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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. The threshing-floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail her. They shall not dwell in Jehovah’s land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria. 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. What will ye do in the day of solemn assembly, and in the day of the feast of Jehovah? 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. 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. 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. 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. [j]Their heart is [k]divided; now shall they be found guilty: he will smite their altars, he will destroy their [l]pillars. Surely now shall they say, We have no king; for we fear not Jehovah; and the king, what can he do for us?

They speak vain words, [m]swearing falsely in making covenants: therefore judgment [n]springeth up as [o]hemlock in the furrows of the field. 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. 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. [q]As for Samaria, her king is cut off, as [r]foam upon the water. 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. 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. The more the prophets called them, the more they went from them: they sacrificed unto the Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. Yet I taught Ephraim to walk; [ac]I took them on my arms; but they knew not that I healed them. 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.

They shall not return into the land of Egypt; but the Assyrian shall be their king, because they refused to return to me. And the sword shall [ad]fall upon their cities, and shall consume their bars, and devour them, because of their own counsels. 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.

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. 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.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 9:1 Or, unto exultation
  2. Hosea 9:1 Or, that
  3. Hosea 9:4 Or, neither shall their sacrifices be pleasing unto him: their bread shall be unto them etc.
  4. Hosea 9:8 Or, watcheth against
  5. Hosea 9:10 Or, separated
  6. Hosea 9:10 Hebrew shame.
  7. Hosea 9:13 Or, as I have seen, is like Tyre, that is planted etc.
  8. Hosea 10:1 Or, prosperity
  9. Hosea 10:1 Or, obelisks
  10. Hosea 10:2 Or, He hath divided their heart
  11. Hosea 10:2 Or, smooth
  12. Hosea 10:2 Or, obelisks
  13. Hosea 10:4 Or, they swear falsely, they make covenants
  14. Hosea 10:4 Or, shall spring up
  15. Hosea 10:4 Hebrew rosh. See Dt. 29:18.
  16. Hosea 10:5 Hebrew Chemarim. See 2 Kin. 23:5.
  17. Hosea 10:7 Or, Samaria is cut off with her king
  18. Hosea 10:7 Or, twigs
  19. Hosea 10:9 Or, more than in the days
  20. Hosea 10:9 Or, there have they continued
  21. Hosea 10:9 Or, shall not the battle . . . Gibeah?
  22. Hosea 10:10 Or, yoked
  23. Hosea 10:10 Or, for
  24. Hosea 10:12 Or, teach you righteousness
  25. Hosea 10:13 Or, faithlessness
  26. Hosea 10:14 Or, against
  27. Hosea 10:14 Hebrew peoples.
  28. Hosea 10:15 Or, So shall it be done unto you at Beth-el
  29. Hosea 11:3 Hebrew he took them on his arms.
  30. Hosea 11:6 Or, rage against
  31. Hosea 11:7 Or, lift himself up
  32. Hosea 11:9 Or, enter into the city
  33. Hosea 11:12 Or, and Judah is yet unstedfast with God, and with the Holy One who is faithful

Punishment for Israel

Do not rejoice, Israel;
    do not be jubilant(A) like the other nations.
For you have been unfaithful(B) to your God;
    you love the wages of a prostitute(C)
    at every threshing floor.
Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people;
    the new wine(D) will fail them.
They will not remain(E) in the Lord’s land;
    Ephraim will return to Egypt(F)
    and eat unclean food in Assyria.(G)
They will not pour out wine offerings(H) to the Lord,
    nor will their sacrifices please(I) him.
Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners;(J)
    all who eat them will be unclean.(K)
This food will be for themselves;
    it will not come into the temple of the Lord.(L)

What will you do(M) on the day of your appointed festivals,(N)
    on the feast days of the Lord?
Even if they escape from destruction,
    Egypt will gather them,(O)
    and Memphis(P) will bury them.(Q)
Their treasures of silver(R) will be taken over by briers,
    and thorns(S) will overrun their tents.
The days of punishment(T) are coming,
    the days of reckoning(U) are at hand.
    Let Israel know this.
Because your sins(V) are so many
    and your hostility so great,
the prophet is considered a fool,(W)
    the inspired person a maniac.(X)
The prophet, along with my God,
    is the watchman over Ephraim,[a]
yet snares(Y) await him on all his paths,
    and hostility in the house of his God.(Z)
They have sunk deep into corruption,(AA)
    as in the days of Gibeah.(AB)
God will remember(AC) their wickedness
    and punish them for their sins.(AD)

10 “When I found Israel,
    it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
    it was like seeing the early fruit(AE) on the fig(AF) tree.
But when they came to Baal Peor,(AG)
    they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol(AH)
    and became as vile as the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim’s glory(AI) will fly away like a bird(AJ)
    no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.(AK)
12 Even if they rear children,
    I will bereave(AL) them of every one.
Woe(AM) to them
    when I turn away from them!(AN)
13 I have seen Ephraim,(AO) like Tyre,
    planted in a pleasant place.(AP)
But Ephraim will bring out
    their children to the slayer.”(AQ)

14 Give them, Lord
    what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry
    and breasts that are dry.(AR)

15 “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,(AS)
    I hated them there.
Because of their sinful deeds,(AT)
    I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;(AU)
    all their leaders are rebellious.(AV)
16 Ephraim(AW) is blighted,
    their root is withered,
    they yield no fruit.(AX)
Even if they bear children,
    I will slay(AY) their cherished offspring.”

