Ephraim Punished

(A)Do not rejoice, Israel, [a]with jubilation like the [b]nations!
For you have (B)been unfaithful, [c]abandoning your God.
You have loved the earnings of unfaithfulness on [d]every threshing floor.
Threshing floor and wine press will (C)not feed them,
And the new wine will fail [e]them.
They will not remain in (D)the Lords land,
But Ephraim will return to (E)Egypt,
And in (F)Assyria they will eat (G)unclean food.
They will not pour out drink offerings of (H)wine to the Lord,
(I)Nor will [f]their sacrifices please Him.
Their bread will be to them like [g]mourners’ bread;
All who eat it will be (J)defiled,
Because their bread will be for [h]themselves alone;
It will not enter the house of the Lord.
(K)What will you do on the day of the appointed festival
And on the day of the (L)feast of the Lord?
For behold, they will be gone because of destruction;
Egypt will gather them together, (M)Memphis will bury them.
Weeds will take possession of their treasures of silver;
(N)Thorns will be in their tents.

The days of (O)punishment have come,
The days of (P)retribution have come;
[i]Let Israel know this!
The prophet is a (Q)fool,
The [j]inspired person is (R)insane,
Because of the grossness of your (S)wrongdoing,
And because your [k]hostility is so great.
Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet;
Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways,
And there is only [l]hostility in the house of his God.
They are (T)deeply depraved
As in the days of (U)Gibeah;
He will (V)remember their guilt,
He will punish their sins.

10 I found Israel like (W)grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your forefathers as the (X)earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season.
But they came to (Y)Baal-peor and devoted themselves to [m](Z)shame,
And they became as (AA)detestable as that which they loved.
11 As for Ephraim, their (AB)glory will fly away like a bird—
No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!
12 Though they bring up their children,
Yet I will bereave them of their children [n]until not a person is left.
Yes, (AC)woe to them indeed when I depart from them!
13 Ephraim, as I have seen,
Is planted in a pasture like (AD)Tyre;
But Ephraim is going to bring out his children for slaughter.
14 Give to them, Lord—what will You give?
Give them a (AE)miscarrying womb and dried-up breasts.

15 All their evil is at (AF)Gilgal;
Indeed, I came to hate them there!
Because of the (AG)wickedness of their deeds
I will drive them out of My house!
I will no longer love them;
All their leaders are (AH)rebels.
16 (AI)Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up,
They will produce (AJ)no fruit.
Even though they give birth to children,
I will put to death the (AK)precious ones of their womb.
17 My God will reject them
Because they have (AL)not listened to Him;
And they will be (AM)wanderers among the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 9:1 Lit to
  2. Hosea 9:1 Lit peoples
  3. Hosea 9:1 Lit away from your God
  4. Hosea 9:1 Lit all threshing floors of grain
  5. Hosea 9:2 Lit her
  6. Hosea 9:4 Or they offer to Him their
  7. Hosea 9:4 Lit bread of mourning
  8. Hosea 9:4 Lit their soul
  9. Hosea 9:7 Or Israel will know this
  10. Hosea 9:7 Lit man of the spirit
  11. Hosea 9:7 Or persecution
  12. Hosea 9:8 Or persecution
  13. Hosea 9:10 I.e., Baal
  14. Hosea 9:12 Lit without a person

Punishment for Israel’s Sin

Rejoice not, O Israel!
Exult not[a] like the peoples;
for you have played the harlot, forsaking your God.
    You have loved a harlot’s hire
    upon all threshing floors.
Threshing floor and winevat shall not feed them,
    and the new wine shall fail them.
They shall not remain in the land of the Lord;
    but E′phraim shall return to Egypt,
    and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.

They shall not pour libations of wine to the Lord;
    and they shall not please him with their sacrifices.
Their bread[b] shall be like mourners’ bread;
    all who eat of it shall be defiled;
for their bread shall be for their hunger only;
    it shall not come to the house of the Lord.

What will you do on the day of appointed festival,
    and on the day of the feast of the Lord?
For behold, they are going to Assyria;[c]
    Egypt shall gather them,
    Memphis shall bury them.
Nettles shall possess their precious things of silver;
    thorns shall be in their tents.

The days of punishment have come,
    the days of recompense have come;
    Israel shall know it.
The prophet is a fool,
    the man of the spirit is mad,
because of your great iniquity
    and great hatred.
The prophet is the watchman of E′phraim,
    the people of my God,
yet a fowler’s snare is on all his ways,
    and hatred in the house of his God.
They have deeply corrupted themselves
    as in the days of Gib′e-ah:
he will remember their iniquity,
    he will punish their sins.

10 Like grapes in the wilderness,
    I found Israel.
Like the first fruit on the fig tree,
    in its first season,
    I saw your fathers.
But they came to Ba′al-pe′or,
    and consecrated themselves to Ba′al,[d]
    and became detestable like the thing they loved.
11 E′phraim’s glory shall fly away like a bird—
    no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!
12 Even if they bring up children,
    I will bereave them till none is left.
Woe to them
    when I depart from them!
13 E′phraim’s sons, as I have seen, are destined for a prey;[e]
    E′phraim must lead forth his sons to slaughter.
14 Give them, O Lord
    what wilt thou give?
Give them a miscarrying womb
    and dry breasts.

15 Every evil of theirs is in 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 their princes are rebels.

16 E′phraim is stricken,
    their root is dried up,
    they shall bear no fruit.
Even though they bring forth,
    I will slay their beloved children.
17 My God will cast them off,
    because they have not hearkened to him;
    they shall be wanderers among the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 9:1 Gk: Heb to exultation
  2. Hosea 9:4 Cn: Heb to them
  3. Hosea 9:6 Cn: Heb from destruction
  4. Hosea 9:10 Heb shame
  5. Hosea 9:13 Cn Compare Gk: Heb uncertain