Hosea 7
Lexham English Bible
7 when I would heal Israel,
and the corruption of Ephraim is revealed,
and the wicked deeds of Samaria;
because they deal in falsehood,
the thief breaks in,[a]
and the bandit raids the outside.
2 But they did not consider[b]
that I remember all their wickedness.
Now their deeds surround them;
they are before my face.
3 By their wickedness they make the king glad,
and the officials by their treacheries.
4 All of them commit adultery,
like a burning oven
whose baker has stopped from stirring the fire,
and from kneading the dough until it is leavened.
5 On the day of our king, the princes
became sick with the heat of wine;[c]
he stretched out his hand with mockers.
6 Because they are kindled[d] like an oven,
their heart burns within them;
all night their anger smolders,[e]
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven,
and they devour[f] their rulers.
All their kings have fallen;
there is none who calls to me amongst them.
8 Ephraim mixes himself
with the nations;
Ephraim is a bread cake
not turned over.
9 Foreigners devour[g] his strength,
and he does not know it;
mold[h] is also sprinkled upon him,
and he does not know it.
10 The pride of Israel testifies against him[i]—
they do not return to Yahweh their God;
they do not seek him for all of this.[j]
11 Ephraim was like a dove,
silly, without sense;[k]
they call to Egypt,
they go to Assyria.
12 Just as they go, I will cast my net
over them;
I will bring them down
like the birds[l] of the heavens;[m]
I will discipline them
according to a report to their assembly.[n]
13 Woe to them, because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me!
I myself would redeem them,
but they speak lies against me.
14 They do not cry out to me from their heart,
but they wail on their beds;
because of grain and new wine they lacerate[o] themselves;
they depart from me.
15 And I myself trained
and strengthened their arms;
but they plan evil against me.
16 They turn, not to the Most High,[p]
like a slack bow;
their officials will fall by the sword
because of the anger of their tongue.
This is their scorn[q]
in the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Hosea 7:1 Or “comes in”
- Hosea 7:2 Literally “But they did not say to their heart”
- Hosea 7:5 This phrase refers to the effects of wine on the body
- Hosea 7:6 Hebrew “they drew near;” other ancient translations read “they are kindled”
- Hosea 7:6 Literally “sleeps”
- Hosea 7:7 Or “they eat”
- Hosea 7:9 Or “Foreigners eat”
- Hosea 7:9 Literally “grey hair,” but in this case the word refers to the “hairs of mold” on food
- Hosea 7:10 Literally “answers against his face”
- Hosea 7:10 Or “in all of this”
- Hosea 7:11 Literally “without heart”
- Hosea 7:12 Hebrew “bird”
- Hosea 7:12 Or “sky”
- Hosea 7:12 Hebrew uncertain
- Hosea 7:14 Or “gash”
- Hosea 7:16 Hebrew uncertain; the NRSV translates “to that which does not profit”; the NASB translates “but not upward”
- Hosea 7:16 The NRSV translates “So much for their babbling”
Hosea 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
7
the corruption of Ephraim is revealed,
and the wicked deeds of Samaria,
for they deal falsely;
the thief breaks in,
and the bandits raid outside.(A)
2 But they do not consider
that I remember all their wickedness.
Now their deeds surround them;
they are before my face.(B)
3 By their wickedness they make the king glad,
and the officials by their treachery.
4 They are all adulterers;
they are like a heated oven
whose baker does not need to stir the fire
from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.(C)
5 On the day of our king the officials
became sick with the heat of wine;
he stretched out his hand with mockers.(D)
6 For they are kindled[a] like an oven; their heart burns within them;
all night their anger smolders;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven,
and they devour their rulers.
All their kings have fallen;
none of them calls upon me.(E)
8 Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 Foreigners devour his strength,
but he does not know it;
gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,
but he does not know it.(F)
10 Israel’s pride testifies against[b] him;
yet they do not return to the Lord their God
or seek him, for all this.(G)
Futile Reliance on the Nations
11 Ephraim has become like a dove,
silly and without sense;
they call upon Egypt, they go to Assyria.(H)
12 As they go, I will cast my net over them;
I will bring them down like birds of the air;
I will discipline them according to the report made to their assembly.[c](I)
13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
I would redeem them,
but they speak lies against me.(J)
14 They do not cry to me from the heart,
but they wail upon their beds;
they gash themselves for grain and wine;
they rebel against me.(K)
15 It was I who trained and strengthened their arms,
yet they plot evil against me.(L)
16 They turn to that which does not profit;[d]
they have become like a defective bow;
their officials shall fall by the sword
because of the rage of their tongue.
So much for their babbling in the land of Egypt.(M)
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