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 ini-quity, 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 ac-cording 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.
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