Ephraim’s Iniquity

¹ When I heal Israel,

the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed,

as well as the crimes of Samaria.

For they practice deceit and thieves break in;

bandits raid in the streets.

² But they fail to consider in their hearts

that I remember all their evil.

Now their deeds are all around them;

they are before My face.

³ They delight the king with their evil,

and the princes with their lies.

⁴ They are all adulterers,^*

like an oven^* heated by a baker^*

who needs not^* stoke the fire

from the kneading to the rising of the dough.

⁵ The princes are inflamed with wine

on the day of our king;

so he joins hands

with those who mock him.

⁶ For they prepare their heart like an oven^*

while they lie in wait;

all night their anger^* smolders;

in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

⁷ All of them are hot as an oven,

and they devour their rulers.

All their kings fall;

not one of them calls upon Me.

⁸ Ephraim mixes with the nations;

Ephraim is an unturned^* cake.

⁹ Foreigners consume his strength,

but he does not notice.

Even his hair is streaked^* with gray,

but he does not know.

¹⁰ Israel’s arrogance testifies against them,

yet they do not return to the LORD their God;

despite all this, they do not seek Him.

¹¹ So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove —

calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.

¹² As they go, I will spread My net over them;

I will bring them down like birds of the air.

I will chastise them

when I hear them^* flocking together.

¹³ Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me!

Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me!

Though I would redeem them,

they speak lies^* against Me.

¹⁴ They do not cry out to Me from their hearts

when they wail upon their beds.

They slash themselves for grain and new wine,

but turn away from Me.

¹⁵ Although I trained and strengthened their arms,

they plot evil against Me.

¹⁶ They turn, but not to the Most High;

they are like a faulty bow.

Their leaders will fall by the sword

for the cursing^* of their tongue;

for this they will be ridiculed

in the land of Egypt.