Hosea 7

1 “When I give healing to Israel, Then the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed, And the wickedness of Samaria, For they have worked falsehood, And a thief comes in, A troop has stripped off in the street,

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 And they do not say to their heart, [That] I have remembered all their evil, Now their doings have surrounded them, They have been before My face.

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 With their wickedness they make a king glad, And with their lies—princes.

They gladdened kings with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.

4 All of them [are] adulterers, Like a burning oven of a baker, He ceases from stirring up after kneading the dough, until its leavening.

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

[In] the days of our kings, the princes began to be inflamed with wine: he stretched out his hand with pestilent fellows.

6 For they have drawn near, Their heart [is] as an oven In their lying in wait—their baker sleeps all night, Morning! He is burning as a flaming fire.

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 warm as an oven, And they have devoured their judges, All their kings have fallen, There is none calling to Me among them.

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! He mixes himself among peoples, Ephraim has been an unturned cake.

Ephraim is mixed among his people; Ephraim became a cake not turned.

9 Strangers have devoured his power, And he has not known, Also old age has sprinkled [itself] on him, And he has not known.

Strangers devoured his strength, and he knew [it] not; and grey hairs came upon him, and he knew [it] not.

10 And the excellence of Israel has been humbled to his face, And they have not turned back to their God YHWH, Nor have they sought Him for all this.

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

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 spread over them My net, As the bird of the heavens I bring them down, I discipline them as their congregation has heard.

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 Woe to them, for they wandered from Me, Destruction to them, for they transgressed against Me, And I ransom them, and they have spoken lies against 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 And have not cried to Me with their heart, but howl on their beds; They assemble themselves for grain and new wine, They turn aside against Me.

And their hearts did not cry to me, but they howled on their beds: they pined for oil and wine.

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

They were instructed by me, and I strengthened their arms; and they devised evils against me.

16 They turn back—not to the Most High, They have been as a deceitful bow, Their princes fall by sword, From the insolence of their tongue, This [is] their derision in the land of 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.