Hosea 9

1 Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation, like the peoples, for thou hast gone away unchastely from beside thy God, —thou hast loved a present, upon all the threshing-floors of corn!

2 Threshing-floor and wine-vat, will not feed them, and, new wine, will deny them.

3 They shall not dwell in the land of Yahweh, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and, in Assyria—that which is unclean, shall they eat.

4 They shall not pour out to Yahweh—wine, neither shall they be pleasing to him, their sacrifices, are as the food of mourning to them, all that eat thereof, shall defile themselves, because, their food for their appetite, entereth not into the house of Yahweh.

5 What will ye do, for the day of appointed meeting? and in the day of the festival of Yahweh?

6 For, though they have gone from destruction, yet, Egypt, shall gather them, Memphis, shall bury them, —as for their silver favorites! thistles, shall possess them, thorns in their tents.

7 Come are the days of visitation, come are the days of recompense, Let Israel know! The prophet is foolish, the man of the spirit doth rave, because of the greatness of thine iniquity, therefore great is the prosecution.

8 The watchman of Ephraim, [should have been] with my God: As for the prophet, the snare of the fowler, is on all his ways, a prosecution [awaiteth him], in the house of his God.

9 They have deeply corrupted themselves, like the days of Gibeah: he will call to mind their iniquity, he will punish their sins.

10 Like grapes in the desert, found I Israel, like the first-ripe in the fig-tree when it is young, saw I your fathers, —they, entered Baal-peor, and devoted themselves to the Shameful Thing, Then became their abominations like their lusts.

11 As for Ephraim! like a bird, did their glory, fly away, —no birth, and none with child, no conception.

12 Yea, though they rear their children, yet will I make them childless, till there be no human being, —for it is, nothing less than woe, to them when I depart from them!

13 Ephraim! just as I provided for Tyre, was planted in a meadow, —yet, Ephraim, must needs bring forth for a murderer his children.

14 Give them, O Yahweh—what wilt thou give? Give them, a miscarrying womb, and breasts dried up.

15 All their wickedness, is in Gilgal, yea, there, have I come to hate them, For the wickedness of their doings—out of my house, will I drive them forth, —no more will I love them, all their rulers, are unruly.

16 Smitten is Ephraim, their root, hath dried up, fruit, shall they not bear, —yea, though they do bring forth, yet will I slay the darlings of their womb.

17 My God will reject them, because they hearkened not unto him, —that they may become wanderers throughout the nations.