1 R ejoice not, O Israel, with exultation as do the peoples, for you have played the harlot, forsaking your God. You have loved hire upon every threshing floor.

Do not be happy, O Israel! Do not be glad like the nations! For you have sinned like a woman who sells the use of her body, turning away from your God. You have loved selling yourselves on every grain-floor.

2 T he threshing floor and the winevat shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail them.

The grain-floor and the place where the grapes are crushed will not feed them. And they will not have enough new wine.

3 T hey shall not remain in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.

They will not stay in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim will return to Egypt. And in Assyria they will eat unclean food.

4 T hey shall not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing to Him. Their sacrifices shall be to them as the bread of mourners; all who eat of them shall be defiled, for their bread shall be for their appetite; it shall not come into the house of the Lord.

They will not pour out drink gifts of wine to the Lord. Their gifts of worship will not please Him. Their bread will be like the bread of those in sorrow. Everyone who eats it will be unclean, for their bread will be for themselves alone. It will not come into the house of the Lord.

5 W hat will you do on the day of the appointed solemn assembly or festival and on the day of the feast of the Lord ?

What will you do on the days set to have a special supper for the Lord?

6 F or behold, they are gone away from devastation and destruction; Egypt shall gather them in; Memphis shall bury them. Their precious things of silver shall be in the possession of nettles; thorns shall be in their tents.

When trouble comes and the people try to get away, Egypt will gather them up. Memphis will bury them. Their riches of silver will be grown over by weeds, and thorns will be in their tents.

7 T he days of visitation and punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a crazed fool and the man who is inspired is mad or a fanatic, because of the abundance of your iniquity and because the enmity, hostility, and persecution are great.

The days of punishment have come, the days when the people must pay for their sins. Let Israel know this. The man who tells what will happen in the future is a fool. The man who is led by the spirit is crazy. This is because of all your sin and anger.

8 E phraim was a watchman with my God; but he, that prophet, has become a fowler’s snare in all his ways. There is enmity, hostility, and persecution in the house of his God.

Ephraim was meant to be a watchman who would speak for God. Yet there is a net in all his ways, and only anger in the house of his God.

9 T hey have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah. The Lord will remember their iniquity; He will punish their sins.

They have gone deep into sin, as in the days of Gibeah. The Lord will remember their wrong-doing, and will punish their sins.

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree in its first season, but they went to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to that shameful thing, and they became detestable and loathsome like that which they loved.

“I found Israel like grapes in the desert. I saw your fathers like the first-fruit on the fig tree in its first year. But they came to Baal-peor and gave themselves to that false god of shame. They became as sinful as the thing they loved.

11 A s for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird; there shall be no birth, no being with child, and no becoming pregnant.

Ephraim’s greatness will fly away like a bird. There will be no more children born to them, and they will not be able to have children.

12 T hough they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them so that not a man shall be left; yes, woe also to them when I look away and depart from them!

Even if they raise children, I will take them away and not leave anyone alive. It will be bad for them when I leave them!

13 E phraim, as I have seen with Tyre, is planted in a pleasant place, but Ephraim shall bring out his children to the slayer.

I have seen Ephraim planted in a good field like Tyre. But Ephraim will lead his children out to be killed.”

14 G ive them, O Lord! what will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

O Lord, what will You give them? Give them children who die before they are born, and make them not able to nurse their babies.

15 A ll their wickedness is focused in Gilgal, for there I hated them; for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of My house; I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels.

“Because of all their sin at Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of the sinful things they did, I will drive them out of My house. I will not love them any more. All their leaders would not obey Me.

16 E phraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit. Yes, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even their beloved children.

Ephraim is destroyed. Their root is dried up and they will give no fruit. Even if they give birth, I will kill the children they love.”

17 M y God will cast them away because they did not listen to and obey Him, and they shall be wanderers and fugitives among the nations.

My God will send them away because they have not listened to Him. And they will travel from nation to nation.