Hosea 7
New American Standard Bible
Ephraim’s Wrongdoing
7 When I (A)would heal Israel,
The wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered,
And the evil deeds of Samaria,
For they practice (B)deception;
The thief enters,
A band of (C)robbers attack outside,
2 And they do not [a]consider in their hearts
That I (D)remember all their wickedness.
Now their (E)deeds surround them;
They are before My face.
3 (F)With their wickedness they make the (G)king happy,
And the officials with their (H)lies.
4 They are (I)all adulterers,
Like an oven heated by the baker,
Who stops [b]stoking the fire
From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened.
5 On the [c]day of our king, the officials (J)became sick with the heat of wine;
He stretched out his hand with [d](K)scoffers,
6 For their hearts are like an (L)oven
As they approach their [e]plotting;
Their [f]anger [g]smolders all night,
In the morning it burns like flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot like an oven,
And they consume their (M)rulers;
All their kings have fallen.
(N)None of them calls on Me.
8 Ephraim is himself (O)thrown about with the [h]nations;
Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over.
9 (P)Strangers devour his strength,
Yet he (Q)does not know it;
Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him,
Yet he does not know it.
10 Though the (R)pride of Israel testifies against him,
Yet (S)they have not returned to the Lord their God,
Nor have they sought Him, despite all this.
11 So (T)Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, (U)without [i]sense;
They call to (V)Egypt, they go to (W)Assyria.
12 When they go, I will (X)spread My net over them;
I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
I will (Y)discipline them in accordance with the [j]proclamation to their assembly.
13 (Z)Woe to them, for they have (AA)strayed from Me!
Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me!
I (AB)would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.
14 And (AC)they do not cry to Me from their heart
When they wail on their beds;
For the sake of grain and new wine they [k](AD)assemble themselves,
They (AE)turn against Me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
Yet they (AF)devise evil against Me.
16 They turn, but not [l]upward,
They are like a (AG)loose bow;
Their officials will fall by the sword
Because of the [m](AH)insolence of their tongue.
This will be their (AI)derision in the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Hosea 7:2 Lit say to their
- Hosea 7:4 Lit stirring up
- Hosea 7:5 I.e., a festive occasion
- Hosea 7:5 Or rebels
- Hosea 7:6 Lit ambush
- Hosea 7:6 As in some ancient versions; MT baker
- Hosea 7:6 Lit is asleep
- Hosea 7:8 Lit peoples
- Hosea 7:11 Lit heart
- Hosea 7:12 Lit report
- Hosea 7:14 Or LXX and many ancient mss gash themselves
- Hosea 7:16 Or possibly to the Most High
- Hosea 7:16 Lit cursing
Hosea 7
New King James Version
Israel Has Rebelled Against God
7 “When I would have healed Israel,
Then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered,
And the wickedness of Samaria.
For (A)they have committed fraud;
A thief comes in;
A band of robbers [a]takes spoil outside.
2 They [b]do not consider in their hearts
That (B)I remember all their wickedness;
Now their own deeds have surrounded them;
They are before My face.
3 They make a (C)king glad with their wickedness,
And princes (D)with their lies.
4 “They(E) are all adulterers.
Like an oven heated by a baker—
He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough,
Until it is leavened.
5 In the day of our king
Princes have made him sick, [c]inflamed with (F)wine;
He stretched out his hand with scoffers.
6 They prepare their heart like an oven,
While they lie in wait;
[d]Their baker sleeps all night;
In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.
7 They are all hot, like an oven,
And have devoured their judges;
All their kings have fallen.
(G)None among them calls upon Me.
8 “Ephraim (H)has mixed himself among the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake unturned.
9 (I)Aliens have devoured his strength,
But he does not know it;
Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him,
Yet he does not know it.
10 And the (J)pride of Israel testifies to his face,
But (K)they do not return to the Lord their God,
Nor seek Him for all this.
Futile Reliance on the Nations
11 “Ephraim(L) also is like a silly dove, without [e]sense—
(M)They call to Egypt,
They go to (N)Assyria.
12 Wherever they go, I will (O)spread My net on them;
I will bring them down like birds of the air;
I will chastise them
(P)According to what their congregation has heard.
13 “Woe to them, for they have fled from Me!
Destruction to them,
Because they have transgressed against Me!
Though (Q)I redeemed them,
Yet they have spoken lies against Me.
14 (R)They did not cry out to Me with their heart
When they wailed upon their beds.
“They [f]assemble together for grain and new (S)wine,
[g]They rebel against Me;
15 Though I disciplined and strengthened their arms,
Yet they devise evil against Me;
16 They return, but not [h]to the Most High;
(T)They are like a treacherous bow.
Their princes shall fall by the sword
For the (U)cursings of their tongue.
This shall be their derision (V)in the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Hosea 7:1 plunders
- Hosea 7:2 Lit. do not say to
- Hosea 7:5 Lit. with the heat of
- Hosea 7:6 So with MT, Vg.; Syr., Tg. Their anger; LXX Ephraim
- Hosea 7:11 Lit. heart
- Hosea 7:14 So with MT, Tg.; Vg. thought upon; LXX slashed themselves for (cf. 1 Kin. 18:28)
- Hosea 7:14 So with MT, Syr., Tg.; LXX omits They rebel against Me; Vg. They departed from Me
- Hosea 7:16 Or upward
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
