Oseas 9

¹ 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. ² The 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 in Assyria shall they eat that which is unclean. ⁴ 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. ⁵ What will ye do in the day of assembly, and in the day of the feast of Jehovah? ⁶ 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.

⁷ 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. ⁸ 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. 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 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.