Hosea 7

1 'When I give healing to Israel, Then revealed is the iniquity of Ephraim, And the wickedness of Samaria, For they have wrought falsehood, And a thief doth come in, Stript off hath a troop in the street,

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 do not say to their heart, [That] all their evil I have remembered, Now compassed them have their doings, Over-against My face they have been.

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

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

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

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

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 A day of our king! Princes have polluted themselves [with] the poison of wine, He hath drawn out his hand with 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 drawn near, As an oven [is] their heart, In their lying in wait all the night sleep doth their baker, Morning! he is burning as 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 All of them are warm as an oven, And they have devoured their judges, All their kings have fallen, There is none calling unto Me among them.

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! among peoples he mixeth himself, Ephraim hath been a cake unturned.

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

9 Devoured have strangers his power, And he hath not known, Also old age hath sprinkled [itself] on him, And he hath not known.

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

10 And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And they have not turned back unto Jehovah their God, Nor have they sought 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 as a simple dove without heart, Egypt they called on — [to] Asshur they have gone.

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

12 When they go I spread over them My net, As the fowl of the heavens I bring them down, I chastise them as their company 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 to them, for they wandered from Me, Destruction to them, for they transgressed against Me, And I — I ransom them, and they have spoken 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 have not cried unto Me with their heart, but howl on their beds, For corn and new wine they assemble themselves, They turn aside against 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 And I instructed — I strengthened their arms, And concerning Me they think evil!

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

16 They turn back — not to the Most High, They have been as a deceitful bow, Fall by sword do their princes, From the insolence of their tongue, This [is] 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.