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¹ Rejoice not, O Israel! Exult not like the peoples; for you have played the harlot, forsaking your God. You have loved a harlot's hire upon all threshing floors.² Threshing floor and winevat shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail them.³ They shall not remain in the land of the LORD; but E'phraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.⁴ They shall not pour libations of wine to the LORD; and they shall not please him with their sacrifices. Their bread shall be like mourners' bread; all who eat of it shall be defiled; for their bread shall be for their hunger only; it shall not come to the house of the LORD.⁵ What will you do on the day of appointed festival, and on the day of the feast of the LORD?⁶ For behold, they are going to Assyria; Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess their precious things of silver; thorns shall be in their tents.

⁷ The days of punishment have come, the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred.⁸ The prophet is the watchman of E'phraim, the people of my God, yet a fowler's snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.⁹ They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gib'e-ah: he will remember their iniquity, he will punish their sins.¹⁰ Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree, in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Ba'al-pe'or, and consecrated themselves to Ba'al, and became detestable like the thing they loved.

¹¹ E'phraim's glory shall fly away like a bird--no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!¹² Even if they bring up children, I will bereave them till none is left. Woe to them when I depart from them!¹³ E'phraim's sons, as I have seen, are destined for a prey; E'phraim must lead forth his sons to slaughter.¹⁴ Give them, O LORD--what wilt thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.¹⁵ Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels.¹⁶ E'phraim is stricken, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit. Even though they bring forth, I will slay their beloved children.¹⁷ My God will cast them off, because they have not hearkened to him; they shall be wanderers among the nations.