Hosea 9

1 Have no joy, O Israel, and do not be glad like the nations; for you have been untrue to your God; your desire has been for the loose woman's reward on every grain-floor.

Rejoice not too loudly, Israel, like the nations, for you have commited adultery, being untrue to your God. You have loved a prostitute’s wages on every threshing floor.

2 The grain-floor and the place where the grapes are crushed will not give them food; there will be no new wine for them.

Threshing floor and wine vat won’t feed them, the new wine will fail them.

3 They will have no resting-place in the Lord's land, but Ephraim will go back to Egypt, and they will take unclean food in Assyria.

They will not stay in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim will return to Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat what is unclean.

4 They will give no wine offering to the Lord, they will not make offerings ready for him; their bread will be like the bread of those in sorrow; all who take it will be unclean, because their bread will be only for their desire, it will not come into the house of the Lord.

They will not pour out libations of wine to the Lord, nor please him with their sacrifices. Their bread will be like the bread of mourners: all who eat it will defile themselves. For their bread will be only for their hunger, it will not come into the Lord’s temple.

5 What will you do on the day of worship, and on the day of the feast of the Lord?

What will you do on the day of the festival? Or on the day of the Lord’s feast?

6 For see, they are going away into Assyria; Egypt will get them together, Memphis will be their last resting-place; their fair silver vessels will be covered over with field plants, and thorns will come up in their tents.

Even if they flee from destruction, Egypt will gather them, Memphis will bury them. Nettles will take possession of their treasure of silver, thorns will push into their tents.

7 The days of punishment, the days of reward are come; Israel will be put to shame; the prophet is foolish, the man who has the spirit is off his head, because of your great sin.

The days of punishment are come, the days of recompense are at hand, as soon the Israelites will know! ‘The prophet is a fool, the inspired man is raving mad!’ It is because of the greatness of your iniquity and the greatness of your hatred.

8 There is great hate against the watchman of Ephraim, the people of my God; as for the prophet, there is a net in all his ways, and hate in the house of his God.

Ephraim acts the spy with my God, a prophet finds the snares of a fowler are in all his ways. In the house of his God they lay hostile plots,

9 They have gone deep in evil as in the days of Gibeah; he will keep in mind their wrongdoing, he will give them punishment for their sins.

they commit crimes as in the days of Gibeah, God will remember their iniquity. He will punish their sin.

10 I made discovery of Israel as of grapes in the waste land; I saw your fathers as the first-fruits of the fig-tree in her early fruit time; but they came to Baal-peor, and made themselves holy to the thing of shame, and became disgusting like that to which they gave their love.

I found Israel like finding grapes in the wilderness. I saw your ancestors like they were the first fruit on a fig tree, but as soon as they came to Baal-peor, they consecrated themselves to shamefulness, and became as abominable as the object of their love.

11 As for Ephraim, their glory will go in flight like a bird: there will be no birth and no one with child and no giving of life.

Ephraim – like a bird his glory flies away. There will be no more birth, no more motherhood, no more conception.

12 Even though their children have come to growth I will take them away, so that not a man will be there; for their evil-doing will be complete and they will be put to shame because of it.

Even though they bring up their children, I will bereave them until not one is left. Woe to them when I turn away from them!

13 As I have seen a beast whose young have been taken from her, so Ephraim will give birth to children only for them to be put to death.

Ephraim – planted like Tyre in a meadow, But Ephraim too must lead forth their children to slaughter.

14 O Lord, what will you give them? Give them bodies which may not give birth and breasts without milk.

Give them, Lord – what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and shrivelled up breasts!

15 All their evil-doing is in Gilgal; there I had hate for them; because of their evil-doing I will send them out of my house; they will no longer be dear to me; all their rulers are uncontrolled.

All their evil began in Gilgal, there I learned to hate them. Because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them, for all their princes are rebels.

16 The rod has come on Ephraim, their root is dry, let them have no fruit; even though they give birth, I will put to death the dearest fruit of their bodies.

Ephraim is blighted, their root withered. If they do bear children, I will slay the darlings of their womb,

17 My God will give them up because they did not give ear to him; they will be wandering among the nations.

My God will reject them because they have not listened to him, and they will become wanderers among the nations.