Osee 7

1 When I have healed Israel, then shall the iniquity of Ephraim be revealed, and the wickedness of Samaria; for they have wrought falsehood: and a thief shall come in to him, [even] a robber spoiling in his way;

'When I give healing to Israel, Then revealed is the iniquity of Ephraim, And the wickedness of Samaria, For they have wrought falsehood, And a thief doth come in, Stript off hath a troop in the street,

2 that they may concert together as [men] singing in their heart: I remember all their wickedness: now have their own counsels compassed them about; they came before my face.

And they do not say to their heart, [That] all their evil I have remembered, Now compassed them have their doings, Over-against My face they have been.

3 They gladdened kings with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.

With their wickedness they make glad a king, And with their lies — princes.

4 They are all adulterers, as an oven glowing with flame for hot-baking, on account of the kneading of the dough, until it is leavened.

All of them [are] adulterers, Like a burning oven of a baker, He ceaseth from stirring up after kneading the dough, till its leavening.

5 [In] the days of our kings, the princes began to be inflamed with wine: he stretched out his hand with pestilent fellows.

A day of our king! Princes have polluted themselves [with] the poison of wine, He hath drawn out his hand with scorners.

6 Therefore their hearts are inflamed as an oven, while they rage all the night: Ephraim is satisfied with sleep; the morning is come; he is burnt up as a flame of fire.

For they have drawn near, As an oven [is] their heart, In their lying in wait all the night sleep doth their baker, Morning! he is burning as a flaming fire.

7 They are all heated like an oven, and have devoured their judges: all their kings are fallen; there was not amongst them one that called on me.

All of them are warm as an oven, And they have devoured their judges, All their kings have fallen, There is none calling unto Me among them.

8 Ephraim is mixed amongst his people; Ephraim became a cake not turned.

Ephraim! among peoples he mixeth himself, Ephraim hath been a cake unturned.

9 Strangers devoured his strength, and he knew [it] not; and grey hairs came upon him, and he knew [it] not.

Devoured have strangers his power, And he hath not known, Also old age hath sprinkled [itself] on him, And he hath not known.

10 And the pride of Israel shall be brought down before his face: yet they have not returned to the Lord their God, neither have they diligently sought him for all this.

And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And they have not turned back unto Jehovah their God, Nor have they sought Him for all this.

11 And Ephraim was as a silly dove, not having a heart: he called to Egypt, and they went to the Assyrians.

And Ephraim is as a simple dove without heart, Egypt they called on — [to] Asshur they have gone.

12 Whenever they shall go, I will cast my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the sky, I will chasten them with the rumour of their [coming] affliction.

When they go I spread over them My net, As the fowl of the heavens I bring them down, I chastise them as their company hath heard.

13 Woe to them! for they have started aside from me: they are cowards; for they have sinned against me: yet I redeemed them, but they spoke falsehoods against me.

Woe to them, for they wandered from Me, Destruction to them, for they transgressed against Me, And I — I ransom them, and they have spoken lies against Me,

14 And their hearts did not cry to me, but they howled on their beds: they pined for oil and wine.

And have not cried unto Me with their heart, but howl on their beds, For corn and new wine they assemble themselves, They turn aside against Me.

15 They were instructed by me, and I strengthened their arms; and they devised evils against me.

And I instructed — I strengthened their arms, And concerning Me they think evil!

16 They turned aside to that which is not, they became as a bent bow: their princes shall fall by the sword, by reason of the unbridled state of their tongue: this is their setting at nothing in the land of Egypt.

They turn back — not to the Most High, They have been as a deceitful bow, Fall by sword do their princes, From the insolence of their tongue, This [is] their derision in the land of Egypt!