Hosea 9:10-17

The Lord warns his people

10 The Lord says,

‘When I first found Israel, they gave me pleasure.

It was as if I had found grapes in the wilderness.

Your ancestors made me happy,

like the first fruit on a young fig tree.

9:10A fig is a kind of fruit.

But then they came to the god, Baal-Peor.

9:10Israel's people did bad things when they worshipped the false god, Baal-Peor. See Numbers 25:1-5.

They began to worship that disgusting idol.

They became as disgusting as the idol that they loved so much.

11 The great things that Israel enjoys will soon disappear.

They will be like birds that fly away!

The women of Israel will no longer give birth to children.

They will not even become pregnant.

12 But even if they do have children,

I will cause them all to die so that none are still alive.

It will be a terrible time for the Israelites,

because I will turn away from them.

13 At one time, I saw that Ephraim's land was a beautiful place, like Tyre.

But now Ephraim's people must bring out their children

for an enemy to kill them.’

14 Lord, what should I ask you to give to these people?

Make it impossible for their women to give birth!

Stop the milk from their breasts to feed their babies!

15 The Lord says,

‘They started to do evil things at Gilgal.

9:15Gilgal was across the Jordan River from the god, Baal-Peor. It was an important place where people worshipped other gods. See Amos 4:4; 5:5.

It was there that I began to hate them.

Because they do evil things, I will chase them out of my land.

I will not love them any more.

Their leaders have all turned against me.

16 Ephraim's people are very sick.

They are like a plant that has dry roots

and it gives no fruit.

Even if they give birth to children that they love very much,

I will kill those children.’

17 My God will not accept them as his people,

because they have not obeyed him.

They will have no home of their own.

They will have to live among different nations.