[1] when I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim and the crimes of Samaria will be exposed. For they practice fraud; a thief breaks in; a raiding party pillages outside. [2] But they never consider that I remember all their evil. Now their actions are all around them; they are right in front of my face. [3] They please the king with their evil, the princes with their lies. [4] All of them commit adultery; 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- there is a conspiracy with traitors. [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, and they consume their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls on me. [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, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not notice. [10] Israel's arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the LORD their God, and for all this, they do not seek him. [11] So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove; they call to Egypt, and they go to Assyria. [12] As they are going, I will spread my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly. [13] Woe to them, for they fled from me; destruction to them, for they rebelled against me! Though I want to redeem them, they speak lies against me. [14] They do not cry to me from their hearts; rather, they wail on their beds. They slash themselves for grain and new wine; they turn away from me. [15] I trained and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against me. [16] They turn, but not to what is above; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their insolent tongue. They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt.
