Hosea 7
1 “and when I wanted to heal them [again], [I did not do it, ] [because] I saw the wicked things that [the people of] Samaria [city] and [other places in] Israel [DOU] have done. They constantly deceive others; bandits rob people in the streets.
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 But they do not realize that I do not forget all the evil things that they do. [It is as though] they are surrounded by [all] the sins that they commit; and [it is though] those sins are [always right] in front of me [MTY].
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 Their king is delighted with the wicked things that the people do; his officials are happy about the people’s lies.
With their evil they make the king glad, and by their lies the officials.
4 [The king and his officials] are all treacherous. [They are always eager to do wicked things; ] they are like [SIM] an oven that is [very] hot: a baker mixes the dough and waits for it to expand, and he does not [need to] cause the oven to become hotter.
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 The king and his officials get very drunk during their festivals, carousing with others who also do foolish things.
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 The officials angrily plan to murder the king; it is like [SIM] they have an oven in their inner beings. All during the night their [eagerness/wanting to murder the king] is like a fire that is smouldering, but in the morning it becomes like [MET] a roaring 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 those officials are like [MET] hot flames that completely burn up their rulers, so all their kings are murdered, and no one pleads with me [to help 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 “[The leaders of] Israel join with leaders of [godless] nations; so [the leaders of] Israel are [as worthless as] a pancake that is cooked on only one side.
Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples. Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over.
9 Joining with the rulers of foreign nations has caused Israel to be a weak [nation], but the Israelis do not realize that. Israel has become [like] [MET] a gray-haired old man, but the people of Israel do not realize it.
Foreigners have devoured his strength, but he does not know it. Gray hairs are sprinkled on him, but he does not know it.
10 Their being proud [PRS] testifies against them, but in spite of that, they do not return to [me], Yahweh, their God, or [even] try to know me.
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 [The people of] Israel have become foolish and stupid like [SIM] doves. [First] they called out to Egypt [to help them], [and then] they sought help from Assyria.
Ephraim is like a dove, gullible and without sense, calling out to Egypt, then flying to Assyria.
12 But wherever they go [to get help], [I will not allow them to succeed]; [it will be as though] [MET] I will throw a net over them like [SIM] [a hunter uses a net to capture] birds; I will punish them for the evil things that they do.
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 Terrible things will happen to them because they abandoned/deserted me! They will be destroyed because they rebelled against me. I wanted to rescue them, but they tell lies about 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 They do not cry out to me sincerely [IDM]; they [only] lie on their beds and wail. They gather together and ask [me to give them] grain and wine, but they turn away from 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 I trained/taught them and enabled them to become strong, but now they plan [to do] evil things to me.
Though I trained them and strengthened their arms, they are now plotting evil against me.
16 They have rejected me, their Great God, and turned to their god Baal; they are [as useless] as [SIM] a crooked bow. Their leaders boast [that they are very strong], but they will be killed by [their enemies’] swords. As a result, [the people of] Egypt will laugh at them.”
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.
