Hosea 7

1 When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief comes in, and the troop of robbers spoils without.

'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 And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are 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 make the king glad with their wickedness, and the 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 heated by the baker, who ceases from raising after he has kneaded the dough, until it be 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 day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.

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

6 For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleeps all the night; in the morning it burns as a flaming 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 hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calls to 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, he has mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

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

9 Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knows it not: yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, yet he knows 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 testifies to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek 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 Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

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

12 When they shall go, I will spread my net on them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard.

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 fled from me: destruction to them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies 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 they have not cried to me with their heart, when they howled on their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.

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 Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.

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

16 They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision 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!