Hosea 9

1 Do not choose to rejoice, Israel; do not celebrate as the crowds do. For you have been committing fornication against your God; you have loved a prize upon every threshing floor of wheat.

Israel, don't rejoice! Don't celebrate like other nations! For you have practiced prostitution; you have loved a prostitute's wages on every threshing floor of grain.

2 The threshing floor and the oil press will not feed them, and the wine will deceive them.

Your threshing floors and winepresses will not feed you; the land will fail to produce your new wine.

3 They will not dwell in the land of the Lord. Ephraim has been returned to Egypt, and he has eaten polluted things among the Assyrians.

You will not stay in the Lord's land, instead Ephraim will return to Egypt, and will eat unclean food in Assyria.

4 They will not offer a libation of wine to the Lord, and they will not please him. Their sacrifices will be like the bread of mourners. All those who eat it will be defiled. For their bread is of their soul; it will not enter into the house of the Lord.

You won't pour out any drink offerings to the Lord. None of your sacrifices will please him. Your sacrifices will be like food eaten by a person in mourning—all who eat will be unclean. You will eat this food yourselves, but it will not enter the house of the Lord.

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

What are you going to do on the days of your appointed religious feasts, on the days of the festivals of the Lord?

6 For, behold, they have been sent away by devastation. Egypt will gather them together; Memphis will bury them. Nettles will inherit their desired silver; the burr will be in their tabernacles.

Look, they have left because of the destruction: Egypt with gather them, and Memphis will bury them. They gain a “valued possession” for their silver. Weeds will possess them, and thorns will grow over their tents.

7 The days of visitation have arrived; the days of retribution are here. Know this, Israel: that the prophet was foolish, the spiritual man was mad, because of the multitude of your iniquities and the great extent of your foolishness.

The time of punishment has come; the day of retribution has arrived. Let Israel know! You say the prophet is a fool, the man of the Spirit is mad, because your sin and hostility is so great.

8 The watcher of Ephraim was with my God. The prophet has become a snare of ruin over all his ways; insanity is in the house of his God.

The watchman over Ephraim is with my God, and a prophet is a birdcatcher's snare on all his ways. Hatred is in the house of his God

9 They have sinned profoundly, just as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity, and he will repay their sin.

for they have corrupted themselves so deeply, as in the time of Gibeah. He will remember their sin; he will punish their wickedness.

10 I discovered Israel like grapes in the desert. Like the first fruits of the fig tree, I saw their fathers on the end of its branches. But they went in to Baal-peor, and they have been estranged by intermingling, and they have become abominable, just like the things that they chose to love.

When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert. When I saw your forefathers it was like seeing early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they gave themselves over to that shameful idol, becoming as filthy as the filthy thing they loved.

11 Ephraim has chased away their glory like a bird: from birth, and from the womb, and from conception.

Ephraim! Like a bird that flies away so shall your glory—no births, no pregnancies, no conceptions.

12 And even if they should nurture their sons, I will make them without children among men. Yes, and woe to them, when I have withdrawn from them.

Even if they bring up children, I will make sure they do not survive. What a disaster for you when I turn away from you!

13 Ephraim, as I see it, was a Tyre, founded by beauty. And Ephraim will lead his sons to execution.

Ephraim! Just as I saw Tyre planted in a meadow, so too Ephraim will lead out his children to the murderer.

14 Give them, O Lord. What will you give them? Give them a womb without children, and dry breasts.

Give them—well, Lord, what should you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and dry breasts.

15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for I held them there, in their hatred. Because of the malice of their inventions, I will expel them from my house. I will no longer say that I love them; all their leaders have retreated.

All of their evil began at Gilgal, and that's where I began to hate them. I will drive them out of my house because of their wickedness. I will love them no longer; all their leaders are rebels.

16 Ephraim has been struck; their root has been dried out: by no means will they yield fruit. And even if they should conceive, I will execute the most beloved of their womb.

Ephraim, you are blighted, dried up from the roots. You shall bear no fruit. Even if you have children, I will slaughter your beloved offspring.

17 My God will cast them aside because they have not listened to him; and they will be wanderers among the nations.

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