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They will not remain in the land of the Lord;
    Ephraim will return to Egypt[a]
    and eat unclean food in Assyria.
No longer will they pour libations of wine to the Lord,
    nor will their sacrifices please him.
To them such sacrifice will be like mourners’ bread
    that defiles all who eat of it.
Whatever food they have will be for them alone;
    it cannot enter the house of the Lord.
What will you do on the solemn feasts,
    on the festival day of the Lord?[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 9:3 Ephraim . . . Egypt: Ephraim will be enslaved in Assyria as it once was in Egypt. In exile, in a country controlled by idols, everything is unclean; thus it is not possible even to offer sacrifices to the Lord.
  2. Hosea 9:5 The festival day of the Lord: most likely the autumnal Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles), which was the most important Israelite public celebration (see Lev 23:34).