Hosea 9

The Lord Will Punish Israel

1. Rejoice not, O Israel! 1 Exult not like the peoples; 1 for you have played the whore, forsaking your God. 1 You have loved a prostitute's wages 1 on all threshing floors.

2. Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them, 2 and the new wine shall fail them.

3. They shall not remain in the land of the Lord, 3 but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, 3 and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.

4. They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord, 4 and their sacrifices shall not please him. 4 It shall be like mourners' bread to them; 4 all who eat of it shall be defiled; 4 for their bread shall be for their hunger only; 4 it shall not come to the house of the Lord.

5. What will you do on the day of the appointed festival, 5 and on the day of the feast of the Lord?

6. For behold, they are going away from destruction; 6 but Egypt shall gather them; 6 Memphis shall bury them. 6 Nettles shall possess their precious things of silver; 6 thorns shall be in their tents.

7. The days of punishment have come; 7 the days of recompense have come; 7 Israel shall know it. 7 The prophet is a fool; 7 the man of the spirit is mad, 7 because of your great iniquity 7 and great hatred.

8. The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God; 8 yet a fowler's snare is on all his ways, 8 and hatred in the house of his God.

9. They have deeply corrupted themselves 9 as in the days of Gibeah: 9 he will remember their iniquity; 9 he will punish their sins.

10. Like grapes in the wilderness, 10 I found Israel. 10 Like the first fruit on the fig tree 10 in its first season, 10 I saw your fathers. 10 But they came to Baal-peor 10 and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, 10 and became detestable like the thing they loved.

11. Ephraim's glory shall fly away like a bird— 11 no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!

12. Even if they bring up children, 12 I will bereave them till none is left. 12 Woe to them 12 when I depart from them!

13. Ephraim, as I have seen, was like a young palm[a] planted in a meadow; 13 but Ephraim must lead his children out to slaughter.[b]

14. Give them, O Lord— 14 what will you give? 14 Give them a miscarrying womb 14 and dry breasts.

15. Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; 15 there I began to hate them. 15 Because of the wickedness of their deeds 15 I will drive them out of my house. 15 I will love them no more; 15 all their princes are rebels.

16. Ephraim is stricken; 16 their root is dried up; 16 they shall bear no fruit. 16 Even though they give birth, 16 I will put their beloved children to death.

17. My God will reject them 17 because they have not listened to him; 17 they shall be wanderers among the nations.

Footnotes:
a. Hosea 9:13: Or like Tyre
b. Hosea 9:13: Hebrew to him who slaughters