Hosea 7

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¹Whenever I want to heal Israel, the sin of Ephraim is exposed, as well as the evil deeds of Samaria, for they practice deceit; a thief comes in, and a marauding band attacks in the street.

²They do not realize in their hearts that I remember all their evil deeds. Now their deeds surround them; they are before my face.

³With their evil they make the king glad, and by their lies the officials.

⁴They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by the baker, who ceases to stir the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.

⁵On the day of our king the officials made themselves sick with the heat of wine. He reached out with his hand to those who were mocking.

⁶For with hearts like an oven, they devise their deceitful plans. Their anger smolders all night; in the morning it burns high like a flaming fire.

⁷They all are as hot as an oven, and they devour those who rule over them. All their kings have fallen; none of them calls on me.

⁸Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples. Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over.

⁹Foreigners have devoured his strength, but he does not know it. Gray hairs are sprinkled on him, but he does not know it.

¹⁰The pride of Israel testifies against him; however, they have not returned to Yahweh their God, nor have they sought him, in spite of all this.

¹¹Ephraim is like a dove, gullible and without sense, calling out to Egypt, then flying to Assyria.

¹²When they go, I will spread my net over them, I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will punish them in their flocking together.

¹³Woe to them! For they have strayed from me. Devastation is coming to them! They have rebelled against me! I would have rescued them, but they spoke lies against me.

¹⁴They have not cried to me with all their heart, but they wail on their beds. They gather together for grain and new wine, and they turn away from me.

¹⁵Though I trained them and strengthened their arms, they are now plotting evil against me.

¹⁶They return, but they do not return to me, the Most High. They are like a slack bow. Their officials will fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongues. This will become their mockery in the land of Egypt.