17 My God will reject(AZ) them
    because they have not obeyed(BA) him;
    they will be wanderers among the nations.(BB)

10 Israel was a spreading vine;(BC)
    he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
    he built more altars;(BD)
as his land prospered,(BE)
    he adorned his sacred stones.(BF)
Their heart is deceitful,(BG)
    and now they must bear their guilt.(BH)
The Lord will demolish their altars(BI)
    and destroy their sacred stones.(BJ)

Then they will say, “We have no king
    because we did not revere the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
    what could he do for us?”
They make many promises,
    take false oaths(BK)
    and make agreements;(BL)
therefore lawsuits spring up
    like poisonous weeds(BM) in a plowed field.
The people who live in Samaria fear
    for the calf-idol(BN) of Beth Aven.[b](BO)
Its people will mourn over it,
    and so will its idolatrous priests,(BP)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
    because it is taken from them into exile.(BQ)
It will be carried to Assyria(BR)
    as tribute(BS) for the great king.(BT)
Ephraim will be disgraced;(BU)
    Israel will be ashamed(BV) of its foreign alliances.
Samaria’s king will be destroyed,(BW)
    swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
The high places(BX) of wickedness[c](BY) will be destroyed—
    it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns(BZ) and thistles will grow up
    and cover their altars.(CA)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”(CB)
    and to the hills, “Fall on us!”(CC)

“Since the days of Gibeah,(CD) you have sinned,(CE) Israel,
    and there you have remained.[d]
Will not war again overtake
    the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish(CF) them;
    nations will be gathered against them
    to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
    that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke(CG)
    on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
    Judah must plow,
    and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow(CH) righteousness(CI) for yourselves,
    reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;(CJ)
    for it is time to seek(CK) the Lord,
until he comes
    and showers his righteousness(CL) on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
    you have reaped evil,(CM)
    you have eaten the fruit of deception.(CN)
Because you have depended on your own strength
    and on your many warriors,(CO)
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
    so that all your fortresses will be devastated(CP)
as Shalman(CQ) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
    when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.(CR)
15 So will it happen to you, Bethel,
    because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
    the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.(CS)

God’s Love for Israel

11 “When Israel was a child,(CT) I loved(CU) him,
    and out of Egypt I called my son.(CV)
But the more they were called,
    the more they went away from me.[e](CW)
They sacrificed to the Baals(CX)
    and they burned incense to images.(CY)
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
    taking them by the arms;(CZ)
but they did not realize
    it was I who healed(DA) them.
I led them with cords of human kindness,
    with ties of love.(DB)
To them I was like one who lifts
    a little child to the cheek,
    and I bent down to feed(DC) them.(DD)

“Will they not return to Egypt(DE)
    and will not Assyria(DF) rule over them
    because they refuse to repent?(DG)
A sword(DH) will flash in their cities;
    it will devour(DI) their false prophets
    and put an end to their plans.
My people are determined to turn(DJ) from me.(DK)
    Even though they call me God Most High,
    I will by no means exalt them.

“How can I give you up,(DL) Ephraim?(DM)
    How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
    How can I make you like Zeboyim?(DN)
My heart is changed within me;
    all my compassion(DO) is aroused.(DP)
I will not carry out my fierce anger,(DQ)
    nor will I devastate(DR) Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man(DS)
    the Holy One(DT) among you.
    I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the Lord;
    he will roar(DU) like a lion.(DV)
When he roars,
    his children will come trembling(DW) from the west.(DX)
11 They will come from Egypt,
    trembling like sparrows,
    from Assyria,(DY) fluttering like doves.(DZ)
I will settle them in their homes,”(EA)
    declares the Lord.

Israel’s Sin

12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,(EB)
    Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
    even against the faithful(EC) Holy One.[f](ED)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 9:8 Or The prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, / the people of my God
  2. Hosea 10:5 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
  3. Hosea 10:8 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see verse 5.
  4. Hosea 10:9 Or there a stand was taken
  5. Hosea 11:2 Septuagint; Hebrew them
  6. Hosea 11:12 In Hebrew texts this verse (11:12) is numbered 12:1.