7 1 when I heal Israel, u

the sins of Ephraim v and the crimes of Samaria w

will be exposed.

For they practice fraud; x

a thief breaks in;

a raiding party pillages outside. y

2 But they never consider that I remember all their evil. z

Now their sins are all around them; a

they are right in front of My face.

Israel’s Corruption

3 They please the king with their evil, b

the princes with their lies. c

4 All of them commit adultery; d

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 e—

there is a conspiracy with traitors. f

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, g

and they consume their rulers. h

All their kings fall;

not one of them calls on Me. i

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, j

but he does not notice. k

Even his hair is streaked with gray,

but he does not notice.

10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, l m

yet they do not return to * Yahweh their God, n

and for all this, they do not seek Him.

11 So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove; o

they call to Egypt, p and they go to Assyria. q

12 As they are going, I will spread My net over them; r

I will bring them down like birds of the sky.

I will discipline them in accordance

with the news that reaches s their assembly.

The Lord’s Second Lament

13 Woe to them, t for they fled from Me; u

destruction to them, for they rebelled against Me!

Though I want to redeem them, v

they speak lies against Me.

14 They do not cry to Me from their hearts;

rather, they wail on their beds.

They slash themselves w x for grain and new wine; y

they turn away from Me.

15 I trained and strengthened their arms, z

but they plot evil against Me. a

16 They turn, but not to what is above; b

they are like a faulty bow. c

Their leaders will fall by the sword

because of the cursing of their tongue. d

They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt. e