1 R ejoice 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 T he floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail her.

3 T hey shall not dwell in Jehovah's land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and in Assyria shall they eat that which is unclean.

4 T hey shall pour out no 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 W hat will ye do in the day of assembly, and in the day of the feast of Jehovah?

6 F or 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 T he days of visitation are come; the days of recompence are come: Israel shall know: the prophet is a fool, the inspired man is mad, because of the greatness of thine iniquity, and the great enmity.

8 I s Ephraim a watchman with my God? the prophet is a fowler's snare on all his ways, enmity in the house of his God.

9 T hey 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 A s for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away as a bird,—no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!

12 F or even should they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, not a man: for woe also to them when I shall have departed from them!

13 E phraim, as I saw, was a Tyre planted in a beautiful place; but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the slayer.

14 G ive them, Jehovah—what wilt thou give?—give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

15 A ll 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 E phraim is smitten: their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit; yea, though they should bring forth, yet will I slay the beloved of their womb.

17 M y God hath rejected them, because they hearkened not unto him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations.