Hosea 9
Christian Standard Bible
The Coming Exile
9 Israel, do not rejoice jubilantly as the nations do,(A)
for you have acted promiscuously,(B) leaving your God.
You love the wages of a prostitute
on every grain-threshing floor.(C)
2 Threshing floor and wine vat will not sustain them,(D)
and the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not stay in the land of the Lord.
Instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt,(E)
and they will eat unclean food(F) in Assyria.(G)
4 They will not pour out
their wine offerings to the Lord,(H)
and their sacrifices will not please him.
Their food will be like the bread of mourners;
all who eat it become defiled.(I)
For their bread will be for their appetites alone;
it will not enter the house of the Lord.
5 What will you do on a festival day,(J)
on the day of the Lord’s feast?(K)
6 For even if they flee from devastation,
Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them.(L)
Thistles will take possession of their precious silver;
thorns will invade their tents.(M)
7 The days of punishment have come;(N)
the days of retribution have come.(O)
Let Israel recognize it!
The prophet is a fool,(P)
and the inspired man is insane,(Q)
because of the magnitude
of your iniquity and hostility.(R)
8 Ephraim’s watchman is with my God.
Yet the prophet encounters a bird trap
on all his pathways.(S)
Hostility is in the house of his God!
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves(T)
as in the days of Gibeah.(U)
He will remember their iniquity;
he will punish their sins.(V)
Ephraim Bereaved of Offspring
10 I discovered Israel
like grapes in the wilderness.(W)
I saw your ancestors
like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season.(X)
But they went to Baal-peor,(Y)
consecrated themselves to Shame,[a](Z)
and became abhorrent,(AA)
like the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird:(AB)
no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.(AC)
12 Even if they raise children,
I will bereave them of each one.
Yes, woe to them when I depart from them!(AD)
13 I have seen Ephraim like Tyre,(AE)
planted in a meadow,
so Ephraim will bring out his children
to the executioner.
14 Give them, Lord—
What should you give?
Give them a womb that miscarries
and breasts that are dry!(AF)
15 All their evil appears at Gilgal,(AG)
for there I began to hate them.
I will drive them from my house
because of their evil, wicked actions.(AH)
I will no longer love them;
all their leaders are rebellious.(AI)
16 Ephraim(AJ) is struck down;
their roots are withered;
they cannot bear fruit.(AK)
Even if they bear children,
I will kill the precious offspring of their wombs.(AL)
17 My God will reject them
because they have not listened to him;(AM)
they will become wanderers among the nations.(AN)
Footnotes
- 9:10 = Baal
Hosea 9
English Standard Version
The Lord Will Punish Israel
9 Rejoice not, O Israel!
Exult not like the peoples;
(A)for you have played the whore, forsaking your God.
(B)You have loved a prostitute's wages
on all threshing floors.
2 (C)Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them,
and (D)the new wine shall fail them.
3 They shall not remain in (E)the land of the Lord,
but (F)Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
and (G)they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.
4 (H)They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord,
(I)and their sacrifices shall not please him.
It shall be like (J)mourners' bread to them;
all who eat of it shall be defiled;
for their bread shall be for their hunger only;
(K)it shall not come to the house of the Lord.
5 (L)What will you do on the day of the appointed festival,
and on the day of the feast of the Lord?
6 For behold, they are going away from destruction;
but (M)Egypt shall gather them;
Memphis shall bury them.
Nettles shall possess (N)their precious things of silver;
(O)thorns shall be in their tents.
7 (P)The days of punishment have come;
the days of recompense have come;
Israel shall know it.
(Q)The prophet is a fool;
the man of the spirit is mad,
because of your great iniquity
and great hatred.
8 The prophet is (R)the watchman of Ephraim with my God;
yet (S)a fowler's snare is on all his ways,
and hatred in the house of his God.
9 (T)They have deeply corrupted themselves
as (U)in the days of Gibeah:
(V)he will remember their iniquity;
he will punish their sins.
10 Like grapes in the wilderness,
(W)I found Israel.
Like the first fruit on the fig tree
in its first season,
I saw your fathers.
But (X)they came to Baal-peor
and (Y)consecrated themselves to the thing of shame,
and (Z)became detestable like the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim's (AA)glory shall fly away like a bird—
(AB)no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!
12 (AC)Even if they bring up children,
I will bereave them till none is left.
(AD)Woe to them
when (AE)I depart from them!
13 Ephraim, (AF)as I have seen, was like a young palm[a] planted in a meadow;
but (AG)Ephraim must lead his children out to slaughter.[b]
14 Give them, O Lord—
what will you give?
Give them (AH)a miscarrying womb
and dry breasts.
15 Every evil of theirs is in (AI)Gilgal;
there I began to hate them.
Because of the wickedness of their deeds
I will drive them out of my house.
I will love them no more;
all (AJ)their princes are (AK)rebels.
16 Ephraim is stricken;
(AL)their root is dried up;
they shall bear no fruit.
Even (AM)though they give birth,
(AN)I will put their beloved children to death.
17 (AO)My God will reject them
because they have not listened to him;
(AP)they shall be wanderers among the nations.
Footnotes
- Hosea 9:13 Or like Tyre
- Hosea 9:13 Hebrew to him who slaughters
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
