הושע 9

1 אל תשמח ישראל אל גיל כעמים כי זנית מעל אלהיך אהבת אתנן על כל גרנות דגן

[You people of] Israel, do not shout joyfully [during your festivals] like [people of other] nations do! [I say that] because you have (not been faithful to/abandoned) me, your God. At every place where the people thresh grain you have [presented gifts to your idols like men] pay money to prostitutes.

2 גרן ויקב לא ירעם ותירוש יכחש בה

[But soon] there will not be enough grain [MTY, PRS] and wine [MTY, PRS] for you.

3 לא ישבו בארץ יהוה ושב אפרים מצרים ובאשור טמא יאכלו

And you people will not remain in the land that I, Yahweh, [gave to your ancestors]. You will be [captured and] taken to [Assyria], [where you will become slaves like your ancestors were] in Egypt; and in Assyria you will be forced to eat food that Yahweh has forbidden you to eat.

4 לא יסכו ליהוה יין ולא יערבו לו--זבחיהם כלחם אונים להם כל אכליו יטמאו כי לחמם לנפשם לא יבוא בית יהוה

You Israelis will not [be able to] give wine offerings to him, or bring sacrifices to him. None of your other sacrifices will please him; they will be unacceptable to him, like [SIM] food that is touched by people at funerals, and everyone who eats that food will become unacceptable to him. They will be permitted to eat that food themselves, but they will not [be permitted to] bring it into the temple.

5 מה תעשו ליום מועד וליום חג יהוה

At that time you will not [RHQ] be able to celebrate the feasts and sacred festivals.

6 כי הנה הלכו משד מצרים תקבצם מף תקברם מחמד לכספם קמוש יירשם חוח באהליהם

And even if you escape and are not killed [by the Assyrians], you will be captured by [the army of] Egypt, and you will [die and] be buried in Memphis, [the capital of Egypt]. Briers will [grow up and] cover your treasures of silver, and thorns will grow in your [ruined] tents/houses.

7 באו ימי הפקדה באו ימי השלם--ידעו ישראל אויל הנביא משגע איש הרוח--על רב עונך ורבה משטמה

It is now the time for Yahweh to punish you, to pay you back for all the sins that you have committed. You people will [soon] know that. You have [committed] very many sins, and you very much hate Yahweh. You consider that the prophets are foolish, and you think that those who proclaim messages from him are crazy.

8 צפה אפרים עם אלהי נביא פח יקוש על כל דרכיו--משטמה בבית אלהיו

My God appointed [me and the other] prophets to be [like] [MET] watchmen [to warn] you people of Israel, but everywhere that we go, [it is as though] people set traps for us and people are hostile [to us, even] in the temple of our God.

9 העמיקו שחתו כימי הגבעה יזכור עונם יפקוד חטאותם

The sins that the Israeli people have committed are as awful as [what the men of] Gibeah did long ago; [so] God will not forget the wicked things that they have done; he will punish the Israelis for [all] those sins.

10 כענבים במדבר מצאתי ישראל--כבכורה בתאנה בראשיתה ראיתי אבותיכם המה באו בעל פעור וינזרו לבשת ויהיו שקוצים כאהבם

[Yahweh says], “When I first started [to do things to help] Israel, it seemed to me as though [SIM] I had found grapes in the desert. Your ancestors were [delightful], like [SIM] the first figs that grow on fig trees [each year]. But when they came to Peor [Mountain], they worshiped that disgusting idol Baal, and they became as disgusting as the idol that they loved.

11 אפרים כעוף יתעופף כבודם מלדה ומבטן ומהריון

The things that cause Israel to be great will disappear like [SIM] a bird that flies away; [most of their women will] not become pregnant [DOU] or give birth to children.

12 כי אם יגדלו את בניהם ושכלתים מאדם כי גם אוי להם בשורי מהם

Even if their children are born and start to grow up, I will cause all of them to die [while they are still young]. Terrible things will happen to them when I abandon them!

13 אפרים כאשר ראיתי לצור שתולה בנוה ואפרים להוציא אל הרג בניו

I have seen Israel become beautiful and prosperous like Tyre [city] was [before it was destroyed], but now the people of Israel will [be forced to] take their children to be slaughtered [by their enemies].”

14 תן להם יהוה מה תתן תן להם רחם משכיל ושדים צמקים

Yahweh, [I do not know] [RHQ] what I should ask for my people. So I ask that you do this one thing: Cause the women who are pregnant to have miscarriages and unable [to nurse their babies].

15 כל רעתם בגלגל כי שם שנאתים על רע מעלליהם מביתי אגרשם לא אוסף אהבתם כל שריהם סררים

[Yahweh says], “Because of all the wicked things that my people did at Gilgal, that is where I started to hate them. [And now], because of [all] the sinful things that they have done, I will expel them from my country. I will not love them any longer; all their leaders rebel [against me].

16 הכה אפרים--שרשם יבש פרי בלי (בל) יעשון גם כי ילדון והמתי מחמדי בטנם

Israel is like [MET] a grapevine that is dried up; [like a vine] [MET] whose roots are withered and that produces no fruit. Even if the [women of Israel] give birth to [more] children, I will cause those children, whom they love, to die.

17 ימאסם אלהי כי לא שמעו לו ויהיו נדדים בגוים

The people of Israel have not obeyed me, their God, so I will reject them. [As a result], they will wander among the [other] nations, [searching for a place to live].”