Hosea 7
1 When my desire was for the fate of my people to be changed and to make Israel well, then the sin of Ephraim was made clear, and the evil-doing of Samaria; for their ways are false, and the thief comes into the house, while the band of outlaws takes property by force in the streets.
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.
2 And they do not say to themselves that I keep in mind all their sin; now their evil acts come round them on every side; they are before my face.
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.
3 In their sin they make a king for themselves, and rulers in their deceit.
They delight the king with their evil, and the princes with their lies.
4 They are all untrue; they are like a burning oven; the bread-maker does not make up the fire from the time when the paste is mixed till it is leavened.
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.
5 On the day of our king, the rulers made him ill with the heat of wine; his hand was stretched out with the men of pride.
The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.
6 For they have made their hearts ready like an oven, while they are waiting secretly; their wrath is sleeping all night; in the morning it is burning like a flaming fire.
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.
7 They are all heated like an oven, and they put an end to their judges; all their kings have been made low; not one among them makes prayer to me.
All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls upon Me.
8 Ephraim is mixed with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is an unturned cake.
9 Men from other lands have made waste his strength, and he is not conscious of it; grey hairs have come on him here and there, and he has no knowledge of it.
Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not know.
10 And the pride of Israel gives an answer to his face; but for all this, they have not gone back to the Lord their God, or made search for him.
Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the LORD their God; despite all this, they do not seek Him.
11 And Ephraim is like a foolish dove, without wisdom; they send out their cry to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove— calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
12 When they go, my net will be stretched out over them; I will take them like the birds of heaven, I will give them punishment, I will take them away in the net for their sin.
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.
13 May trouble be theirs! for they have gone far away from me; and destruction, for they have been sinning against me; I was ready to be their saviour, but they said false words against me.
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.
14 And they have not made prayer to me in their hearts, but they make loud cries on their beds; they are cutting themselves for food and wine, they are turned against me.
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.
15 Though I have given training and strength to their arms, they have evil designs against me.
Although I trained and strengthened their arms, they plot evil against Me.
16 They have gone to what is of no value; they are like a false bow; their captains will come to destruction by the sword, and their ruler by my wrath; for this, the land of Egypt will make sport of them.
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.
