Old Testament · Prophets

Hosea chapter 7

Whenever I want to Israel, the of is laid bare and the evil of exposed— they practice , thieves break in, bandits raid in the streets.It never crosses their minds that I all their . Now their actions have them surrounded— they are right in front of my face.They make the happy with their evil, and the officials with their .They are all — like an heated by a baker who stops stoking the fire only from the time he kneads the dough until it rises.On the day of our king’s , the officials become sick with the . He reaches out his hand to join the .They draw near with like an oven, full of . Their anger smolders all night— by morning it blazes like a roaring fire.All of them burn hot as an oven and their rulers. All their — not one of them calls out to me.Ephraim with the nations. Ephraim is a .Foreigners , but he doesn’t even know it. are scattered across his head, but he doesn’t even know it.Israel’s testifies right to his face, but they do not to their God or look for him through any of this.Ephraim has become like a , easily fooled and senseless— calling out to , then running to .When they go, I will throw my over them. I will bring them down like birds from the sky. I will them, just as their own community has heard me warn.Devastation is coming for them because they have from me! Destruction is coming for them because they have against me! I wanted to them, but they speak lies about me.They do not to me from their — they just wail on their beds. They for grain and new wine but turn away from me.I them and , but they plot evil against me.They —but not upward. They are like a . Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their . This will be their in the land of .