7 whenever I would heal Israel,

the sins of Ephraim are exposed

and the crimes of Samaria revealed.k

They practice deceit,l

thieves break into houses,m

bandits rob in the streets;n

2 but they do not realize

that I remembero all their evil deeds.p

Their sins engulf them;q

they are always before me.

3 “They delight the king with their wickedness,

the princes with their lies.r

4 They are all adulterers,s

burning like an oven

whose fire the baker need not stir

from the kneading of the dough till it rises.

5 On the day of the festival of our king

the princes become inflamed with wine,t

and he joins hands with the mockers.u

6 Their hearts are like an oven;v

they approach him with intrigue.

Their passion smolders all night;

in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

7 All of them are hot as an oven;

they devour their rulers.

All their kings fall,w

and none of them callsx on me.

8 “Ephraim mixesy with the nations;

Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.

9 Foreigners sap his strength,z

but he does not realize it.

His hair is sprinkled with gray,

but he does not notice.

10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,a

but despite all this

he does not returnb to the Lord his God

or searchc for him.

11 “Ephraim is like a dove,d

easily deceived and senseless—

now calling to Egypt,e

now turning to Assyria.f

12 When they go, I will throw my netg over them;

I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.

When I hear them flocking together,

I will catch them.

13 Woeh to them,

because they have strayedi from me!

Destruction to them,

because they have rebelled against me!

I long to redeem them

but they speak about mej falsely.k

14 They do not cry out to me from their heartsl

but wail on their beds.

They slash themselves,a appealing to their gods

for grain and new wine,m

but they turn away from me.n

15 I trainedo them and strengthened their arms,

but they plot evilp against me.

16 They do not turn to the Most High;q

they are like a faulty bow.r

Their leaders will fall by the sword

because of their insolents words.

For this they will be ridiculedt

in the land of Egypt.u