Old Testament · Hosea

Hosea 9

Israel’s Punishment

1Do not rejoice, O Israel, to exultation like the peoples; for you have gone whoring from your God, you have loved a harlot's wage upon every threshing floor of grain.
2The threshing floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail her.
3They shall not dwell in the land of the LORD; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and in Assyria they shall eat unclean food.
4They shall not pour out wine to the LORD, nor shall they be pleasing to him; their sacrifices shall be to them like the bread of mourners—all who eat it become defiled; for their bread is for their soul^a, it shall not come into the house of the LORD.
5What will you do for the day of the appointed time (mo-ed), and for the day of the feast^b of the LORD?
6For behold, they have gone from destruction; Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them. The desirable things of their silver—nettles shall possess them; thorns shall be in their tents.
7The days of visitation have come, the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool, the man^c of the spirit^d is mad, because of the abundance of your iniquity and great hatred.
8Ephraim is a watchman with my God; the prophet—a fowler's snare is on all his ways; enmity in the house of his God.
9They have gone deep, they have corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah; he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.
10Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel; like the first-ripe fruit on the fig tree in its first season I saw your fathers. They came to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves to shame; and they became detestable like the thing they loved.
11Ephraim—like a bird their glory flies away: no birth, no womb, and no conception.
12For though they bring up their sons, I will bereave them, till there is not a man^e left; for woe also to them when I depart from them.
13Ephraim, as I have seen, is planted toward Tyre in a meadow; but Ephraim shall bring out his sons to the slayer.
14Give them, O LORD—what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
15All their evil is in Gilgal, for there I hated them; because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them out of my house; I will no longer love them—all their princes are rebellious.
16Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall yield no fruit; even though they bear, I will slay the beloved ones of their womb.
17My God will reject them, because they did not listen to him; and they shall become wanderers among the nations.