal; Yea, there have I hated them for the wickedness of their doings; I will drive them from my house; I will love them no more; All their princes are revolters.

16 Ephraim is smitten; Their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit; Yea, though they should beget children, I will destroy the beloved fruit of the womb.

17 My God shall cast them away, Because they have not hearkened to him, And they shall be wanderers among the nations.