Hosea 9:11–17

¹¹Ephraim’s greatness and glory will be gone.

It will fly away like a bird.

Women will no longer have children.

They will not be able to get pregnant.

¹²But suppose they do have children.

Then I will kill every one of them.

How terrible it will be for them

when I turn away from them!”

¹³Tyre is planted in a pleasant place.

And so is Ephraim.

But the Assyrians will kill

Ephraim’s children.

¹⁴Lord, what should you do to Ephraim’s people?

Give them women whose babies die before they are born.

Give them women whose breasts don’t have any milk.

¹⁵The Lord says,

“My people did many evil things in Gilgal.

That is why I hated them there.

They committed many sins.

So I will drive them out of my land.

I will not love them anymore.

All of their leaders refuse to obey me.

¹⁶Ephraim is like a worthless plant.

Its roots are dried up.

It does not produce any fruit.

Suppose Ephraim’s people have children.

Then I will kill the children they love so much.”

¹⁷My God will turn his back on his people.

They have not obeyed him.

So they will wander among other nations.