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.
Should I desire to heal Israel, then would the iniquity of Ephraim and the wickedness of Samaria be laid open; for they commit falsehood; and the thief entereth [secretly], and the troop of robbers is spread abroad without.
2 But they don't realize that I remember all of their wickedness. Their sins surround them and are always before me.
And they never think in their own heart that I remember all their wickedness: though now their own doings are all round about them; before my face are they present.
3 They make their king happy with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
With their wickedness they make the king glad, and with their lies the princes.
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 well heated by the baker: [when] he that stirreth [the fire] resteth awhile from kneading the dough, until it be leavened.
5 On the king's birthday the princes drink so much they are sick, while he joins in with those who mock.
On the day of our king's [entering on his rule] the princes are made sick with the fumes of wine: [the king] joineth his hand with scorners.
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.
For they make ready their heart for their tricky deeds, like the oven, the baker whereof sleepeth all the night, while in the morning it gloweth as a flaming 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 hot as an oven, they devour their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
8 Ephraim mixes with the foreign nations; he is as useless as half-baked bread!
Ephraim mixeth himself indeed among the nations: Ephraim is 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 devour his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are sprinkled about on his [head], yet he knoweth 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 humbled was the pride of Israel before his own face; but they did not return to the Lord their God, and sought him not, notwithstanding all this.
11 Ephraim is like a dove, foolish and without sense—calling to Egypt, then going to Assyria.
And Ephraim is become like a silly dove without understanding: Egypt did they call hither, to Assyria did they go.
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.
As they go, so will I spread out my net over them; as the fowls of the heaven will I bring them down: I will chastise them, as it hath been announced to their congregation.
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 unto them! for they have fled from me; destruction shall come unto them, because they have transgressed against me: though I desired to redeem them, they yet spoke lies 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 they cried not unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: for corn and new wine they assemble themselves, and they rebel against me.
15 I myself trained them and made them strong, but now they plot evil against me.
And I desired to instruct and to strengthen their arms; yet would they devise evil 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 never return upward: they are like a deceitful bow: by the sword shall their princes fall because of the rage of their tongue; this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.
