Hosea 7 - Easy To Read Version

¹ “I will heal Israel!\par Then people will know\par that Ephraim {\cf2\super [69]} sinned.\par People will know about Samaria’s {\cf2\super [70]} lies.\par People will know about the thieves\par that come and go in that town.\par

² Those people don’t believe\par that I will remember their crimes.\par The bad things they did are all around.\par I can see their sins clearly.\par

³ Their evil makes their king happy.\par Their false gods please their leaders.\par

⁴ A baker presses dough \{to make bread\}.\par \{He puts the bread in the oven.\}\par The baker does not make the fire hotter\par while the bread is rising.\par \{But the people of Israel are not like that.\}\par The people of Israel are always making\par their fire hotter.\par

⁵ On Our King’s Day,\par \{they make the fire hotter\}\par \{they give their drinking parties.\}\par The leaders become sick from the heat of wine.\par So the kings join hands with people\par that laugh at God.\par

⁶ The people make their secret plans.\par Their hearts burn with excitement\par like an oven.\par Their excitement burns all night.\par And in the morning it is like a hot fire.\par

⁷ They are all like hot ovens.\par They destroyed their rulers.\par All of their kings fell.\par Not one of them called to me for help.”\par

⁸ “Ephraim {\cf2\super [71]} mixes with the nations.\par Ephraim is like a cake\par that was not cooked on both sides.\par

⁹ Strangers destroy Ephraim’s strength.\par But Ephraim does not know it.\par Gray hairs {\cf2\super [72]} are also sprinkled on Ephraim.\par But Ephraim does not know it.\par

¹⁰ \{Ephraim’s\} pride speaks against him.\par The people had many, many troubles,\par but they still didn’t go back\par to the Lord their God.\par The people didn’t look to him for help.\par

¹¹ So Ephraim has become like a silly dove without understanding.\par The people called to Egypt for help.\par The people went to Assyria for help.\par

¹² They go to those countries for help,\par but I will trap them.\par I will throw my net over them,\par and I will bring them down like\par the birds of the sky.\par I will punish them for their agreements. {\cf2\super [73]} \par

¹³ It will be bad for them.\par They left me.\par They refused to obey me.\par So they will be destroyed.\par I saved those people.\par But they speak lies against me.\par

¹⁴ They never call to me from their hearts.\par Yes, they cry on their beds.\par And they cut themselves\par when they ask for grain and\par new wine.\par But \{in their hearts,\} they have turned away\par from me.\par

¹⁵ I trained them\par and made their arms strong.\par But they made evil plans against me.\par

¹⁶ But they were like a boomerang. {\cf2\super [74]} \par They changed directions,\par but they did not come back to me. {\cf2\super [75]} \par Their leaders bragged \{about their strength\}.\par But they will be killed with swords.\par And the people in Egypt will laugh at them.\par