Hosea 9:7-17 ▼

7 The days of punishment have come; The days of recompense have come; Let Israel know this! The prophet is an ignorant fool, The inspired man has madness, Because of the abundance of your iniquity And because your hostility has abounded.

8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet; Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways, And there is only hostility in the house of his God.

9 They have dug deep in corruption As in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity; He will punish their sins.

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. But they came to Baal-peor and devoted themselves to shame, And they became as detestable as that which they loved.

11 As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird— No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!

12 Though they bring up their children, Yet I will bereave them until not a man is left. Surely, woe to them indeed when I depart from them!

13 Ephraim, as I have seen, Is planted in a pasture like Tyre; But Ephraim will bring out his children for killing.

14 Give them, O Yahweh—what will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

15 All their evil is at Gilgal; Indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; All their princes are rebels.

16 Ephraim is stricken; their root is dried up; They will bear no fruit. Even though they bear children, I will put to death the desirable ones of their womb.

17 My God will despise them Because they have not listened to Him; And they will be those who flee among the nations.