Hosea 9-11

American Standard Version

9 Rejoice not, O Israel, ^[a]for joy, like the peoples; ^[b]for thou hast played the harlot, departing from thy God; thou hast loved hire upon every grain-floor. ² The threshing-floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail her. ³ They shall not dwell in Jehovah’s land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria. ⁴ They shall not pour out wine-offerings to Jehovah, ^[c]neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted; for their bread shall be for their appetite; it shall not come into the house of Jehovah. ⁵ What will ye do in the day of solemn assembly, and in the day of the feast of Jehovah? ⁶ For, lo, they are gone away from destruction; yet Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them; their pleasant things of silver, nettles shall possess them; thorns shall be in their tents. ⁷ The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the man that hath the spirit is mad, for the abundance of thine iniquity, and because the enmity is great. ⁸ Ephraim ^[d]was a watchman with my God: as for the prophet, a fowler’s snare is in all his ways, and enmity in the house of his God. ⁹ They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.

¹⁰ I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig-tree at its first season: but they came to Baal-peor, and ^[e]consecrated themselves unto the ^[f]shameful thing, and became abominable like that which they loved. ¹¹ As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird: there shall be no birth, and none with child, and no conception. ¹² Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, so that not a man shall be left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them! ¹³ Ephraim, ^[g]like as I have seen Tyre, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring out his children to the slayer. ¹⁴ Give them, O Jehovah—what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. ¹⁵ All their wickedness is in Gilgal; for there I hated them: because of the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of my house; I will love them no more; all their princes are revolters. ¹⁶ Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay the beloved fruit of their womb. ¹⁷ My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

10 Israel is a luxuriant vine, that putteth forth his fruit: according to the abundance of his fruit he hath multiplied his altars; according to the ^[h]goodness of their land they have made goodly ^[i]pillars. ^2 [j]Their heart is ^[k]divided; now shall they be found guilty: he will smite their altars, he will destroy their ^[l]pillars. ³ Surely now shall they say, We have no king; for we fear not Jehovah; and the king, what can he do for us?

⁴ They speak vain words, ^[m]swearing falsely in making covenants: therefore judgment ^[n]springeth up as ^[o]hemlock in the furrows of the field. ⁵ The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in terror for the calves of Beth-aven; for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and ^[p]the priests thereof that rejoiced over it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it. ⁶ It also shall be carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel. ^7 [q]As for Samaria, her king is cut off, as ^[r]foam upon the water. ⁸ The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us. ⁹ O Israel, thou hast sinned ^[s]from the days of Gibeah: ^[t]there they stood; ^[u]the battle against the children of iniquity doth not overtake them in Gibeah.

¹⁰ When it is my desire, I will chastise them; and the peoples shall be gathered against them, when they are ^[v]bound ^[w]to their two transgressions. ¹¹ And Ephraim is a heifer that is taught, that loveth to tread out the grain; but I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will set a rider on Ephraim; Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.

¹² Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and ^[x]rain righteousness upon you. ¹³ Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of ^[y]lies; for thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men. ¹⁴ Therefore shall a tumult arise ^[z]among thy ^[aa]people, and all thy fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces with her children. ^15 [ab]So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness: at daybreak shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off.

11 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. ² The more the prophets called them, the more they went from them: they sacrificed unto the Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. ³ Yet I taught Ephraim to walk; ^[ac]I took them on my arms; but they knew not that I healed them. ⁴ I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love; and I was to them as they that lift up the yoke on their jaws; and I laid food before them.

⁵ They shall not return into the land of Egypt; but the Assyrian shall be their king, because they refused to return to me. ⁶ And the sword shall ^[ad]fall upon their cities, and shall consume their bars, and devour them, because of their own counsels. ⁷ And my people are bent on backsliding from me: though they call them to him that is on high, none at all will ^[ae]exalt him.

⁸ How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I cast thee off, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboiim? my heart is turned within me, my compassions are kindled together. ⁹ I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee; and I will not ^[af]come in wrath. ¹⁰ They shall walk after Jehovah, who will roar like a lion; for he will roar, and the children shall come trembling from the west. ¹¹ They shall come trembling as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria; and I will make them to dwell in their houses, saith Jehovah.

¹² Ephraim compasseth me about with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit; ^[ag]but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the Holy One.