Online Bible

Days of Punishment Have Come

^aDo not be glad, O Israel, ¹with rejoicing like the peoples!For you have ^bplayed the harlot, ²forsaking your God.You have loved harlots’ earnings on ³every threshing floor.2 Threshing floor and wine press will ^anot feed them,And the new wine will deceive ¹them.3 They will not remain in ^athe land of Yahweh,But Ephraim will return to ^bEgypt,And in ^cAssyria they will eat ^dunclean food.4 They will not pour out drink offerings of ^awine to Yahweh;^bTheir sacrifices will not please Him.Their bread will ¹be like ²mourners’ bread;All who eat of it will be ^cdefiled,For their bread will be for ³themselves alone;It will not enter the house of Yahweh.5 ^aWhat will you do on the day of the appointed festivalAnd on the day of the ^bfeast of Yahweh?6 For behold, they will go because of destruction;Egypt will gather them up; ^aMemphis will bury them.Weeds will possess their desirable items of silver;^bThorns will be in their tents.

7 The days of ^apunishment have come;The days of ^brecompense have come;¹Let Israel know this!The prophet is an ^cignorant fool,The ²inspired man has ^dmadness,Because of the abundance of your ^einiquityAnd because your hostility has abounded.8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet;Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways,And there is only hostility in the house of his God.9 They have dug ^adeep ¹in corruptionAs in the days of ^bGibeah;He will ^cremember their iniquity;He will punish their sins.

Grapes in the Wilderness

10 I found Israel like ^agrapes in the wilderness;I saw your fathers as the ^bearliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season.But they came to ^cBaal-peor and devoted themselves to ¹^dshame,And they became as ^edetestable as that which they loved.11 As for Ephraim, their ^aglory will fly away like a bird—No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!12 Though they bring up their children,Yet I will bereave them ¹until not a man is left.Surely, ^awoe to them indeed when I depart from them!13 Ephraim, as I have seen,Is planted in a pasture like ^aTyre;But Ephraim will bring out his children for killing.14 Give them, O Yahweh—what will You give?Give them a ¹^amiscarrying womb and dry breasts.

15 All their evil is at ^aGilgal;Indeed, I came to hate them there!Because of the ^bevil of their deedsI will drive them out of My house!I will love them no more;All their princes are ^crebels.16 ^aEphraim is stricken; their root is dried up;They will bear ^bno fruit.Even though they bear children,I will put to death the ^cdesirable ones of their womb.17 My God will despise themBecause they have ^anot listened to Him;And they will be ^bthose who flee among the nations.

Ephraim Punished

^aDo not rejoice, O Israel, ¹with exultation like the ²nations!For you have ^bplayed the harlot, ³forsaking your God.You have loved harlots’ earnings on ⁴every threshing floor.2 Threshing floor and wine press will ^anot feed them,And the new wine will fail ¹them.3 They will not remain in ^athe LORD’S land,But Ephraim will return to ^bEgypt,And in ^cAssyria they will eat ^dunclean food.4 They will not pour out drink offerings of ^awine to the LORD,^bTheir sacrifices will not please Him.Their bread will ¹be like ²mourners’ bread;All who eat of it will be ^cdefiled,For their bread will be for ³themselves alone;It will not enter the house of the LORD.5 ^aWhat will you do on the day of the appointed festivalAnd on the day of the ^bfeast of the LORD?6 For behold, they will go because of destruction;Egypt will gather them up, ^aMemphis will bury them.Weeds will take over their treasures of silver;^bThorns will be in their tents.

7 The days of ^apunishment have come,The days of ^bretribution have come;¹Let Israel know this!The prophet is a ^cfool,The ²inspired man is ^ddemented,Because of the grossness of your ^einiquity,And because your hostility is so great.8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet;Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways,And there is only hostility in the house of his God.9 They have gone ^adeep ¹in depravityAs in the days of ^bGibeah;He will ^cremember their iniquity,He will punish their sins.

10 I found Israel like ^agrapes in the wilderness;I saw your forefathers as the ^bearliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season.But they came to ^cBaal-peor and devoted themselves to ¹^dshame,And they became as ^edetestable as that which they loved.11 As for Ephraim, their ^aglory will fly away like a bird—No birth, no pregnancy and no conception!12 Though they bring up their children,Yet I will bereave them ¹until not a man is left.Yes, ^awoe to them indeed when I depart from them!13 Ephraim, as I have seen,Is planted in a pleasant meadow like ^aTyre;But Ephraim will bring out his children for slaughter.14 Give them, O LORD—what will You give?Give them a ^amiscarrying womb and dry breasts.

15 All their evil is at ^aGilgal;Indeed, I came to hate them there!Because of the ^bwickedness of their deedsI will drive them out of My house!I will love them no more;All their princes are ^crebels.16 ^aEphraim is stricken, their root is dried up,They will bear ^bno fruit.Even though they bear children,I will slay the ^cprecious ones of their womb.17 My God will cast them awayBecause they have ^anot listened to Him;And they will be ^bwanderers among the nations.