| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1"When I was healing Israel, Ephraim's sin was uncovered, along with Samaria's wickedness. While they craft lying schemes, the thief invades, and the gang of thieves plunders outside. | 1whenever I want to heal Israel, the sin of Ephraim is revealed, and the evil deeds of Samaria are exposed. For they do what is wrong; thieves break into houses, and gangs rob people out in the streets. |
| 2It never occurs to them that I remember all their sin. Now their actions have caught up with them, and they have my attention. | 2They do not realize that I remember all of their wicked deeds. Their evil deeds have now surrounded them; their sinful deeds are always before me. |
| 3They please the king with their evil, and the princes with their dishonesty. | 3The royal advisers delight the king with their evil schemes, the princes make him glad with their lies. |
| 4All of them are adulterers— they burn like an oven prepared by the baker, who has ceased stoking it until the dough is leavened. | 4They are all like bakers, they are like a smoldering oven; they are like a baker who does not stoke the fire until the kneaded dough is ready for baking. |
| 5"On the king's festival day the princes got drunk from wine, so the king joined the mockers. | 5At the celebration of their king, his princes become inflamed with wine; they conspire with evildoers. |
| 6For they have stirred up themselves like an oven as they lie in ambush. Their baker sleeps through the night; in the morning, the oven will be blazing like a fire. | 6They approach him, all the while plotting against him. Their hearts are like an oven; their anger smolders all night long, but in the morning it bursts into a flaming fire. |
| 7They all burn like an oven; they have consumed their judges; all their kings have fallen— not even one of them calls on me. | 7All of them are blazing like an oven; they devour their rulers. All of their kings fall--and none of them call on me! |
| 8"Ephraim compromises with the nations; he's a half-baked cake. | 8Ephraim has mixed itself like flour among the nations; Ephraim is like a ruined cake of bread that is scorched on one side. |
| 9Foreigners have consumed his strength, and he hasn't noticed. Furthermore, his head is sprinkled with gray hair, but he doesn't realize it. | 9Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced, but he does not recognize it! His head is filled with gray hair, but he does not realize it! |
| 10Israel's arrogance testifies against him; but they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him in all of this. | 10The arrogance of Israel testifies against him, yet they refuse to return to the LORD their God! In spite of all this they refuse to seek him! |
| 11"Ephraim is also like a silly dove, lacking sense: They call out to Egypt, and turn toward Assyria. | 11Ephraim has been like a dove, easily deceived and lacking discernment. They called to Egypt for help; they turned to Assyria for protection. |
| 12When they go, I'll cast my net over them. I'll bring them down, as one shoots birds in the sky. I'll chasten them, as the assembly has already heard. | 12I will throw my bird net over them while they are flying, I will bring them down like birds in the sky; I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together. |
| 13Woe to them— because they have run away from me. Ruin to them— because they have sinned against me. Even though I redeemed them, they spread lies against me. | 13Woe to them! For they have fled from me! Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me! I want to deliver them, but they have lied to me. |
| 14They will not cry to me from their heart— instead, they wail on their beds. They gather together to eat and drink, turning away from me. | 14They do not pray to me, but howl in distress on their beds; They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from me. |
| 15"Though I have taught them and strengthened their arms, nevertheless they plot evil against me. | 15Although I trained and strengthened them, they plot evil against me! |
| 16They return—but not to the Most High. They are like a defective weapon. Their princes will fall by the sword because of their raging tongue, and they will be a laughingstock in the land of Egypt." | 16They turn to Baal; they are like an unreliable bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because their prayers to Baal have made me angry. So people will disdain them in the land of Egypt. |
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