The Lord Will Punish Israel

Hosea 9

1 Do not rejoice, O Israel, for joy, as the peoples; for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved the salary of a harlot upon every threshing floor. 2 The threshing floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her. 3 They shall not remain in the land of the LORD; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt and to Assyria where they shall eat unclean food.

4 They shall not pour out wine unto the LORD, neither shall he take pleasure in their sacrifices; as the bread of mourners shall they be unto them; all that eat thereof shall be polluted; for their bread shall not enter into the house of the LORD because of their soul.

5 What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD? 6 For, behold, they have left because of the destruction; Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: nettles shall possess in inheritance that which is desirable of their silver; thorns shall grow up in their dwellings.

7 The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it; the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is a fool, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. 8 The watchman of Ephraim regarding my God, the prophet, is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, hatred in the house of his God. 9 They have arrived at the depths, they have corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah; therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sin.

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the early fruit of the fig tree in her beginning; but they went in unto Baalpeor and separated themselves unto shame and made themselves as abominable as that which they loved. 11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth even from the womb and from the conception. 12 Though they bring up their sons, yet I will 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 Tyre, is planted in a pleasant place; but Ephraim shall bring forth his sons to the murderer. 14 Give them, O LORD, that which thou must give them; give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

15 All their wickedness was in Gilgal, for there I took a dislike to them; for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of my house, I will never love them again: all their princes are disloyal.

16 Ephraim was smitten, their root is dried up; they shall bear no more fruit; even though they bring forth, yet I will slay even the desirable 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 Gentiles.

Hosea 10

1 Israel is an empty vine. Shall he bring forth fruit unto himself? According to the multiplication of his fruit he has multiplied altars; according to the goodness of his land they have bettered their statues. 2 Their heart has wandered; now they shall be found guilty: he shall break down their altars, he shall destroy their statues.

3 For now they shall say, We have no king, because we did not fear the LORD; what then should a king do to us? 4 They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment shall spring up as hemlock in the furrows of the field. 5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn because of the calf, and the religious persons thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, which shall be made to vanish away. 6 It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to King Jareb: Ephraim shall be ashamed, and Israel shall be confused at his own counsel.

7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the surface of the waters. 8 And the altars of Aven shall be destroyed, the sin of Israel: the thorn and the thistle shall grow upon their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.

9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah; there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the sons of iniquity did not overtake them. 10 And I shall chastise them as I desire; and the peoples shall gather themselves over them, when they shall be bound in their two furrows.

11 Ephraim is a heifer that is taught and loves to tread out the wheat; but I shall pass over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to draw; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods. 12 Sow yourselves unto righteousness, reap yourselves unto mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is the time to seek the LORD until he comes and teaches you righteousness.

13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye shall eat the fruit of lies because thou didst trust in thy way and in the multitude of thy mighty men. 14 Therefore, in thy peoples a tumult shall arise, and all thy fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Betharbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her sons. 15 So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness; in the morning the king of Israel shall utterly be cut off.

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