Hosea 7
1 Whenever I want to heal Israel, the sin of Ephraim is exposed, as well as the evil deeds of Samaria, for they practice deceit; a thief comes in, and a marauding band attacks in the street.
Should I desire to heal Israel, then would the iniquity of Ephraim and the wickedness of Samaria be laid open; for they commit falsehood; and the thief entereth [secretly], and the troop of robbers is spread abroad without.
2 They do not realize in their hearts that I remember all their evil deeds. Now their deeds surround them; they are before my face.
And they never think in their own heart that I remember all their wickedness: though now their own doings are all round about them; before my face are they present.
3 With their evil they make the king glad, and by their lies the officials.
With their wickedness they make the king glad, and with their lies the princes.
4 They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by the baker, who ceases to stir the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
They are all adulterers, as an oven well heated by the baker: [when] he that stirreth [the fire] resteth awhile from kneading the dough, until it be leavened.
5 On the day of our king the officials made themselves sick with the heat of wine. He reached out with his hand to those who were mocking.
On the day of our king's [entering on his rule] the princes are made sick with the fumes of wine: [the king] joineth his hand with scorners.
6 For with hearts like an oven, they devise their deceitful plans. Their anger smolders all night; in the morning it burns high like a flaming fire.
For they make ready their heart for their tricky deeds, like the oven, the baker whereof sleepeth all the night, while in the morning it gloweth as a flaming fire.
7 They all are as hot as an oven, and they devour those who rule over them. All their kings have fallen; none of them calls on me.
They are all hot as an oven, they devour their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
8 Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples. Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over.
Ephraim mixeth himself indeed among the nations: Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 Foreigners have devoured his strength, but he does not know it. Gray hairs are sprinkled on him, but he does not know it.
Strangers devour his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are sprinkled about on his [head], yet he knoweth not.
10 The pride of Israel testifies against him; however, they have not returned to Yahweh their God, nor have they sought him, in spite of all this.
And humbled was the pride of Israel before his own face; but they did not return to the Lord their God, and sought him not, notwithstanding all this.
11 Ephraim is like a dove, gullible and without sense, calling out to Egypt, then flying to Assyria.
And Ephraim is become like a silly dove without understanding: Egypt did they call hither, to Assyria did they go.
12 When they go, I will spread my net over them, I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will punish them in their flocking together.
As they go, so will I spread out my net over them; as the fowls of the heaven will I bring them down: I will chastise them, as it hath been announced to their congregation.
13 Woe to them! For they have strayed from me. Devastation is coming to them! They have rebelled against me! I would have rescued them, but they spoke lies against me.
Woe unto them! for they have fled from me; destruction shall come unto them, because they have transgressed against me: though I desired to redeem them, they yet spoke lies against me.
14 They have not cried to me with all their heart, but they wail on their beds. They gather together for grain and new wine, and they turn away from me.
And they cried not unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: for corn and new wine they assemble themselves, and they rebel against me.
15 Though I trained them and strengthened their arms, they are now plotting evil against me.
And I desired to instruct and to strengthen their arms; yet would they devise evil against me.
16 They return, but they do not return to me, the Most High. They are like a slack bow. Their officials will fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongues. This will become their mockery in the land of Egypt.
They never return upward: they are like a deceitful bow: by the sword shall their princes fall because of the rage of their tongue; this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.
