Hosea 9:10-11:7

Wycliffe Bible

¹⁰ I found Israel as grapes in desert, I saw the fathers of them as the first apples of a fig tree, in the top thereof; but they entered to Baalpeor, and were aliened [away] in[to] confusion, and they were made abominable as those things which they loved. (I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness, I saw their forefathers like the first fruits of a fig tree, high on the top of it; but they turned to Baalpeor, and went their way in confusion, and they were made as abominable as those things which they loved.)

¹¹ Ephraim as a bird flew away; the glory of them is of child-bearing, and of the womb, and of conceiving. (The glory of Ephraim shall fly away like a bird; yea, away from child-bearing, and away from the womb, and even away from conceiving.)

¹² (So) That if they nurse their sons, I shall make them without children among men (And even if they do nourish their children, I shall soon make them to be without any children). But also woe to them, when I shall go away from them.

¹³ I saw that Ephraim was as Tyre, founded in fairness; and Ephraim shall lead out his sons to the slayer. (I saw that Ephraim was like Tyre, founded in beauty; but Ephraim shall lead out their sons to the killer.)

¹⁴ Lord, give thou to them; what shalt thou give to them? give thou to them a womb without children, and dry teats. (Lord, give thou them; but what shalt thou give them? give thou them childless wombs, and dry breasts!)

¹⁵ All the wickednesses of them be in Gilgal, for there I had them hateful; for the malice of their findings. I shall cast them out of mine house; I shall not lay to, that I love them. All the princes of them go away (from me). (All their wickednesses be in Gilgal, and it was there that I began to hate them. For the malice of their deeds, I shall throw them out of my House; and no more shall I love them. All their leaders have rebelled against me.)

¹⁶ Ephraim is smitten, the root of them is dried up; they shall not make fruit. That though they engender, I shall slay the most loved things of their womb. (Ephraim is struck down, their roots be dried up; they shall not make fruit. And if they do beget, or give birth, then I shall kill the most beloved things of their wombs.)

¹⁷ My God shall cast them away, for they heard not him (My God shall cast them away, for they did not listen to him); and they shall be of unstable dwelling among (the) nations.

10 Israel was a vine full of boughs, fruit was made even to him (Israel was a vine full of branches, bringing forth fruit unto himself); by the multitude of his fruit he multiplied (the) altars, by the plenty of his land he was plenteous. [Israel a vine full of boughs, fruit is made even to him; after the multitude of his fruit he multiplied altars, after the plenty of his land he was plenteous in simulacra, or false gods.]

² In simulacra the heart of them is parted, now they shall perish. He shall break the simulacra of them, he shall rob the altars of them. (Their hearts be all turned toward their idols, and now they shall perish. Yea, God shall destroy their idols, and shall rob their altars.) [The heart of them is parted, now they shall perish. He shall break together the simulacra of them, he shall spoil the altars of them (He shall altogether break their idols, he shall spoil their altars).]

³ For then they shall say, A king is not to us, for we dread(ed) not the Lord. And what shall a king do to us? (And then they shall say, We have no king, for we did not fear the Lord. But what good could a king do for us anyway?)

⁴ Speak ye words of unprofitable vision, and ye shall smite bond of peace with leasing; and doom as bitterness shall burgeon on the furrows of the field. (Speak ye words of unprofitable vision, and ye shall strike a covenant with lies; and a bitter justice shall burgeon on the furrows of the field.)

⁵ The dwellers of Samaria worshipped the kine of Bethaven. For the people thereof mourned on that calf, and the keepers of the house thereof; they made full out joy on it in the glory thereof, for it passed from that people. (The inhabitants of Samaria worshipped the calf of Bethaven. And so the people there, and the keepers of its temple, mourned when that calf was taken away; yea, they had rejoiced over it in its glory, before that it was taken away from that people.)

⁶ For also it was borne to Assur, a gift to the king venger. Confusion shall take Ephraim, and Israel shall be shamed in his will. (For it shall be carried over to Assyria, as a gift to the great king. And so shame shall overtake Ephraim, yea, Israel shall be ashamed of their own willfulness/Israel shall be shamed by their own willfulness.)

⁷ Samaria made his king to pass (away) as froth on the face of (the) water. (Samaria and his king were swept away, like froth upon the water.)

