7:1 When I would heal Israel,
The wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered,
And the evil deeds of Samaria,
For they practice deception;
The thief enters,
A band of robbers attack outside,
7:2 And they do not ①consider in their hearts
That I remember all their wickedness.
Now their deeds surround them;
They are before My face.
▷ ①Lit say to their
7:3 With their wickedness they make the king happy,
And the officials with their lies.
7:4 They are all adulterers,
Like an oven heated by the baker,
Who stops ①stoking the fire
From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened.
▷ ①Lit stirring up
7:5 On the ①day of our king, the officials became sick with the heat of wine;
He stretched out his hand with ②scoffers,
▷ ①I.e., a festive occasion ②Or rebels
7:6 For their hearts are like an oven
As they approach their ①plotting;
Their ②anger ③smolders all night,
In the morning it burns like flaming fire.
▷ ①Lit ambush ②As in some ancient versions; MT baker ③Lit is asleep
7:7 All of them are hot like an oven,
And they consume their rulers;
All their kings have fallen.
None of them calls on Me.
7:8 Ephraim is himself thrown about with the ①nations;
Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over.
▷ ①Lit peoples
7:9 Strangers devour his strength,
Yet he does not know it;
Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him,
Yet he does not know it.
7:10 Though the pride of Israel testifies against him,
Yet they have not returned to the LORD their God,
Nor have they sought Him, despite all this.
7:11 So Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, without ①sense;
They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
▷ ①Lit heart
7:12 When they go, I will spread My net over them;
I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
I will discipline them in accordance with the ①proclamation to their assembly.
▷ ①Lit report
7:13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me!
Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me!
I would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.
7:14 And they do not cry to Me from their heart
When they wail on their beds;
For the sake of grain and new wine they ①assemble themselves,
They turn against Me.
▷ ①Or LXX and many ancient mss gash themselves
7:15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
Yet they devise evil against Me.
7:16 They turn, but not ①upward,
They are like a loose bow;
Their officials will fall by the sword
Because of the ②insolence of their tongue.
This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.
▷ ①Or possibly to the Most High ②Lit cursing