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 would heal Israel, then Ephrain’s guilt is revealed, and Samaria’s crimes are seen, how they practise fraud and the thief enters in, while outside bandits plunder.
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.
But it never crosses their minds that I remember their wickedness. Now their misdeeds surround them, they are always before my face.
3 They gladdened kings with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.
Their wickedness amuses the king, and their lying gladdens the 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.
since they are all of them adulterers. Their desire to do evil burns like an oven heated by the baker, so hot that he need not stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough, until it rises.
5 [In] the days of our kings, the princes began to be inflamed with wine: he stretched out his hand with pestilent fellows.
On our king’s festival day, the princes are flushed with fever from wine. He stretched forth his hand with the contemptuous,
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 like an oven their heart burns with treachery, all night their anger smolders, in the morning it blazes into a flame of fire.
7 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.
All of them glow like an oven, they devour their rulers. All their kings have fallen. There is none among them who calls to me.
8 Ephraim is mixed among his people; Ephraim became a cake not turned.
Ephraim – he lets himself be mixed among the peoples, Ephraim – he has become a cake unturned.
9 Strangers devoured his strength, and he knew [it] not; and grey hairs came upon him, and he knew [it] not.
Strangers have devoured his strength, but he does not know it. His hair is sprinkled with grey, but he does not notice.
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.
Israel’s arrogance testifies against them yet they do not return to the Lord their God, and in all this they do not seek him.
11 And Ephraim was as a silly dove, not having a heart: he called to Egypt, and they went to the Assyrians.
Ephraim is like a simple, silly dove: to Egypt they call, after Assyria they go,
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 rumor of their [coming] affliction.
wherever they turn I will spread my net over them, like birds of the sky I will bring them down, I will catch them when I hear them gathering.
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 have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have been untrue to me. Although it was I who redeemed them, they speak lies about me.
14 And their hearts did not cry to me, but they howled on their beds: they pined for oil and wine.
They have never cried to me with their hearts, but they are always wailing on their beds. They gather to beg for corn and new wine, but they turn away from me.
15 They were instructed by me, and I strengthened their arms; and they devised evils against me.
Although it was I who trained and strengthened their arms, concerning me they plan only 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 away from the Most High. They have become like a bow that swerves. Their princes will fall by the sword, because of the insolence of their tongues. The land of Egypt will mock them.
