Hosea 7

1 When I [would have healed, desire to restore] heal Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants], the iniquity [moral evil, sin] of Ephraim [doubly fruitful, referring to Joseph’s son and the tribe that descended from him] will be exposed [revealed, uncovered], as well as the crimes [wickedness, evil actions] of Samaria [watch mountain, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel]. For they practice [commit, work] deceit [falsehood, betrayal] and thieves [those who take things that don’t belong to them] break in [enter, come in]; bandits [a group of soldiers, a crowd] raid [strip, plunder] in the streets [outside, outdoors, a public place]. word study 2 But they fail [do not consider, are not mindful] to consider [think, reflect] in their hearts [innermost being, mind and emotions] that I remember [keep in mind, recall] all their evil [wickedness, bad deeds]. Now [at this time, currently] their deeds [actions] are all around them [surrounding, encompassing]; they are before [in front of, in the presence of] My face [presence, sight]. word study 3 They delight [make glad, bring joy to] the king [ruler, monarch] with their evil [wickedness, badness, moral harm], and the princes [leaders, rulers, those in charge] with their lies [deception, falsehoods, hypocrisy]. word study 4 They are all [completely, utterly] adulterers [unfaithful, treacherous], like [similar to, comparable with] an oven [furnace, fiery heat] heated by a baker [one who prepares bread, a maker] who needs not [does not require] stoke the fire [add fuel, stir the flames] from the kneading [working, mixing] to the rising of the dough [unleavened bread, paste]. word study 5 The princes [rulers, leaders] are inflamed [made sick, intoxicated] with wine [intoxicating drink] on the day [a specific time, a period] of our king [royal person, monarch]; so he joins hands [stretches out his hand, makes an alliance] with those who mock him [scorners, those who deride]. word study 6 For they prepare their heart [with intense inner heat] like an oven while they lie in wait [secretly, with a hidden agenda]; all night their anger [deep-seated wrath, smoldering resentment] smolders; in the morning it blazes [burns fiercely, rages uncontrollably] like a flaming fire [a fierce, all-consuming flame]. word study 7 All of them [completely, entirely] are hot [warm, heated] as an oven [a place of fiery heat], and they devour [consume, eat away] their rulers [judges, leaders]. All their kings [royal leaders, monarchs] fall [are overthrown, come to an end]; not one of them [none, no one] calls [cries out, appeals] upon Me [to, towards]. word study 8 Ephraim [he, the tribe of Joseph’s son] mixes [blends, intermingles] with the nations [peoples, foreign countries]; Ephraim [doubly fruitful, a tribe of Israel] is an unturned [half-baked, not fully transformed] cake [flat bread, round bread cake]. word study 9 Foreigners [strangers, non-Israelites] consume his strength [power, might], but he does not notice [is not aware, has no knowledge]. Even his hair is streaked with gray [old age, greyheaded], but he does not know [understand, recognize]. word study 10 Israel’s arrogance [pride, majesty] testifies [gives answer, responds] against them, yet they do not [absence of action] return [turn back, come back] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] their God [Elohim, the one true God]; despite [in spite of] all [everything, the entirety] this [specific situation], they do not [lack of action] seek [search, look for] Him. word study 11 So Ephraim has become like a [foolish, without wisdom] silly, senseless dove [without heart, lacking understanding]— calling out [crying, sending out a cry] to Egypt [the land of the Egyptians], then turning [going, walking] to Assyria [a powerful, pagan nation]. word study 12 As they go [to walk, to live], I will spread [to stretch out, to break apart] My net [a network] over them; I will bring them down [to descend, to fall] like birds [fowl, creatures of the air] of the air [the heaven, the sky]. I will chastise [to discipline, to correct] them when I hear [perceive, understand] them flocking together [as their congregation, in their gathering]. word study 13 Woe [alas, a cry of sorrow] to them, for they have strayed [wandered, fled] from Me! Destruction [violence, ruin] to them, for they have rebelled [transgressed, sinned] against Me! Though I would redeem [ransom, rescue] them, they speak lies [falsehoods, untruths] against Me. word study 14 They do not [with sincere hearts, genuinely] cry out to Me from their [innermost, spiritual] hearts when they wail [howl, mourn] upon their beds. They slash themselves [cut, gash] for grain [wheat, food] and new wine [freshly squeezed, fermented], but turn away [rebel, depart] from Me. word study 15 Although I [personally, as their God] trained [instructed, disciplined] and strengthened [made powerful, enabled] their arms [the arm as stretched out; strength, might, power], they plot [devise, imagine] evil [bad, morally wrong] against Me [toward, in opposition to]. word study 16 They turn [return, come back], but not to the Most High [the supreme God, above all]; they are like a faulty [deceitful, useless] bow. Their leaders [princes, rulers] will fall by the sword [cutting instrument, weapon] for the cursing [rage, indignation] of their tongue [language, speech]; for this [this situation, circumstance] they will be ridiculed [scoffed, mocked] in the land [country, territory] of Egypt [a nation in northeastern Africa]. word study