1 when I heal Israel, 7:1 Ezk 24:13; Hs 6:4; 7:13; 11:8
the iniquity of Ephraim 7:1 Hs 5:3 and the crimes of Samaria 7:1 Hs 8:5–6; 10:5,7; 13:16
will be exposed.
For they practice fraud; 7:1 Hs 4:2
a thief breaks in;
a raiding party pillages outside. 7:1 Hs 6:9
2 But they never consider that I remember all their evil. 7:2 Ps 25:7; Jr 14:10; 17:1; Am 8:7
Now their actions are all around them; 7:2 Jr 2:19; 4:18; Hs 4:9
they are right in front of my face.
Israel’s Corruption
3 They please the king with their evil, 7:3 Jr 28:1–4; Mc 7:3
the princes with their lies. 7:3 Hs 4:2; 11:12
4 All of them commit adultery; 7:4 Jr 9:2; 23:10
they are like an oven heated by a baker
who stops stirring the fire
from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
5 On the day of our king,
the princes are sick with the heat of wine 7:5 Is 28:1,7–8 —
there is a conspiracy with traitors. 7:5 Lit wine — he stretches out his hand to scorners; Hb obscure
6 For they — their hearts like an oven —
draw him into their oven.
Their anger smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are as hot as an oven, 7:7 Ps 21:9
and they consume their rulers. 7:7 Hs 13:10
All their kings fall;
not one of them calls on me. 7:3–7 These vv. may refer to a king’s assassination; Hb obscure.
8 Ephraim has allowed himself to get mixed up with the nations.
Ephraim is unturned bread baked on a griddle.
9 Foreigners consume his strength, 7:9 Is 1:7
but he does not notice. 7:9 Hs 4:6
Even his hair is streaked with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, 7:10 Lit against his face, 7:10 Hs 5:5
yet they do not return to the Lord their God, 7:10 Hs 5:4
and for all this, they do not seek him.
11 So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove; 7:11 Hs 4:6,11,14; 5:4
they call to Egypt, 7:11 Hs 8:13; 9:3,6 and they go to Assyria. 7:11 Hs 5:13; 8:9; 12:1
12 As they are going, I will spread my net over them; 7:12 Ezk 12:13
I will bring them down like birds of the sky.
I will discipline them in accordance
with the news that reaches 7:12 Lit news to their assembly.
The Lord’s Second Lament
13 Woe to them, 7:13 Hs 9:12 for they fled from me; 7:13 Jr 14:10; Hs 9:17
destruction to them, for they rebelled against me!
Though I want to redeem them, 7:13 Jr 51:9; Hs 7:1; Mt 23:37
they speak lies against me.
14 They do not cry to me from their hearts;
rather, they wail on their beds.
They slash themselves 7:14 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read They stay, 7:14 1Kg 18:28 for grain and new wine; 7:14 Am 2:8
they turn away from me.
15 I trained and strengthened their arms, 7:15 Hs 11:3
but they plot evil against me. 7:15 Nah 1:9
16 They turn, but not to what is above; 7:16 Some emend to turn to what is useless
they are like a faulty bow. 7:16 Ps 78:57
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent tongue. 7:16 Ps 12:3–4; 17:10; Dn 7:25; Mal 3:13–14
They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt. 7:16 Ezk 23:32