Hosea 7

1 'When I give healing to Israel, Then revealed is the iniquity of Ephraim, And the wickedness of Samaria, For they have wrought falsehood, And a thief doth come in, Stript off hath a troop in the street,

When I would have healed Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria, for they have committed falsehood, and the thief is come in to steal, the robber is without.

2 And they do not say to their heart, [That] all their evil I have remembered, Now compassed them have their doings, Over-against My face they have been.

And lest they may say in their hearts, that I remember all their wickedness: their own devices now have beset them about, they have been done before my face.

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

They have made the king glad with their wickedness: and the princes with their lies.

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

They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by the baker: the city rested a little from the mingling of the leaven, till the whole was leavened.

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

The day of our king, the princes began to be mad with wine: he stretched out his hand with scorners.

6 For they have drawn near, As an oven [is] their heart, In their lying in wait all the night sleep doth their baker, Morning! he is burning as a flaming fire.

Because they have applied their heart like an oven, when he laid snares for them: he slept all the night baking them, in the morning he himself was heated as a flaming 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 unto Me among them.

They were all heated like an oven, and have devoured their judges: all their kings have fallen: there is none amongst them that calleth unto me.

8 Ephraim! among peoples he mixeth himself, Ephraim hath been a cake unturned.

Ephraim himself is mixed among the nations: Ephraim is become as bread baked under the ashes, that is not turned.

9 Devoured have strangers his power, And he hath not known, Also old age hath sprinkled [itself] on him, And he hath not known.

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knew it not: yea, grey hairs also are spread about upon him, and he is ignorant of it.

10 And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And they have not turned back unto Jehovah their God, Nor have they sought Him for all this.

And the pride of Israel shall be humbled before his face: and they have not returned to the Lord their God, nor have they sought him in all these.

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

And Ephraim is become as a dove that is decoyed, not having a heart: they called upon Egypt, they went to the Assyrians.

12 When they go I spread over them My net, As the fowl of the heavens I bring them down, I chastise them as their company hath heard.

And when they shall go, I will spread my net upon them: I will bring them down as the fowl of the air, I will strike them as their congregation hath heard.

13 Woe to them, for they wandered from Me, Destruction to them, for they transgressed against Me, And I — I ransom them, and they have spoken lies against Me,

Woe to them, for they have departed from me: they shall be wasted because they have transgressed against me: and I redeemed them: and they have spoken lies against me.

14 And have not cried unto Me with their heart, but howl on their beds, For corn and new wine they assemble themselves, They turn aside against Me.

And they have not cried to me with their heart, but they howled in their beds: they have thought upon wheat and wine, they are departed from me.

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

And I have chastised them, and strengthened their arms: and they have imagined evil against me.

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

They returned, that they might be without yoke: they became like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword, for the rage of their tongue. This is their derision in the land of Egypt.