Hosea 9

¹Do not choose to rejoice, Israel; do not celebrate as the crowds do. For you have been committing fornication against your God; you have loved a prize upon every threshing floor of wheat.

²The threshing floor and the oil press will not feed them, and the wine will deceive them.

³They will not dwell in the land of the Lord. Ephraim has been returned to Egypt, and he has eaten polluted things among the Assyrians.

⁴They will not offer a libation of wine to the Lord, and they will not please him. Their sacrifices will be like the bread of mourners. All those who eat it will be defiled. For their bread is of their soul; it will not enter into the house of the Lord.

⁵What will you do on the solemn day, on the day of the feast of the Lord?

⁶For, behold, they have been sent away by devastation. Egypt will gather them together; Memphis will bury them. Nettles will inherit their desired silver; the burr will be in their tabernacles.

⁷The days of visitation have arrived; the days of retribution are here. Know this, Israel: that the prophet was foolish, the spiritual man was mad, because of the multitude of your iniquities and the great extent of your foolishness.

⁸The watcher of Ephraim was with my God. The prophet has become a snare of ruin over all his ways; insanity is in the house of his God.

⁹They have sinned profoundly, just as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity, and he will repay their sin.

¹⁰I discovered Israel like grapes in the desert. Like the first fruits of the fig tree, I saw their fathers on the end of its branches. But they went in to Baal-peor, and they have been estranged by intermingling, and they have become abominable, just like the things that they chose to love.

¹¹Ephraim has chased away their glory like a bird: from birth, and from the womb, and from conception.

¹²And even if they should nurture their sons, I will make them without children among men. Yes, and woe to them, when I have withdrawn from them.

¹³Ephraim, as I see it, was a Tyre, founded by beauty. And Ephraim will lead his sons to execution.

¹⁴Give them, O Lord. What will you give them? Give them a womb without children, and dry breasts.

¹⁵All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for I held them there, in their hatred. Because of the malice of their inventions, I will expel them from my house. I will no longer say that I love them; all their leaders have retreated.

¹⁶Ephraim has been struck; their root has been dried out: by no means will they yield fruit. And even if they should conceive, I will execute the most beloved of their womb.

¹⁷My God will cast them aside because they have not listened to him; and they will be wanderers among the nations.

Hosea 9

¹Rejoice 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.

²The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the wine shall deceive them.

³They shall not dwell in the Lord's land: Ephraim is returned to Egypt, and hath eaten unclean things among the Assyrians.

⁴They 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.

⁵What will you do in the solemn day, in the day of the feast of the Lord?

⁶For 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.

⁷The 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.

⁸The 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.

⁹They have sinned deeply, as in the days of Gabaa: he will remember their iniquity, and will visit their sin.

¹⁰I 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.

¹¹As for Ephraim, their glory hath flown away like bird from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.

¹²And 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.

¹³Ephraim, as I saw, was a Tyre, founded in beauty: and Ephraim shall bring out his children to the murderer.

¹⁴Give them, O Lord. What wilt thou give them? Give them a womb without children, and dry breasts.

¹⁵All 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.

¹⁶Ephraim 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.

¹⁷My God will cast them away, because they hearkened not to him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.