Hosea 9
1 Rejoice not, O
Israel, for
joy, as other
people: for thou hast gone a
whoring from thy
God, thou hast
loved a
reward upon every
cornfloor.
2 The
floor and the
winepress shall not
feed them, and the new
wine shall
fail in her.
3 They shall not
dwell in the
LORD'S land; but
Ephraim shall
return to
Egypt, and they shall
eat unclean things in
Assyria. 4 They shall not
offer wine offerings to the
LORD, 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 for their
soul shall not
come into the
house of the
LORD. 5 What will ye
do in the
solemn day, and in the
day of the
feast of the
LORD? 6 For, lo, they are
gone because of
destruction: Egypt shall gather them
up,
Memphis shall
bury them: the
pleasant places for their
silver, nettles shall
possess them:
thorns shall be in their
tabernacles. 7 The
days of
visitation are
come, the
days of
recompence are
come;
Israel shall
know it: the
prophet is a
fool, the
spiritual man is
mad, for the
multitude of thine
iniquity, and the
great hatred. 8 The
watchman of
Ephraim was with my
God: but the
prophet is a
snare of a
fowler in all his
ways, and
hatred in the
house of his
God. 9 They have
deeply corrupted themselves, as in the
days of
Gibeah: therefore 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
firstripe in the fig
tree at her first
time: but they
went to
Baalpeor, and
separated themselves unto that
shame; and their
abominations were according as they
loved.
11 As for
Ephraim, their
glory shall fly
away like a
bird, from the
birth, and from the
womb, and from the
conception. 12 Though they bring
up their
children, yet will I
bereave them, that there shall not be a
man left: yea,
woe also to them when I
depart from them!
13 Ephraim, as I
saw Tyrus, is
planted in a pleasant
place: but
Ephraim shall bring
forth his
children to the
murderer.
14 Give them, O
LORD: what wilt thou
give?
give them a
miscarrying womb and
dry breasts. 15 All their
wickedness is in
Gilgal: for there I
hated them: for the
wickedness of their
doings I will drive them
out of mine
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 even 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.