Israel’s Punishment

1Do not be glad, O Israel,

with rejoicing, like peoples.

For you have prostitute yourself against your God;

you have made love for hire on all the floors of threshing.

2The threshing floor and winepress will not feed them,

and the new wine will fail in her.

3They will not dwell

in the land of YHWH,

and Ephraim† will return to Egypt,

and Assyria will eat unclean things.

4They will not pour out wine to YHWH,

and their sacrifices they will not be pleasng to Him—

like the bread of mourners to them,

all those eating it will be defiled.

For their bread is for their own soul;

it will not come into the house of YHWH!

5What will you⁺ do on the day of the appointed feast,

and on the day of the feast of YHWH?

6For behold, they go away from destruction.

Egypt will gather them up,

and Memphis will bury them!

And the preciousness of their silver—the thistles will possess them,

thorns in their tents.

7The days of punishment have come in;

the days of recompense have come in.

let Israel knows

the prophet is a fool,

the man of the spirit is insane

over the abundance of your iniquity,

and the greatness of your hatred.

8The prophet, with my God, is the one watching Ephraim;†

a snare of a fowler is on all his paths;

hostility is in the house of his God.

9They have sunk deep, corrupting themselves,

as in the days of Gibeah;

He will remember their iniquity;

He will attend to their sins.

10Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel;

as the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season,

I saw your⁺ fathers.

They went to Baal-peor

and dedicated themselves to that shame,

and they became as detestable

as that which they loved!

11Ephraim, like a bird, their glory will fly away

from the birth and from the belly and from conceiving.

12Even if they bring up their sons,

I will bereave them of each man.

Yes indeed, woe to them,

at My turning away from them!

13Ephraim, as I have seen, like Tyre,

is planted in a pleasant place;

and Ephraim will bring out

his children to one who slaughters.

14Give to them, O YHWH,

what will You give?

Give to them a womb miscarrying,

and breasts that are dry.

15All their evil is in Gilgal,

for there I came to hate them,

because of the evil of their deeds,

I will drive them out from My house.

I will not continue to love them;

all their princes are rebellious.

16Ephraim is stricken,

their root has withered;

they will not bear fruit.

Even if they give birth,

I will kill the precious ones of their womb.

17My God will reject them,

because they did not listen to Him,

and they will be wanderers

among the nations.