Hosea 7
1Whenever I want to heal Israel, 1 the sin of Ephraim is exposed, 1 as well as the evil deeds of Samaria, 1 for they practice deceit; 1 a thief comes in, 1 and a marauding band attacks in the street. 1
2They do not realize in their hearts 1 that I remember all their evil deeds. 1 Now their deeds surround them; 1 they are before my face. 1
3With their evil they make the king glad, 1 and by their lies the officials. 1
4They are all adulterers, 1 like an oven heated by the baker, 1 who ceases to stir the fire 1 from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. 1
5On the day of our king the officials made themselves sick with the heat of wine. 1 He reached out with his hand to those who were mocking. 1
6For with hearts like an oven, 1 they devise their deceitful plans. 1 Their anger smolders all night; 1 in the morning it burns high like a flaming fire. 1
7They all are as hot as an oven, 1 and they devour those who rule over them. 1 All their kings have fallen; 1 none of them calls on me. 1
8Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples. 1 Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over. 1
9Foreigners have devoured his strength, 1 but he does not know it. 1 Gray hairs are sprinkled on him, 1 but he does not know it. 1
10The pride of Israel testifies against him; 1 however, they have not returned to Yahweh their God, 1 nor have they sought him, in spite of all this. 1
11Ephraim is like a dove, gullible and without sense, 1 calling out to Egypt, 1 then flying to Assyria.
12When they go, I will spread my net over them, 1 I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. 1 I will punish them 1 in their flocking together. 1
13Woe to them! 1 For they have strayed from me. 1 Devastation is coming to them! 1 They have rebelled against me! 1 I would have rescued them, 1 but they spoke lies against me. 1
14They have not cried to me with all their heart, 1 but they wail on their beds. 1 They gather together for grain and new wine, 1 and they turn away from me. + 7:14 Instead of They gather together , which the Hebrew text has, some ancient copies and many modern versions have They cut themselves , an allusion to the pagan custom of idol worshipers wounding themselves in the frenzy of prayer. 1
15Though I trained them and strengthened their arms, 1 they are now plotting evil against me. 1
16They return, 1 but they do not return to me, the Most High. 1 They are like a slack bow. 1 Their officials will fall by the sword 1 because of the insolence of their tongues. 1 This will become their mockery in the land of Egypt.