HOSEA
Hosea 7 ©
God complains further of their common heat and eagerness in all manner of gross sins, bearing sway as well among the great ones at court as among the common man, such as were, falsehood, stealing, robbing, malice, lies, wicked alliances, drunkenness, mockeries, entrance into leagues with heathens, v. 1, etc. Accompanied with a stupid pride, obstinacy and senselessness, 8. Foretells them His righteous judgments, 12. And goes on complaining of their hypocrisy and incorrigibleness, 13, 14, etc.
WHEN I would have 1healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was 2discovered, and the wickedness of 3Samaria: for they commit 4falsehood; and the thief 5cometh in, and the 6troop of robbers spoileth without.
And 7they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings 8have beset them about; they are 9before my face.
They make the king 10glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
They are all adulterers, as an 11oven heated by the baker, who 12ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
13In the day of our king the princes have made 14him sick 15with bottles of wine; he 16stretched out his hand with scorners.
17For they 18have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their 19baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.
They are all 20hot as an oven, and have devoured their 21judges; all their kings are 22fallen: there is none among them that 23calleth unto me.
Ephraim, he hath 24mixeda himself among the people; Ephraim 25is a 26cake 27not turned.
28Strangers have devoured his 29strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, 30gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
Andb the 31pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.
¶Ephraim also is like a 32silly dove without 33heart: they call to 34Egypt, they go to 35Assyria.
When they shall go, I will spread my 36net upon them; I will 37bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will 38chastise them, 39as their congregation hath heard.
Woe unto them! for they 40have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have 41transgressed against me: though I 42have redeemed them, yet they have spoken 43lies against me.
And they have not cried unto me with their 44heart, when they howled upon their beds: they 45assemble themselves 46for corn and wine, and they 47rebel against me.
Though I 48have bound and 49strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine 50mischief against me.
They 51return, but not to the most High: they are likec a 52deceitful bow: their 53princes shall fall by the sword for the 54rage of their tongue: this shall be their 55derision in the 56land of Egypt.