The distress and captivity of Israel for their sins and idolatry.
9:1. Rejoice not, O Israel: rejoice not as the nations do: for thou
hast committed fornication against thy God, thou hast loved a reward
upon every cornfloor.
9:2. The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the wine
shall deceive them.
9:3. They shall not dwell in the Lord's land: Ephraim is returned to
Egypt, and hath eaten unclean things among the Assyrians.
9:4. They shall not offer wine to the Lord, neither shall they please
him: their sacrifices shall be like the bread of mourners: all that
shall eat it shall be defiled: for their bread is life for their soul,
it shall not enter into the house of the Lord.
9:5. What will you do in the solemn day, in the day of the feast of the
Lord?
9:6. For behold they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall
gather them together, Memphis shall bury them: nettles shall inherit
their beloved silver, the bur shall be in their tabernacles.
9:7. The days of visitation are come, the days of repaying are come:
know ye, O Israel, that the prophet was foolish, the spiritual man was
mad, for the multitude of thy iniquity, and the multitude of thy
madness.
9:8. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: the prophet is become a
snare of ruin upon all his ways, madness is in the house of his God.
9:9. They have sinned deeply, as in the days of Gabaa: he will remember
their iniquity, and will visit their sin.
9:10. I found Israel like grapes in the desert, I saw their fathers
like the firstfruits of the fig tree in the top thereof: but they went
in to Beelphegor, and alienated themselves to that confusion, and
became abominable, as those things were, which they loved.
9:11. As for Ephraim, their glory hath flown away like bird from the
birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.
9:12. And though they should bring up their children, I will make them
without children among men: yea, and woe to them, when I shall depart
from them.
9:13. Ephraim, as I saw, was a Tyre, founded in beauty: and Ephraim
shall bring out his children to the murderer.
9:14. Give them, O Lord. What wilt thou give them? Give them a womb
without children, and dry breasts.
9:15. All their wickedness is in Galgal, for there I hated them: for
the wickedness of their devices I will cast them forth out of my house:
I will love them no more, all their princes are revolters.
9:16. Ephraim is struck, their root is dried up, they shall yield no
fruit. And if they should have issue, I will slay the best beloved
fruit of their womb.
9:17. My God will cast them away, because they hearkened not to him:
and they shall be wanderers among the nations.