9:1 Israel, do not rejoice; don’t shout for joy as the other nations do. You have been ·like a prostitute against [unfaithful to] your God. You love the pay of prostitutes on every threshing floor.
9:2 But the threshing floor and the winepress will not feed the people, and ·there won’t be enough new wine [or the new wine will deceive them].
9:3 The people will not stay in the Lord’s land. ·Israel [L Ephraim] will return ·to being captives as they were in [L to] Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat ·food that they are not allowed to eat [L unclean food; C food forbidden by the law; Lev. 11].
9:4 The Israelites will not ·give [pour out] offerings of wine to the Lord; and their sacrifices will not please him. Their sacrifices will be like ·food that is eaten at a funeral [mourners bread; Deut. 26:14]; it is unclean, and everyone who eats it becomes unclean [C because touched by someone who has touched a dead body; Num. 19:22]. Their food will only satisfy their hunger; ·they cannot sacrifice it in [L it will not come into] the Temple.
9:5 What will you do then on the day of ·feasts [your appointed festivals] and on the day of the Lord’s festival?
9:6 [L Look; T Behold] Even if the people ·are not destroyed [escape destruction], Egypt will ·capture [or receive; L gather] them; Memphis [C a city in Egypt famous for its tombs] will bury them. ·Weeds [Briers; Nettles] will grow over their silver treasures, and thorns will ·drive them out of [possess; inherit] their tents.
9:7 The time of punishment has come, the ·time to pay for sins [L days of recompense/vengeance]. Let Israel know this: ·You think the [L The] prophet is a fool, and ·you say the [L the] ·spiritual person [Spirit-inspired person] is crazy. ·You [or This is because you] have sinned very much, and your hatred is great.
9:8 ·Is Israel a watchman? Are God’s people prophets? [or The prophet is a watchman over Ephraim on God’s behalf] ·Everywhere Israel goes, traps are set for him [or …yet traps/snares await him on all his paths]. ·He is an enemy [or …and hatred even] in God’s house.
9:9 ·The people of Israel [L They] have gone deep into ·sin [depravity; corruption] as ·the people of Gibeah did [L in the days of Gibeah; Judg. 19–20]. The Lord will remember ·the evil things they have done [their wickedness/iniquity], and he will punish their sins.
9:10 “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the ·desert [wilderness]. Your ·ancestors [fathers; forefathers] were like finding the first figs on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they ·began worshiping an idol [L consecrated/dedicated themselves to a shameful thing; Num. 25:3–18], and they became as ·hateful [detestable] as the thing they ·worshiped [L loved].
9:11 ·Israel’s [L Ephraim’s; 4:17] glory will fly away like a bird; there will be no more pregnancy, no more births, no more conception.
9:12 But even if ·the Israelites [L they] bring up children, I will take them all away. ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] them when I ·go away [turn away; depart] from them!
9:13 I have seen Israel, like ·Tyre [or a young palm], ·given [L planted in] a pleasant place. But ·the people of Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17] will soon bring out their children to ·be killed [slaughter; or the slayer].”
9:14 Lord, ·give them what they should have [L give them]. What will you give them? ·Make their women unable to have children [L Give them wombs that miscarry]; give them ·dried-up breasts that cannot feed their babies [L dry breasts].
9:15 “The Israelites were very wicked in Gilgal [C a center of false worship in Israel; 4:15], so I have hated them there. Because of the sinful things they have done, I will ·force them to leave [drive them out of] my land. I will no longer love them; their ·leaders [princes] ·have turned against me [are rebels/rebellious].
9:16 ·Israel [L Ephraim] is ·beaten down [struck down; or blighted]; its root is ·dying [withered; dried up], and it ·has [bears] no fruit. If they have more children, I will kill the ·children they love [L cherished offspring of their womb].”
9:17 My God will reject them, because they have not obeyed him; they will ·wander [be wanderers/fugitives] among the nations.
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