Hosea 9:4

אַל־תִּשְׂמַ֨ח יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל ׀ אֶל־גִּיל֙ כָּעַמִּ֔ים כִּ֥י זָנִ֖יתָ מֵעַ֣ל אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ אָהַ֣בְתָּ אֶתְנָ֔ן עַ֖ל כׇּל־גׇּרְנ֥וֹת דָּגָֽן׃ Rejoice not, O Israel,
As other peoples exult;
For you have strayed
Away from your God:
^aEmendation and rearrangement yield: “You have loved fornication / By every threshing floor and press; / The new grain shall not join them, / And the new wine shall fail them.”You have loved a harlot’s fee
By every threshing floor of new grain.

גֹּ֥רֶן וָיֶ֖קֶב לֹ֣א יִרְעֵ֑ם וְתִיר֖וֹשׁ יְכַ֥חֶשׁ בָּֽהּ׃ Threshing floor and winepress
Shall not join them,
And the new wine shall betray her.^a

לֹ֥א יֵשְׁב֖וּ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ יְהֹוָ֑ה וְשָׁ֤ב אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ מִצְרַ֔יִם וּבְאַשּׁ֖וּר טָמֵ֥א יֹאכֵֽלוּ׃ They shall not be able to remain
In the land of the LORD.
But Ephraim shall return to Egypt
And shall eat unclean food in Assyria.^bThe lands of the heathen and the food there are unclean; cf. Ezek. 4.13; Amos 7.17.

מַֽה־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּ לְי֣וֹם מוֹעֵ֑ד וּלְי֖וֹם חַג־יְהֹוָֽה׃ What will you do about feast days,
About the festivals of the LORD?

כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֤ה הָֽלְכוּ֙ מִשֹּׁ֔ד מִצְרַ֥יִם תְּקַבְּצֵ֖ם מֹ֣ף תְּקַבְּרֵ֑ם מַחְמַ֣ד לְכַסְפָּ֗ם קִמּוֹשׂ֙ יִֽירָשֵׁ֔ם ח֖וֹחַ בְּאׇהֳלֵיהֶֽם׃ Behold, they have gone ^cEmendation yields “to Assyria.”from destruction^-c
[With] the silver they treasure.
Egypt shall ^dCf. 8.10.hold them fast,^-d
Moph^eBelieved to be Memphis, elsewhere called Noph. shall receive them in burial.
Weeds are their heirs;
Prickly shrubs occupy their [old] homes.

בָּ֣אוּ ׀ יְמֵ֣י הַפְּקֻדָּ֗ה בָּ֚אוּ יְמֵ֣י הַשִּׁלֻּ֔ם יֵדְע֖וּ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֱוִ֣יל הַנָּבִ֗יא מְשֻׁגָּע֙ אִ֣ישׁ הָר֔וּחַ עַ֚ל רֹ֣ב עֲוֺנְךָ֔ וְרַבָּ֖ה מַשְׂטֵמָֽה׃ The days of punishment have come
For your heavy guilt;
The days of requital have come—
Let Israel know it!

The prophet was distraught,
The inspired man driven mad
By constant harassment.

צֹפֶ֥ה אֶפְרַ֖יִם עִם־אֱלֹהָ֑י נָבִ֞יא פַּ֤ח יָקוֹשׁ֙ עַל־כׇּל־דְּרָכָ֔יו מַשְׂטֵמָ֖ה בְּבֵ֥ית אֱלֹהָֽיו׃ Ephraim watches for ^fEmendation yields “the prophet of my God.”my God.
As for the prophet,^-f
Fowlers’ snares are on all his paths,
Harassment in the House of his God.

הֶעְמִ֥יקוּ שִׁחֵ֖תוּ כִּימֵ֣י הַגִּבְעָ֑ה יִזְכּ֣וֹר עֲוֺנָ֔ם יִפְק֖וֹד חַטֹּאותָֽם׃ {ס}         They have been as grievously corrupt
As in the days of Gibeah;^gSee Judg. 19–20.
He will remember their iniquity,
He will punish their sins.

