Hosea 7
1 When I was about to deliver my people from captivity, When I would have healed Israel, Then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, And the wickedness of Samaria; For they practise fraud, And the thief entereth in, And the band of robbers spoileth without.
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 think not in their hearts, That I remember all their wickedness. Now shall their doings encompass them; They are 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 gladden the king, And with their falsehoods the princes; All of them are adulterers;
They gladdened kings with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.
4 They are as an oven heated by the baker; He ceaseth to stir the fire, Until the dough which he hath kneaded be leavened.
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 feast-day of our king, the princes are sick with the heat of wine, And he stretcheth out his hand with revilers.
[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 make ready their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait; All night the baker sleepeth; In the morning it gloweth like 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 They all glow as an oven; They have devoured their judges; All their kings have fallen; And none among them calleth upon 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 hath mixed himself with the nations; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
Ephraim is mixed among his people; Ephraim became a cake not turned.
9 Strangers have devoured his strength, And he knoweth it not; Yea, gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, Yet he knoweth it not.
Strangers devoured his strength, and he knew [it] not; and grey hairs came upon him, and he knew [it] not.
10 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face; Yet do not they return to Jehovah their God, Nor seek 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 Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding; They call upon Egypt; they go 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 spread my net over them; As birds of heaven will I bring them down. I will chastise them, as hath been proclaimed in their congregation.
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 have wandered from me! Destruction upon them, for they have rebelled against me! Though I myself would redeem them, they speak falsely to 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 cry not to me from their heart, But howl upon their beds; For corn and wine they assemble themselves; They rebel against me.
And their hearts did not cry to me, but they howled on their beds: they pined for oil and wine.
15 I have chastened them; I have also strengthened their arms; Yet do they devise evil against me.
They were instructed by me, and I strengthened their arms; and they devised evils against me.
16 They return, but not to the Most High; They are like a deceitful bow; Their princes shall fall by the sword for the haughtiness of their tongues; This shall be their reproach 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.
