Hosea 7
1 When I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed, as well as the crimes of Samaria. For they practice deceit and thieves break in; bandits raid in the streets.
When I would heal Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim is discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they practise falsehood; and the thief entereth in, [and] the troop of robbers assaileth without.
2 But they fail to consider in their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.
And they say not in their hearts [that] I remember all their wickedness: now do their own doings encompass them; they are before my face.
3 They delight the king with their evil, and the princes with their lies.
They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
4 They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by a baker who needs not stoke the fire from the kneading to the rising of the dough.
They all practise adultery, as an oven heated by the baker: he ceaseth from stirring [the fire] after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
5 The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.
In the day of our king, the princes made themselves sick with the heat of wine: he stretched out his hand to scorners.
6 For they prepare their heart like an oven while they lie in wait; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
For they have applied their heart like an oven to their lying in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls upon Me.
They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
8 Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is an unturned cake.
Ephraim, he mixeth himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not know.
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth [it] not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth [it] not.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the LORD their God; despite all this, they do not seek Him.
And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face; and they do not return to Jehovah their God, nor seek him for all this.
11 So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove— calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
And Ephraim is become like a silly dove without understanding: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
12 As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together.
When they go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowl of the heavens; I will chastise them, according as their assembly hath heard.
13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me! Though I would redeem them, they speak lies against Me.
Woe unto them! for they have wandered from me; destruction unto them! for they have transgressed against me. And I would redeem them; but they speak lies against me.
14 They do not cry out to Me from their hearts when they wail upon their beds. They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from Me.
And they cried not unto me in their heart, when they howled upon their beds; they assemble themselves for corn and new wine; they have turned aside from me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms, they plot evil against Me.
I have indeed trained, I have strengthened their arms, but they imagine mischief against me.
16 They turn, but not to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword for the cursing of their tongue; for this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.
They return, [but] not to the [Most] High: they are like a deceitful bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.
