Hosea 7

1 When I would heal Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim is discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they practise falsehood; and the thief entereth in, [and] the troop of robbers assaileth without.

when I heal Israel, Ephraim's sins will be exposed, together with the evil actions of Samaria. They deal in lies; they are thieves who break into homes and rob people on the outside.

2 And they say not in their hearts [that] I remember all their wickedness: now do their own doings encompass them; they are before my face.

But they don't realize that I remember all of their wickedness. Their sins surround them and are always before me.

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

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

4 They all practise adultery, as an oven heated by the baker: he ceaseth from stirring [the fire] after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.

All of them are adulterers, burning with lust like an oven whose fire stays hot, even though it is not tended by the baker, having left the dough to rise after kneading.

5 In the day of our king, the princes made themselves sick with the heat of wine: he stretched out his hand to scorners.

On the king's birthday the princes drink so much they are sick, while he joins in with those who mock.

6 For they have applied their heart like an oven to their lying in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth like a flaming fire.

Their minds are fired up like an oven; they go to him with their plots. All through the night their anger burns; in the morning it blazes out uncontrollably.

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

All of them are as hot as a burning oven, and they exhaust their leaders. All of their kings have fallen, and not one of them calls on me.

8 Ephraim, he mixeth himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

Ephraim mixes with the foreign nations; he is as useless as half-baked bread!

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

Foreigners drain his strength, and he doesn't even realize it. His hair is turning grey and he doesn't even notice.

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

Israel's pride testifies against him, but for all of this he still does not return to the Lord their God or look for him.

11 And Ephraim is become like a silly dove without understanding: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

Ephraim is like a dove, foolish and without sense—calling to Egypt, then going to Assyria.

12 When they go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowl of the heavens; I will chastise them, according as their assembly hath heard.

When they go I will throw my net over them; I will bring them down like wild birds. When I hear them flocking together I will punish them.

13 Woe unto them! for they have wandered from me; destruction unto them! for they have transgressed against me. And I would redeem them; but they speak lies against me.

What disaster is coming to them because they have strayed from me! Destruction is coming to them because they have rebelled against me! I wish I could redeem them, but they tell lies about me.

14 And they cried not unto me in their heart, when they howled upon their beds; they assemble themselves for corn and new wine; they have turned aside from me.

They do not cry out to me with sincere minds; instead they lie on their beds howling. They assemble together and gash themselves to gain grain and new wine, but they turn away from me.

15 I have indeed trained, I have strengthened their arms, but they imagine mischief against me.

I myself trained them and made them strong, but now they plot evil against me.

16 They 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.

They turn, but not to the Most High; they are like a useless bow. Their leaders will be killed by the sword because of their cursing. Because of this they will be ridiculed in Egypt.