IX.

Complaint of idolatry in Israel, and threats of punishment on ac

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count of their reliance upon foreign nations.—CH. VIII.

The trumpet to my mouth!

Like an eagle cometh an enemy against the house of
Jehovah,

Because they have transgressed my covenant,
And have trespassed against my law.

2 They shall say to me;

My God, we know thee; we are thine Israel! 3 Israel hath cast away what is good;

The enemy shall pursue him.

4 They have set up kings, but not by me;

They have made princes, and I knew it not.

Of their silver and their gold have they made themselves idols,

That they might be brought to destruction. 5 Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast them off; Mine anger is kindled against them;

How long will it be ere they attain to purity! 6 For from Israel it came i

The workman made it, and it is no God;

For the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.

7 They have sown the wind,

And they shall reap the whirlwind.

They shall have no standing harvest;
The ear shall yield no meal ;

If perchance it yield, strangers shall devour it.

8 Israel is swallowed up;

Soon shall they become among the nations
As a vessel, which no one desireth.

9 For they have gone up to the Assyrian,

A solitary wild ass, living only for himself;
Ephraim hireth lovers;

10 But though they hire among the nations,

Soon will I gather the nations against them;

Then shall they rest a little while from the burden of their king, and their princes!

11 Ephraim hath built many altars for sin,

Therefore shall he have altars for sin.

12 I have written for him many laws ;

But they have been regarded by him as a strange
thing;

13 They offer sacrifices; they slay flesh, and eat it;
Jehovah hath no pleasure in them.

Now will he remember their iniquity,

And punish their sins;

To Egypt shall they return.

14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and builded

palaces,

And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities;

But I will send a fire upon his cities,

And it shall devour his palaces.

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X.

Punishment threatened on account of idolatry in
Israel.-CH. IX. 1-9..

Rejoice not, O Israel,

Exult not, like the nations!

For thou committest fornication, forsaking thy God;

Thou lovest hire on every corn-floor.

2 The floor and the vat shall not feed them,

And the new wine shall deceive them.

3 They shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah ; To Egypt shall Ephraim go back,

And eat unclean things in Assyria.

4 They shall pour out no offerings of wine to Jehovah, Nor shall their sacrifices please him

They shall be to them as the bread of mourners;

All that eat thereof shall be polluted.

Their bread shall be for themselves;

It shall not come into the house of Jehovah.

5 What will ye do in the festal day,

In the day of the feast of Jehovah ?

6 For behold they go forth from a wasted land; Egypt shall gather them;

Memphis shall bury them;

The pleasant places, purchased by their silver,
Nettles shall possess them;

Thorns shall spring up in their habitations.

7 The days of visitation are come;

The days of retribution are come.

Israel shall know, that the prophet was foolish,

That the man of the spirit was mad,

For the greatness of the iniquity, and thy great hatred.

8 If Ephraim look for help from my God,

The prophet is as the snare of the fowler in all his ways,

A net in the house of my God.

9 They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days

of Gibeah;

He will remember their iniquity;

He will requite their sins.

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XI.

Israel threatened with destruction.-СH. ix. 10-17.

I FOUND Israel as grapes in the wilderness;

As the early fruit on the fig-tree, at its first time of bearing,

I saw your fathers.

But they went to Baal Peor,

And separated themselves to shame.

And had abominable idols according to their love. 11 The glory of Ephraim shall fly away as a bird;

They shall not bring forth, nor bear in the womb, nor conceive;

12 Yea, if they bring up children, I will utterly bereave

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them;

Yea, woe to them, when I depart from them;

I have seen Ephraim planted, like Tyre, in a rich pasture;

Yet shall Ephraim bring forth his children for the murderer.

14 Give them, O Jehovah !—What wilt thou give them? Give them a miscarrying womb,

And dry breasts!

15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal;

Yea, there have I hated them for the wickedness of their doings;

I will drive them from my house;

I will love them no more;

All their princes are revolters.

16 Ephraim is smitten;

Their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit;

Yea, though they bring forth,

I will destroy the beloved fruit of the womb.

17 My God shall cast them away,

Because they have not hearkened to him,

And they shall be wanderers among the nations.

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XII.

Punishment of idolatry and other vices of Israel.—Cí. x.

ISRAEL is a luxuriant vine,

That bringeth forth fruit;

But according to the abundance of his fruit hath he multiplied altars;

According to the goodness of his land, hath he made goodly images.

2 Their heart is divided; soon shall they suffer for it ; He will break down their altars,

And destroy their images.

3 For soon shall they say, We have no king;

Because we fear not Jehovah;

What can a king do for us?

4 They spake empty words, when they swore And falsehood when they made a covenant.

And now judgment springeth up, as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

5 For the calf of Bethaven shall the inhabitants of Sama

ria fear;

For his people shall grieve for him,

And his priest shall tremble for him,

Because their glory is departed from them.

6 It shall be carried to Assyria,

As a present to the hostile king.

Ephraim shall be covered with confusion,

And Israel shall be ashamed of his doings.