Hosea 7
International Standard Version
God Accuses Israel
7 “When I was healing Israel,
Ephraim’s sin was uncovered,
along with Samaria’s wickedness.
While they craft lying schemes,
the thief invades,
and the gang of thieves plunders outside.
2 It never occurs to them that I remember all their sin.
Now their actions have caught up with them,
and they have my attention.[a]
3 They please the king with their evil,
and the princes with their dishonesty.
4 All of them are adulterers—
they burn like an oven prepared by the baker,
who has ceased stoking it
until the dough is leavened.
5 “On the king’s festival day
the princes got drunk from wine,
so the king[b] joined the mockers.
6 For they have stirred up themselves[c] like an oven
as they lie in ambush.
Their baker sleeps through the night;
in the morning, the oven[d] will be blazing like a fire.
7 They all burn like an oven;
they have consumed their judges;
all their kings have fallen—
not even one of them calls on me.
8 “Ephraim compromises with[e] the nations;
he’s a half-baked cake.[f]
9 Foreigners have consumed his strength,
and he hasn’t noticed.
Furthermore, his head is sprinkled with gray hair,
but he doesn’t realize it.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him;[g]
but they do not return to the Lord their God,
nor seek him in all of this.
11 “Ephraim is also like a silly dove,
lacking sense:[h]
They call out to Egypt,
and turn toward Assyria.
12 When they go,
I’ll cast my net over them.
I’ll bring them down, as one shoots[i] birds in the sky.
I’ll chasten them,
as the assembly has already heard.
13 Woe to them—
because they have run away from me.
Ruin to them—
because they have sinned against me.
Even though I redeemed them,
they spread lies against me.
14 They will not cry to me from their heart—
instead, they wail on their beds.
They gather together to eat and drink,[j]
turning away from me.
15 “Though I have taught them
and strengthened their arms,
nevertheless they plot evil against me.
16 They return—but not to the Most High.
They are like a defective weapon.[k]
Their princes will fall by the sword
because of their raging tongue,
and they will be a laughingstock in the land of Egypt.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 7:2 Lit. they are before my face
- Hosea 7:5 Lit. so he
- Hosea 7:6 Lit. up their heart
- Hosea 7:6 Lit. morning, it
- Hosea 7:8 Or dilutes himself among
- Hosea 7:8 Lit. a cake not turned
- Hosea 7:10 Lit. testifies in his face
- Hosea 7:11 Lit. heart
- Hosea 7:12 The Heb. lacks one shoots
- Hosea 7:14 Lit. together for grain and fresh wine
- Hosea 7:16 Lit. bow
Hosea 7
English Standard Version
7 (A)when I would heal Israel,
the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed,
and the evil deeds of (B)Samaria,
for (C)they deal falsely;
the thief breaks in,
and the bandits raid outside.
2 But they do not consider
that (D)I remember all their evil.
Now (E)their deeds surround them;
(F)they are before my face.
3 By their evil (G)they make (H)the king glad,
and the princes by their treachery.
4 (I)They are all adulterers;
they are like a heated oven
whose baker ceases to stir the fire,
from the kneading of the dough
until it is leavened.
5 On the day of (J)our king, the princes
became sick with the heat of wine;
he stretched out his hand with mockers.
6 For with hearts like an oven (K)they approach their intrigue;
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 (L)their kings (M)have fallen,
and none of them calls upon me.
8 Ephraim (N)mixes himself with the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 (O)Strangers devour his strength,
and (P)he knows it not;
gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,
and (Q)he knows it not.
10 (R)The pride of Israel testifies to his face;[a]
(S)yet they do not return to the Lord their God,
nor seek him, for all this.
11 Ephraim is like a dove,
(T)silly and without sense,
calling to (U)Egypt, going to (V)Assyria.
12 As they go, (W)I will spread over them my net;
I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;
(X)I will discipline them (Y)according to the report made to their congregation.
13 (Z)Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
(AA)I would redeem them,
but (AB)they speak lies against me.
14 (AC)They do not cry to me from the heart,
but (AD)they wail upon their beds;
for grain and wine they gash themselves;
they rebel against me.
15 Although (AE)I trained and strengthened their arms,
yet they devise evil against me.
16 They (AF)return, but not upward;[b]
they are (AG)like a treacherous bow;
their princes shall fall by the sword
because of (AH)the insolence of their tongue.
This shall be their derision (AI)in the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Hosea 7:10 Or in his presence
- Hosea 7:16 Or to the Most High
Hosea 7
King James Version
7 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.
2 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.
3 They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
4 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.
5 In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.
6 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.
7 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.
8 Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 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.
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