Hosea 7
1 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.
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;
2 But they don't realize that I remember all of their wickedness. Their sins surround them and are always before me.
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.
3 They make their king happy with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
They gladdened kings with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.
4 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.
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.
5 On the king's birthday the princes drink so much they are sick, while he joins in with those who mock.
[In] the days of our kings, the princes began to be inflamed with wine: he stretched out his hand with pestilent fellows.
6 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.
Wherefore 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.
7 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.
They are all heated like an oven, and have devoured their judges: all their kings are fallen; there was not among them one that called on me.
8 Ephraim mixes with the foreign nations; he is as useless as half-baked bread!
Ephraim is mixed among his people; Ephraim became a cake not turned.
9 Foreigners drain his strength, and he doesn't even realize it. His hair is turning grey and he doesn't even notice.
Strangers devoured his strength, and he knew [it] not; and grey hairs came upon him, and he knew [it] not.
10 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.
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.
11 Ephraim is like a dove, foolish and without sense—calling to Egypt, then going to Assyria.
And Ephraim was as a silly dove, not having a heart: he called to Egypt, and they went to the Assyrians.
12 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.
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 rumor of their [coming] affliction.
13 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.
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.
14 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.
And their hearts did not cry to me, but they howled on their beds: they pined for oil and wine.
15 I myself trained them and made them strong, but now they plot evil against me.
They were instructed by me, and I strengthened their arms; and they devised evils against me.
16 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.
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 nought in the land of Egypt.
