1 “ When I would have healed Israel, Then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, And the wickedness of Samaria. For they have committed fraud; A thief comes in; A band of robbers takes spoil outside.

When I would heal Israel, The iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered, And the evil deeds of Samaria, For they deal falsely; The thief enters in, Bandits raid outside,

2 T hey do not consider in their hearts That I remember all their wickedness; Now their own deeds have surrounded them; They are before My face.

And they do not consider in their hearts That I remember all their wickedness. Now their deeds are all around them; They are before My face.

3 T hey make a king glad with their wickedness, And princes with their lies.

With their wickedness they make the king glad, And the princes with their lies.

4 “ They are all adulterers. Like an oven heated by a baker— He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough, Until it is leavened.

They are all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker Who ceases to stir up the fire From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.

5 I n the day of our king Princes have made him sick, inflamed with wine; He stretched out his hand with scoffers.

On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine; He stretched out his hand with scoffers,

6 T hey prepare their heart like an oven, While they lie in wait; Their baker sleeps all night; In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.

For their hearts are like an oven As they approach their plotting; Their anger smolders all night, In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.

7 T hey are all hot, like an oven, And have devoured their judges; All their kings have fallen. None among them calls upon Me.

All of them are hot like an oven, And they consume their rulers; All their kings have fallen. None of them calls on Me.

8 “ Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned.

Ephraim mixes himself with the nations; Ephraim has become a cake not turned.

9 A liens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it; Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know it.

Strangers devour his strength, Yet he does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know it.

10 A nd the pride of Israel testifies to his face, But they do not return to the Lord their God, Nor seek Him for all this. Futile Reliance on the Nations

Though the pride of Israel testifies against him, Yet they have not returned to the Lord their God, Nor have they sought Him, for all this.

11 “ Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense— They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria.

So Ephraim has become like a silly dove, without sense; They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

12 W herever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them According to what their congregation has heard.

When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly.

13 “ Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, Because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, Yet they have spoken lies against Me.

Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me.

14 T hey did not cry out to Me with their heart When they wailed upon their beds. “They assemble together for grain and new wine, They rebel against Me;

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 assemble themselves, They turn away from Me.

15 T hough I disciplined and strengthened their arms, Yet they devise evil against Me;

Although I trained and strengthened their arms, Yet they devise evil against Me.

16 T hey return, but not to the Most High; They are like a treacherous bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword For the cursings of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

They turn, but not upward, They are like a deceitful bow; Their princes will fall by the sword Because of the insolence of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.