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, Ephraim's sins will be exposed, together with the evil actions of Samaria. They deal in lies; they are thieves who break into homes and rob people on the outside.
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 don't realize that I remember all of their wickedness. Their sins surround them and are always before me.
3 In their sin they make a king for themselves, and rulers in their deceit.
They make their king happy with their wickedness, 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.
All of them are adulterers, burning with lust like an oven whose fire stays hot, even though it is not tended by the baker, having left the dough to rise after kneading.
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.
On the king's birthday the princes drink so much they are sick, while he joins in with those who mock.
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.
Their minds are fired up like an oven; they go to him with their plots. All through the night their anger burns; in the morning it blazes out uncontrollably.
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 as hot as a burning oven, and they exhaust their leaders. All of their kings have fallen, and not one of them calls on me.
8 Ephraim is mixed with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
Ephraim mixes with the foreign nations; he is as useless as half-baked bread!
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 drain his strength, and he doesn't even realize it. His hair is turning grey and he doesn't even notice.
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 pride testifies against him, but for all of this he still does not return to the Lord their God or look for him.
11 And Ephraim is like a foolish dove, without wisdom; they send out their cry to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
Ephraim is like a dove, foolish and without sense—calling to Egypt, then going 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.
When they go I will throw my net over them; I will bring them down like wild birds. When I hear them flocking together I will punish them.
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.
What disaster is coming to them because they have strayed from me! Destruction is coming to them because they have rebelled against me! I wish I could redeem them, but they tell lies about 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 with sincere minds; instead they lie on their beds howling. They assemble together and gash themselves to gain grain and new wine, but they turn away from me.
15 Though I have given training and strength to their arms, they have evil designs against me.
I myself trained them and made them strong, but now 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 useless bow. Their leaders will be killed by the sword because of their cursing. Because of this they will be ridiculed in Egypt.
