Hosea 7

Living Bible

7 “I wanted to forgive Israel, but her sins were far too great—no one can even live in Samaria without being a liar, thief, and bandit!

² “Her people never seem to recognize that I am watching them. Their sinful deeds give them away on every side; I see them all. ³ The king is glad about their wickedness; the princes laugh about their lies. ⁴ They are all adulterers; as a baker’s oven is constantly aflame—except after he kneads the dough and waits for it to rise again—so are these people constantly aflame with lust.

⁵ “On the king’s birthday, the princes get him drunk; he makes a fool of himself and drinks with those who mock him. ⁶ Their hearts blaze like a furnace with intrigue. Their plot smolders through the night, and in the morning it flames forth like raging fire.

⁷ “They kill their kings one after another,^[a] and no one cries out to me for help.

⁸ “My people mingle with the heathen, picking up their evil ways; thus they become as good-for-nothing as a half-baked cake!

⁹ “Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don’t know it. Ephraim’s hair is turning gray, and he doesn’t even realize how weak and old he is. ¹⁰ His pride in other gods has openly condemned him; yet he doesn’t return to his God, nor even try to find him.

¹¹ “Ephraim is a silly, witless dove, calling to Egypt, flying to Assyria. ¹² But as she flies, I throw my net over her and bring her down like a bird from the sky; I will punish her for all her evil ways.

¹³ “Woe to my people for deserting me; let them perish, for they have sinned against me. I wanted to redeem them but their hard hearts would not accept the truth. ¹⁴ They lie there sleepless with anxiety but won’t ask my help. Instead, they worship heathen gods, asking them for crops and for prosperity.

¹⁵ “I have helped them and made them strong, yet now they turn against me.

¹⁶ “They look everywhere except to heaven, to the Most High God. They are like a crooked bow that always misses targets; their leaders will perish by the sword of the enemy for their insolence to me. And all Egypt will laugh at them.