- 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.
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