< Hosea 7 >

1 “and when I wanted to heal them [again], [I did not do it, ] [because] I saw the wicked things that [the people of] Samaria [city] and [other places in] Israel [DOU] have done. They constantly deceive others; bandits rob people in the streets.
כְּרָפְאִ֣י לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְנִגְלָ֞ה עֲוֹ֤ן אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וְרָעֹ֣ות שֹֽׁמְרֹ֔ון כִּ֥י פָעֲל֖וּ שָׁ֑קֶר וְגַנָּ֣ב יָבֹ֔וא פָּשַׁ֥ט גְּד֖וּד בַּחֽוּץ׃
2 But they do not realize that I do not forget all the evil things that they do. [It is as though] they are surrounded by [all] the sins that they commit; and [it is though] those sins are [always right] in front of me [MTY].
וּבַל־יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ לִלְבָבָ֔ם כָּל־רָעָתָ֖ם זָכָ֑רְתִּי עַתָּה֙ סְבָב֣וּם מַֽעַלְלֵיהֶ֔ם נֶ֥גֶד פָּנַ֖י הָיֽוּ׃
3 Their king is delighted with the wicked things that the people do; his officials are happy about the people’s lies.
בְּרָעָתָ֖ם יְשַׂמְּחוּ־מֶ֑לֶךְ וּבְכַחֲשֵׁיהֶ֖ם שָׂרִֽים׃
4 [The king and his officials] are all treacherous. [They are always eager to do wicked things; ] they are like [SIM] an oven that is [very] hot: a baker mixes the dough and waits for it to expand, and he does not [need to] cause the oven to become hotter.
כֻּלָּם֙ מְנָ֣אֲפִ֔ים כְּמֹ֣ו תַנּ֔וּר בֹּעֵ֖רָה מֵֽאֹפֶ֑ה יִשְׁבֹּ֣ות מֵעִ֔יר מִלּ֥וּשׁ בָּצֵ֖ק עַד־חֻמְצָתֹֽו׃
5 The king and his officials get very drunk during their festivals, carousing with others who also do foolish things.
יֹ֣ום מַלְכֵּ֔נוּ הֶחֱל֥וּ שָׂרִ֖ים חֲמַ֣ת מִיָּ֑יִן מָשַׁ֥ךְ יָדֹ֖ו אֶת־לֹצְצִֽים׃
6 The officials angrily plan to murder the king; it is like [SIM] they have an oven in their inner beings. All during the night their [eagerness/wanting to murder the king] is like a fire that is smouldering, but in the morning it becomes like [MET] a roaring fire.
כִּֽי־קֵרְב֧וּ כַתַּנּ֛וּר לִבָּ֖ם בְּאָרְבָּ֑ם כָּל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ יָשֵׁ֣ן אֹֽפֵהֶ֔ם בֹּ֕קֶר ה֥וּא בֹעֵ֖ר כְּאֵ֥שׁ לֶהָבָֽה׃
7 All those officials are like [MET] hot flames that completely burn up their rulers, so all their kings are murdered, and no one pleads with me [to help them].”
כֻּלָּ֤ם יֵחַ֙מּוּ֙ כַּתַּנּ֔וּר וְאָכְל֖וּ אֶת־שֹֽׁפְטֵיהֶ֑ם כָּל־מַלְכֵיהֶ֣ם נָפָ֔לוּ אֵין־קֹרֵ֥א בָהֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי׃
8 “[The leaders of] Israel join with leaders of [godless] nations; so [the leaders of] Israel are [as worthless as] a pancake that is cooked on only one side.
אֶפְרַ֕יִם בָּעַמִּ֖ים ה֣וּא יִתְבֹּולָ֑ל אֶפְרַ֛יִם הָיָ֥ה עֻגָ֖ה בְּלִ֥י הֲפוּכָֽה׃
9 Joining with the rulers of foreign nations has caused Israel to be a weak [nation], but the Israelis do not realize that. Israel has become [like] [MET] a gray-haired old man, but the people of Israel do not realize it.
אָכְל֤וּ זָרִים֙ כֹּחֹ֔ו וְה֖וּא לֹ֣א יָדָ֑ע גַּם־שֵׂיבָה֙ זָ֣רְקָה בֹּ֔ו וְה֖וּא לֹ֥א יָדָֽע׃
10 Their being proud [PRS] testifies against them, but in spite of that, they do not return to [me], Yahweh, their God, or [even] try to know me.
וְעָנָ֥ה גְאֹֽון־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּפָנָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־שָׁ֙בוּ֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א בִקְשֻׁ֖הוּ בְּכָל־זֹֽאת׃
11 [The people of] Israel have become foolish and stupid like [SIM] doves. [First] they called out to Egypt [to help them], [and then] they sought help from Assyria.
וַיְהִ֣י אֶפְרַ֔יִם כְּיֹונָ֥ה פֹותָ֖ה אֵ֣ין לֵ֑ב מִצְרַ֥יִם קָרָ֖אוּ אַשּׁ֥וּר הָלָֽכוּ׃
12 But wherever they go [to get help], [I will not allow them to succeed]; [it will be as though] [MET] I will throw a net over them like [SIM] [a hunter uses a net to capture] birds; I will punish them for the evil things that they do.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵלֵ֗כוּ אֶפְרֹ֤ושׂ עֲלֵיהֶם֙ רִשְׁתִּ֔י כְּעֹ֥וף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם אֹֽורִידֵ֑ם אַיְסִרֵ֕ם כְּשֵׁ֖מַע לַעֲדָתָֽם׃ ס
13 Terrible things will happen to them because they abandoned/deserted me! They will be destroyed because they rebelled against me. I wanted to rescue them, but they tell lies about me.
אֹ֤וי לָהֶם֙ כִּֽי־נָדְד֣וּ מִמֶּ֔נִּי שֹׁ֥ד לָהֶ֖ם כִּֽי־פָ֣שְׁעוּ בִ֑י וְאָנֹכִ֣י אֶפְדֵּ֔ם וְהֵ֕מָּה דִּבְּר֥וּ עָלַ֖י כְּזָבִֽים׃
14 They do not cry out to me sincerely [IDM]; they [only] lie on their beds and wail. They gather together and ask [me to give them] grain and wine, but they turn away from me.
וְלֹֽא־זָעֲק֤וּ אֵלַי֙ בְּלִבָּ֔ם כִּ֥י יְיֵלִ֖ילוּ עַל־מִשְׁכְּבֹותָ֑ם עַל־דָּגָ֧ן וְתִירֹ֛ושׁ יִתְגֹּורָ֖רוּ יָס֥וּרוּ בִֽי׃
15 I trained/taught them and enabled them to become strong, but now they plan [to do] evil things to me.
וַאֲנִ֣י יִסַּ֔רְתִּי חִזַּ֖קְתִּי זְרֹֽועֹתָ֑ם וְאֵלַ֖י יְחַשְּׁבוּ־רָֽע׃
16 They have rejected me, their Great God, and turned to their god Baal; they are [as useless] as [SIM] a crooked bow. Their leaders boast [that they are very strong], but they will be killed by [their enemies’] swords. As a result, [the people of] Egypt will laugh at them.”
יָשׁ֣וּבוּ ׀ לֹ֣א עָ֗ל הָיוּ֙ כְּקֶ֣שֶׁת רְמִיָּ֔ה יִפְּל֥וּ בַחֶ֛רֶב שָׂרֵיהֶ֖ם מִזַּ֣עַם לְשֹׁונָ֑ם זֹ֥ו לַעְגָּ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

< Hosea 7 >