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Rejoice not, Israel, exultingly, as the peoples; for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved harlot's hire upon every corn-floor.

The 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 in Assyria shall they eat that which is unclean.

They shall pour out no [offerings of] wine to Jehovah, neither shall their sacrifices be pleasing unto him: they shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be defiled: for their bread shall be for themselves; it shall not come into the house of Jehovah.

What will ye do in the day of assembly, and in the day of the feast of Jehovah?

For behold, they are gone away because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Moph 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 recompence are come: Israel shall know [it]: the prophet is a fool, the inspired man is mad, because of the greatness of thine iniquity, and the great enmity.

Is Ephraim a watchman with my God? [nay] the prophet is a fowler's snare on all his ways, 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 as grapes in the wilderness; as first-ripe fruit on the fig-tree, I saw your fathers at the beginning: they went to Baal-Peor, and separated themselves unto that shame, and became abominations like their lover.

11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away as a bird,—no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!

12 For even should they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, [that] not a man [remain]: for woe also to them when I shall have departed from them!

13 Ephraim, as I saw [him], was a Tyre planted in a beautiful place; but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the slayer.

14 Give them, 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 rebellious.

16 Ephraim is smitten: their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit; yea, though they should bring forth, yet will I slay the beloved [fruit] of their womb.

17 My God hath rejected them, because they hearkened not unto him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

10 Israel is an unpruned vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the abundance of his fruit he hath multiplied altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly statues.

Their heart is divided; now shall they be found guilty: he will break down their altars, he will destroy their statues.

For now they will say, We have no king, for we feared not Jehovah; and a king, what can he do for us?

They speak [mere] words, swearing falsely in making a covenant; therefore shall judgment spring up as hemlock in the furrows of the fields.

The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calf of Beth-aven; for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the idolatrous priests thereof shall tremble for it, for its glory, because it is departed from it.

Yea, it shall be carried unto Assyria [as] a present for king Jareb: Ephraim shall be seized with shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

As for Samaria her king is cut off as chips upon the face of the waters.

And the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up upon their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us! and to the hills, Fall on us!

From the days of Gibeah hast thou sinned, O Israel: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.

10 At my pleasure will I chastise them; and the peoples shall be assembled against them, when they are bound for their two iniquities.

11 And Ephraim is a trained heifer, that loveth to tread out [the corn]; I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to draw; Judah shall plough, Jacob shall break his clods.

12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

13 Ye have ploughed wickedness, reaped iniquity, eaten the fruit of lies; for thou didst confide in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

14 And a tumult shall arise among thy peoples, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces with the children.

15 So shall Bethel do unto you because of the wickedness of your wickedness: at day-break shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

11 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto the Baals, and burned incense to graven images.

And I it was that taught Ephraim to walk,—He took them upon his arms,—but they knew not that I healed them.

I drew them with bands of a man, with cords of love; and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I gently caused them to eat.

He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king; for they refused to return [to me];

and the sword shall turn about in his cities, and shall consume his bars, and devour [them], because of their own counsels.

Yea, my people are bent upon backsliding from me: though they call them to the Most High, none at all exalteth [him].

How shall I give thee over, Ephraim? [how] shall I deliver thee up, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? [how] shall I set thee as Zeboim? My heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man,—the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not come in anger.

10 They shall walk after Jehovah; he shall roar like a lion; when he shall roar, then the children shall hasten from the west:

11 they shall hasten as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria; and I will cause them to dwell in their houses, saith Jehovah.

12 Ephraim encompasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah yet walketh with God, and with the holy things of truth.

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.