Hosea 7
1 When I would have healed Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria, for they have committed falsehood, and the thief is come in to steal, the robber is without.
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 lest they may say in their hearts, that I remember all their wickedness: their own devices now have beset them about, they have been done 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 They have made the king glad with their wickedness: and the princes with their lies.
They make their king happy with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
4 They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by the baker: the city rested a little from the mingling of the leaven, till the whole was 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 The day of our king, the princes began to be mad with wine: he stretched out his hand with scorners.
On the king's birthday the princes drink so much they are sick, while he joins in with those who mock.
6 Because they have applied their heart like an oven, when he laid snares for them: he slept all the night baking them, in the morning he himself was heated as 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 were all heated like an oven, and have devoured their judges: all their kings have fallen: there is none amongst them that calleth unto 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 himself is mixed among the nations: Ephraim is become as bread baked under the ashes, that is not turned.
Ephraim mixes with the foreign nations; he is as useless as half-baked bread!
9 Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knew it not: yea, grey hairs also are spread about upon him, and he is ignorant 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 shall be humbled before his face: and they have not returned to the Lord their God, nor have they sought him in all these.
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 become as a dove that is decoyed, not having a heart: they called upon Egypt, they went to the Assyrians.
Ephraim is like a dove, foolish and without sense—calling to Egypt, then going to Assyria.
12 And when they shall go, I will spread my net upon them: I will bring them down as the fowl of the air, I will strike them as their congregation hath heard.
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 Woe to them, for they have departed from me: they shall be wasted because they have transgressed against me: and I redeemed them: and they have spoken lies 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 cried to me with their heart, but they howled in their beds: they have thought upon wheat and wine, they are departed from 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 And I have chastised them, and strengthened their arms: and they have imagined evil against me.
I myself trained them and made them strong, but now they plot evil against me.
16 They returned, that they might be without yoke: they became like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword, for the rage of their tongue. This is their derision in the land of Egypt.
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.
