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.
What will you do on the day of appointed festival,
and on the day of the feast of the LORD?
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.
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.
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.
They have deeply corrupted themselves
as in the days of Gib'e-ah:
he will remember their iniquity,
he will punish their sins.
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.
E'phraim's glory shall fly away like a bird -
no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!
Even if they bring up children,
I will bereave them till none is left.
Woe to them
when I depart from them!
E'phraim's sons, as I have seen, are destined for a prey;
E'phraim must lead forth his sons to slaughter.
Give them, O LORD -
what wilt thou give?
Give them a miscarrying womb
and dry breasts.
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.
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.
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