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,
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.
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.
They do not realize in their hearts that I remember all their evil deeds. Now their deeds surround them; they are before my face.
3 With their wickedness they make glad a king, And with their lies — princes.
With their evil they make the king glad, and by their lies the officials.
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, who ceases to stir the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
5 A day of our king! Princes have polluted themselves [with] the poison of wine, He hath drawn out his hand with scorners.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
8 Ephraim! among peoples he mixeth himself, Ephraim hath been a cake unturned.
Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples. Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over.
9 Devoured have strangers his power, And he hath not known, Also old age hath sprinkled [itself] on him, And he hath not known.
Foreigners have devoured his strength, but he does not know it. Gray hairs are sprinkled on him, but he does not know 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.
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.
11 And Ephraim is as a simple dove without heart, Egypt they called on — [to] Asshur they have gone.
Ephraim is like a dove, gullible and without sense, calling out to Egypt, then flying to Assyria.
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.
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.
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 strayed from me. Devastation is coming to them! They have rebelled against me! I would have rescued them, but they spoke 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.
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.
15 And I instructed — I strengthened their arms, And concerning Me they think evil!
Though I trained them and strengthened their arms, they are now plotting 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 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.
