Hosea 7

¹When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.

²And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.

³They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

⁴They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.

⁵In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.

⁶For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.

⁷They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.

⁸Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

⁹Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.

¹⁰And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this.

¹¹Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

¹²When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

¹³Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.

¹⁴And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.

¹⁵Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.

¹⁶They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

Hosea 7

¹When my desire was for the fate of my people to be changed and to make Israel well, then the sin of Ephraim was made clear, and the evil-doing of Samaria; for their ways are false, and the thief comes into the house, while the band of outlaws takes property by force in the streets.

²And they do not say to themselves that I keep in mind all their sin; now their evil acts come round them on every side; they are before my face.

³In their sin they make a king for themselves, and rulers in their deceit.

⁴They are all untrue; they are like a burning oven; the bread-maker does not make up the fire from the time when the paste is mixed till it is leavened.

⁵On the day of our king, the rulers made him ill with the heat of wine; his hand was stretched out with the men of pride.

⁶For they have made their hearts ready like an oven, while they are waiting secretly; their wrath is sleeping all night; in the morning it is burning like a flaming fire.

⁷They are all heated like an oven, and they put an end to their judges; all their kings have been made low; not one among them makes prayer to me.

⁸Ephraim is mixed with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

⁹Men from other lands have made waste his strength, and he is not conscious of it; grey hairs have come on him here and there, and he has no knowledge of it.

¹⁰And the pride of Israel gives an answer to his face; but for all this, they have not gone back to the Lord their God, or made search for him.

¹¹And Ephraim is like a foolish dove, without wisdom; they send out their cry to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

¹²When they go, my net will be stretched out over them; I will take them like the birds of heaven, I will give them punishment, I will take them away in the net for their sin.

¹³May trouble be theirs! for they have gone far away from me; and destruction, for they have been sinning against me; I was ready to be their saviour, but they said false words against me.

¹⁴And they have not made prayer to me in their hearts, but they make loud cries on their beds; they are cutting themselves for food and wine, they are turned against me.

¹⁵Though I have given training and strength to their arms, they have evil designs against me.

¹⁶They have gone to what is of no value; they are like a false bow; their captains will come to destruction by the sword, and their ruler by my wrath; for this, the land of Egypt will make sport of them.