הושע 7

1 כרפאי לישראל ונגלה עון אפרים ורעות שמרון--כי פעלו שקר וגנב יבוא פשט גדוד בחוץ

“When I give healing to Israel, Then the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed, And the wickedness of Samaria, For they have worked falsehood, And a thief comes in, A troop has stripped off in the street,

2 ובל יאמרו ללבבם כל רעתם זכרתי עתה סבבום מעלליהם נגד פני היו

And they do not say to their heart, [That] I have remembered all their evil, Now their doings have surrounded them, They have been before My face.

3 ברעתם ישמחו מלך ובכחשיהם שרים

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

4 כלם מנאפים--כמו תנור בערה מאפה ישבות מעיר מלוש בצק עד חמצתו

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

5 יום מלכנו החלו שרים חמת מיין משך ידו את לצצים

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

6 כי קרבו כתנור לבם בארבם כל הלילה ישן אפהם--בקר הוא בער כאש להבה

For they have drawn near, Their heart [is] as an oven In their lying in wait—their baker sleeps all night, Morning! He is burning as a flaming fire.

7 כלם יחמו כתנור ואכלו את שפטיהם כל מלכיהם נפלו אין קרא בהם אלי

All of them are warm as an oven, And they have devoured their judges, All their kings have fallen, There is none calling to Me among them.

8 אפרים בעמים הוא יתבולל אפרים היה עגה בלי הפוכה

Ephraim! He mixes himself among peoples, Ephraim has been an unturned cake.

9 אכלו זרים כחו והוא לא ידע גם שיבה זרקה בו והוא לא ידע

Strangers have devoured his power, And he has not known, Also old age has sprinkled [itself] on him, And he has not known.

10 וענה גאון ישראל בפניו ולא שבו אל יהוה אלהיהם ולא בקשהו בכל זאת

And the excellence of Israel has been humbled to his face, And they have not turned back to their God YHWH, Nor have they sought Him for all this.

11 ויהי אפרים כיונה פותה אין לב מצרים קראו אשור הלכו

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

12 כאשר ילכו אפרוש עליהם רשתי--כעוף השמים אורידם איסירם כשמע לעדתם

When they go I spread over them My net, As the bird of the heavens I bring them down, I discipline them as their congregation has heard.

13 אוי להם כי נדדו ממני שד להם כי פשעו בי ואנכי אפדם--והמה דברו עלי כזבים

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

14 ולא זעקו אלי בלבם כי יילילו על משכבותם על דגן ותירוש יתגוררו יסורו בי

And have not cried to Me with their heart, but howl on their beds; They assemble themselves for grain and new wine, They turn aside against Me.

15 ואני יסרתי חזקתי זרועתם ואלי יחשבו רע

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

16 ישובו לא על היו כקשת רמיה--יפלו בחרב שריהם מזעם לשונם זו לעגם בארץ מצרים

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