Daily Bible Reading

1when I would heal Israel,

the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed,

and the evil deeds of Samaria,

for they deal falsely;

the thief breaks in,

and the bandits raid outside.

2But they do not consider

that I remember all their evil.

Now their deeds surround them;

they are before my face.

3By their evil they make the king glad,

and the princes by their treachery.

4They are all adulterers;

they are like a heated oven

whose baker ceases to stir the fire,

from the kneading of the dough

until it is leavened.

5On the day of our king, the princes

became sick with the heat of wine;

he stretched out his hand with mockers.

6For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue;

all night their anger smolders;

in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

7All of them are hot as an oven,

and they devour their rulers.

All their kings have fallen,

and none of them calls upon me.

8Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples;

Ephraim is a cake not turned.

9Strangers devour his strength,

and he knows it not;

gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,

and he knows it not.

10The pride of Israel testifies to his face;

yet they do not return to the Lord their God,

nor seek him, for all this.

11Ephraim is like a dove,

silly and without sense,

calling to Egypt, going to Assyria.

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

I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;

I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation.

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

Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!

I would redeem them,

but they speak lies against me.

14They do not cry to me from the heart,

but they wail upon their beds;

for grain and wine they gash themselves;

they rebel against me.

15Although I trained and strengthened their arms,

yet they devise evil against me.

16They return, but not upward;

they are like a treacherous bow;

their princes shall fall by the sword

because of the insolence of their tongue.

This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

1whenever I would heal Israel,

the sins of Ephraim are exposed

and the crimes of Samaria revealed.

They practice deceit,

thieves break into houses,

bandits rob in the streets;

2but they do not realize

that I remember all their evil deeds.

Their sins engulf them;

they are always before me.

3“They delight the king with their wickedness,

the princes with their lies.

4They are all adulterers,

burning like an oven

whose fire the baker need not stir

from the kneading of the dough till it rises.

5On the day of the festival of our king

the princes become inflamed with wine,

and he joins hands with the mockers.

6Their hearts are like an oven;

they approach him with intrigue.

Their passion smolders all night;

in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

7All of them are hot as an oven;

they devour their rulers.

All their kings fall,

and none of them calls on me.

8“Ephraim mixes with the nations;

Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.

9Foreigners sap his strength,

but he does not realize it.

His hair is sprinkled with gray,

but he does not notice.

10Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,

but despite all this

he does not return to the Lord his God

or search for him.

11“Ephraim is like a dove,

easily deceived and senseless—

now calling to Egypt,

now turning to Assyria.

12When they go, I will throw my net over them;

I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.

When I hear them flocking together,

I will catch them.

13Woe to them,

because they have strayed from me!

Destruction to them,

because they have rebelled against me!

I long to redeem them

but they speak about me falsely.

14They do not cry out to me from their hearts

but wail on their beds.

They slash themselves, appealing to their gods

for grain and new wine,

but they turn away from me.

15I trained them and strengthened their arms,

but they plot evil against me.

16They do not turn to the Most High;

they are like a faulty bow.

Their leaders will fall by the sword

because of their insolent words.

For this they will be ridiculed

in the land of Egypt.