Hosea 6:4–7:10
4 What will I do with you, O Ephraim?
What will I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early in the morning.
5 Therefore, I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgmentb goes forth like the light.
6 Because I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But like Adam, they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.
a cunning city because of blood.c
so is a band of priests;
they murder on the road to Shechem;
indeed, they commit a monstrous crime.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen something horrible;
Ephraim’s unfaithfulness is there.
Israel is defiled.
11 For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed,
when I restore the fortunes of my people,
and the corruption of Ephraim is revealed,
and the wicked deeds of Samaria;
because they deal in falsehood,
the thief breaks in,a
and the bandit raids the outside.
2 ⌊But they did not consider⌋b
that I remember all their wickedness.
Now their deeds surround them;
they are before my face.
3 By their wickedness they make the king glad,
and the officials by their treacheries.
4 All of them commit adultery,
like a burning oven
whose baker has stopped from stirring the fire,
and from kneading the dough until it is leavened.
5 On the day of our king, the princes
became sick with the heat of wine;c
he stretched out his hand with mockers.
6 Because they are kindledd like an oven,
their heart burns within them;
all night their anger ⌊smolders⌋,e
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven,
and they devourf their rulers.
All their kings have fallen;
there is none who calls to me amongst them.
with the nations;
Ephraim is a bread cake
not turned over.
9 Foreigners devourg his strength,
and he does not know it;
⌊mold⌋h is also sprinkled upon him,
and he does not know it.
10 The pride of Israel ⌊testifies against him⌋i—
they do not return to Yahweh their God;
they do not seek him for all of this.j