⁸ And the high things of idol, the sin of Israel, shall be lost. A clote and a briar shall ascend on the altars of them (And the high places, that is, the hill shrines, of Aven, or of Bethaven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorns and briars, or nettles, shall grow upon their altars). And they shall say to mountains, Cover ye us, and to little hills, Fall ye down on us.

⁹ From the days of Gibeah Israel sinned; there they stood. Battle shall not (over)take them in Gibeah, on the sons of wickedness. (From the days of Gibeah Israel hath sinned; and they have stood there in rebellion. So now in Gibeah the battle shall overtake them.)

¹⁰ By my desire I shall chastise them; peoples shall be gathered together on them (peoples shall be gathered together against them), when they shall be chastised for their two wickednesses.

¹¹ Ephraim is a cow calf, taught for to love threshing; and I went on the fairness of the neck thereof. I shall go upon Ephraim. Judah shall ear, and Jacob shall break furrows to himself. (Ephraim is a cow calf, taught to love threshing; and I put a yoke upon its comely neck. And I shall go upon, or I shall drive, Ephraim. Yea, Judah shall plow, and Jacob, or Israel, shall break the furrows for themselves.)

¹² Sow ye to you rightfulness in truth, and reap ye in the mouth of mercy, and make ye new to you a field newly brought to tilth. Forsooth time is to seek the Lord, when he cometh that shall teach you rightfulness. (And so I said, Sow ye for yourselves righteousness, or justice, in truth, and reap ye in the mouth of mercy, and make ye new to you a field newly brought to fallow. For it is time to seek the Lord, and when he cometh, he shall rain blessings upon you.)

¹³ Ye have eared unfaithfulness, ye have reaped wickedness, ye have eaten the corn of leasing. For thou trustedest in thy ways, and in the multitude of thy strong men. (But instead, ye have plowed unfaithfulness, ye have reaped wickedness, and ye have eaten the corn of lies. For thou hast trusted in thy chariots, and in the multitude of thy strong men.)

¹⁴ Noise shall rise in thy people, and all thy strongholds shall be destroyed; as Shalman was destroyed of the house of him, that took vengeance on Betharbel; in the day of battle, when the mother was hurtled down on the sons. (And so now the noise of battle shall rise against thy people, and all thy strongholds shall be destroyed; like Shalman destroyed Betharbel in the day of battle, when the mother and her sons were hurtled down to the ground.)

¹⁵ So Bethel did to you, for the face of malice of your wickednesses. As the morrowtide passeth, the king of Israel shall pass forth. (So Bethel, it shall be done to you, for the great malice of your wickednesses. Like the morning passeth into the day, so the king of Israel shall be swept away.)

11 For Israel was a child, and I loved him; and from Egypt I called my son. (When Israel was a boy, I loved him; and I called my son out of Egypt.)

² They called them, so they went away from the face of them. They offered to Baalim, and made sacrifice to simulacra. (And I called to them, but they went further away from me. They offered to the Baalim, and made sacrifice to idols.)

³ And I as a nurse of Ephraim bare them in mine arms, and they knew not, that I kept them. (And I as the nurse of Ephraim carried them in my arms, but they did not know, that it was I who had kept them safe.)

⁴ I shall draw them in the ropes of Adam, in the bonds of charity. And I shall be to them as he that enhanceth the yoke on the cheeks of them; and I bowed down to him that he should eat. (I drew them to me with the ropes of man, or of people, yea, with the bonds of love. And I was to them like he who lifteth up a little child to his cheeks/like he who lifteth off their yoke; and I bent down to feed them.)

⁵ He shall not turn again into the land of Egypt. And Assur, he shall be king of him, for they would not turn (again to me). (And so they shall return to the land of Egypt. And the Assyrian, he shall be their king, because they would not return to me.)

⁶ A sword began in the cities thereof, and it shall waste the chosen men thereof, and shall eat the heads of them. (And a sword shall begin in their cities, and it shall destroy their chosen ones, and it shall eat their leaders.)

⁷ And my people shall hang, at my coming again. But a yoke shall be put to them (al)together, that shall not be taken away. (But my people shall persist in their rebellion. And a yoke shall be put upon them, and it shall not be taken away.)