כַּעֲנָבִ֣ים בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר מָצָ֙אתִי֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כְּבִכּוּרָ֤ה בִתְאֵנָה֙ בְּרֵ֣אשִׁיתָ֔הּ רָאִ֖יתִי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם הֵ֜מָּה בָּ֣אוּ בַֽעַל־פְּע֗וֹר וַיִּנָּֽזְרוּ֙ לַבֹּ֔שֶׁת וַיִּהְי֥וּ שִׁקּוּצִ֖ים כְּאׇהֳבָֽם׃ I found Israel [as pleasing]
As grapes in the wilderness;
Your fathers seemed to Me
^hEmendation yields “like a ripe fig in a waterless waste”; cf. 13.5.Like the first fig to ripen on a fig tree.^-h
But when they came to Baal-peor,
They turned aside to shamefulness;ⁱCf. Num. 25.1–3.
^jMeaning of Heb. uncertain.Then they became as detested
As they had been loved.^-j

אֶפְרַ֕יִם כָּע֖וֹף יִתְעוֹפֵ֣ף כְּבוֹדָ֑ם מִלֵּדָ֥ה וּמִבֶּ֖טֶן וּמֵהֵרָיֽוֹן׃ From birth, from the womb, from conception
Ephraim’s glory shall be
Like birds that fly away.^kV. 16 would read well after v. 11.

כִּ֤י אִם־יְגַדְּלוּ֙ אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֔ם וְשִׁכַּלְתִּ֖ים מֵאָדָ֑ם כִּֽי־גַם־א֥וֹי לָהֶ֖ם בְּשׂוּרִ֥י מֵהֶֽם׃ Even if they rear their infants,
I will bereave them of men.
^lEmendation yields: “Even if they wean their babes, / They shall be dismayed because of them.”Woe to them indeed
When I turn away from them!^-l

אֶפְרַ֛יִם כַּאֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֥יתִי לְצ֖וֹר שְׁתוּלָ֣ה בְנָוֶ֑ה וְאֶפְרַ֕יִם לְהוֹצִ֥יא אֶל־הֹרֵ֖ג בָּנָֽיו׃ ^jMeaning of Heb. uncertain.It shall go with Ephraim
As I have seen it go with Tyre,
Which was planted in a meadow;^-j
Ephraim too must bring out
His children to slayers.

תֵּן־לָהֶ֥ם יְהֹוָ֖ה מַה־תִּתֵּ֑ן תֵּן־לָהֶם֙ רֶ֣חֶם מַשְׁכִּ֔יל וְשָׁדַ֖יִם צֹמְקִֽים׃ Give them, O LORD—give them what?
Give them a womb that miscarries,
And shriveled breasts!

כׇּל־רָעָתָ֤ם בַּגִּלְגָּל֙ כִּי־שָׁ֣ם שְׂנֵאתִ֔ים עַ֚ל רֹ֣עַ מַעַלְלֵיהֶ֔ם מִבֵּיתִ֖י אֲגָרְשֵׁ֑ם לֹ֤א אוֹסֵף֙ אַהֲבָתָ֔ם כׇּל־שָׂרֵיהֶ֖ם סֹרְרִֽים׃ All their misfortune [began] at Gilgal,
For there I disowned them.^mThe specific allusion is uncertain.
For their evil deeds
I will drive them out of My House.
I will accept them no more;
ⁿEmendation yields “They are all.”All their officials are^-n disloyal.

הֻכָּ֣ה אֶפְרַ֔יִם שׇׁרְשָׁ֥ם יָבֵ֖שׁ פְּרִ֣י (בלי) [בַֽל־]יַעֲשׂ֑וּן גַּ֚ם כִּ֣י יֵלֵד֔וּן וְהֵמַתִּ֖י מַחֲמַדֵּ֥י בִטְנָֽם׃ ^kV. 16 would read well after v. 11.Ephraim^oTargum reads “Their crown,” i.e., of a tree. is stricken,
Their stock is withered;
They can produce no fruit.
Even if they do bear children,
I will slay their cherished offspring.

יִמְאָסֵ֣ם אֱלֹהַ֔י כִּ֛י לֹ֥א שָׁמְע֖וּ ל֑וֹ וְיִֽהְי֥וּ נֹדְדִ֖ים בַּגּוֹיִֽם׃ {ס}         My God rejects them
Because they have not obeyed Him,
And they shall go wandering
Among the nations.