когда Я исцелю Израиль,
    откроются грехи Ефрема
    и преступления столицы Самарии будут разоблачены.
Люди обманывают,
    воры пробираются в дома,
    разбойники грабят на улицах,
но они не осознают,
    что Я помню все их злые дела.
Их преступления окружают их,
    грехи их всегда передо Мной.

Заговор против царя

Они веселят царя своим злодейством,
    Вождей – своей ложью.
Все они – распутники,
    пылают, словно печь,
чей огонь не нужно поддерживать пекарю
    с момента замешивания теста и до тех пор,
    пока оно не поднимется.
В день праздника нашего царя
    вожди напиваются вином до бесчувствия,
    а царь протягивает свою руку насмешникам.
Их сердца, словно печь,
    горят интригами.
Их злоба теплится всю ночь,
    а утром она горит, как пылающий огонь.
Все они раскалены, как печь,
    истребляют своих же правителей[a].
Все их цари низвергаются,
    и никто из них не взывает ко Мне.

Ефрем смешался с нечестивыми народами,
    уподобился хлебу,
недопеченному с одной стороны
    и подгоревшему с другой.
Чужестранцы поедают его силы,
    а он и не осознает.
Его волос стал седым,
    а он и не замечает.
10 Гордость Израиля свидетельствует против него,
    но, при всем этом,
он не возвращается к Господу, своему Богу,
    и не ищет Его.

11 Ефрем стал как голубь,
    глупый и ничего не смыслящий.
То он взывает к Египту,
    то идет в Ассирию.
12 Когда они пойдут, Я накину на них Свою сеть;
    Я низвергну их, как птиц небесных.
Я накажу их,
    как им и было сказано в собрании.
13 Горе им,
    потому что они удалились от Меня!
Гибель им,
    потому что они восстали против Меня!
Я желаю искупить их,
    а они лгут обо Мне.
14 Они не взывают ко Мне от всего сердца,
    а причитают на своих ложах.
Они собираются вместе[b] из-за хлеба и молодого вина,
    но отворачиваются от Меня.
15 И хотя Я вразумлял и укреплял их,
    они все равно замышляют зло против Меня.
16 Они обращаются, но не к Всевышнему.
    Они – как неверный лук.
Вожди их падут от меча
    из-за своих дерзких слов.
За это над ними будут смеяться
    в земле Египта.

Footnotes

  1. 7:7 За период около двадцати лет было предательски убито четыре израильских царя. Их убийцы наследовали престол. См. 4 Цар. 15:10, 14, 25, 30.
  2. 7:14 Или: «Они наносят себе порезы».

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.

And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.

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

They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.

In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.

For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.

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

Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.

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

11 Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

12 When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

13 Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.

14 And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.

15 Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief 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.

when I am ready to heal Isra’el,
the crimes of Efrayim confront me,
along with the wickedness of Shomron.
For they keep practicing deceit;
thieves break in, bands of robbers raid outside.
They never say to themselves
that I remember all their evil.
Now their own deeds surround them;
they are right in front of me.
They make the king glad with their wickedness,
and the leaders with their lies.
They are all adulterers,
like an oven heated by the baker,
who doesn’t stoke the fire
from kneading time till the dough has risen.

“On their king’s special day
the leaders inflame him with wine,
and he joins hands with scorners,
who ready themselves like an oven
while they wait for their chance.
Their baker sleeps through the night;
then in the morning it bursts into flame.
They are all as hot as an oven,
and they devour their judges.
All their kings have fallen;
not one of them calls out to me.

“Efrayim mixes himself with the peoples,
Efrayim has become a half-baked cake.
Foreigners have eaten up his strength,
but he doesn’t know it;
yes, gray hairs appear on him here and there,
but he doesn’t know it.
10 The pride of Isra’el testifies in his face,
but in spite of all this they haven’t returned
to Adonai their God or sought him.
11 Efrayim behaves like a silly, foolish dove —
going to Egypt, then to Ashur for help.
12 Even as they go, I will spread my net over them;
I will bring them down like birds from the sky;
I will discipline them, as their assembly was told.
13 Woe to them! for they have strayed from me.
Destruction to them! for they have wronged me.
Am I supposed to redeem them,
when they have spoken lies against me?
14 They have not cried out to me from their hearts,
even though they wail on their beds.
They assemble themselves for grain and wine,
yet turn away from me.
15 It was I who trained and strengthened their arms,
yet they plot evil against me.
16 They return, but not upward;
they are like an unreliable bow.
Their leaders will die by the sword
because of their angry talk.
They will become a laughingstock
in the land of Egypt.

whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
    and the crimes of Samaria revealed.(A)
They practice deceit,(B)
    thieves break into houses,(C)
    bandits rob in the streets;(D)
but they do not realize
    that I remember(E) all their evil deeds.(F)
Their sins engulf them;(G)
    they are always before me.

“They delight the king with their wickedness,
    the princes with their lies.(H)
They are all adulterers,(I)
    burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
    from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
On the day of the festival of our king
    the princes become inflamed with wine,(J)
    and he joins hands with the mockers.(K)
Their hearts are like an oven;(L)
    they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
    in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
All of them are hot as an oven;
    they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,(M)
    and none of them calls(N) on me.

“Ephraim mixes(O) with the nations;
    Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
Foreigners sap his strength,(P)
    but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
    but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,(Q)
    but despite all this
he does not return(R) to the Lord his God
    or search(S) for him.

11 “Ephraim is like a dove,(T)
    easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,(U)
    now turning to Assyria.(V)
12 When they go, I will throw my net(W) over them;
    I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
    I will catch them.
13 Woe(X) to them,
    because they have strayed(Y) from me!
Destruction to them,
    because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
    but they speak about me(Z) falsely.(AA)
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts(AB)
    but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[a] appealing to their gods
    for grain and new wine,(AC)
    but they turn away from me.(AD)
15 I trained(AE) them and strengthened their arms,
    but they plot evil(AF) against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;(AG)
    they are like a faulty bow.(AH)
Their leaders will fall by the sword
    because of their insolent(AI) words.
For this they will be ridiculed(AJ)
    in the land of Egypt.(AK)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together