A half-burned, half-raw flatbread lies beside a glowing oven as courtiers whisper around a weary king and a dove crosses divided roads

Hosea 7

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Chapter overview
Israel's wrongdoing is fully visible even as leaders reward deceit and political conspiracies consume successive rulers. The nation is compared to an overheated oven, an unturned cake, and a senseless dove seeking Egypt and Assyria, yet it does not truly return to God.
CorruptionPolitical IntrigueForeign AlliancesUnrepentance

About Hosea: book summary and outline →

1When I have healed Israel, then shall the iniquity of Ephraim be revealed, and the wickedness of Samaria; for they have wrought falsehood: and a thief shall come in to him, even a robber spoiling in his way;
2that they may concert together as men singing in their heart: I remember all their wickedness: now have their own counsels compassed them about; they came before my face.
3They gladdened kings with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.
4They are all adulterers, as an oven glowing with flame for hot-baking, on account of the kneading of the dough, until it is leavened.
5In the days of our kings, the princes began to be inflamed with wine: he stretched out his hand with pestilent fellows.
6Wherefore their hearts are inflamed as an oven, while they rage all the night: Ephraim is satisfied with sleep; the morning is come; he is burnt up as a flame of fire.
7They are all heated like an oven, and have devoured their judges: all their kings are fallen; there was not among them one that called on me.
8Ephraim is mixed among his people; Ephraim became a cake not turned.
9Strangers devoured his strength, and he knew it not; and grey hairs came upon him, and he knew it not.
10And the pride of Israel shall be brought down before his face: yet they have not returned to the Lord their God, neither have they diligently sought him for all this.
11And Ephraim was as a silly dove, not having a heart: he called to Egypt, and they went to the Assyrians.
12Whenever they shall go, I will cast my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the sky, I will chasten them with the rumour of their coming affliction.
13Woe to them! for they have started aside from me: they are cowards; for they have sinned against me: yet I redeemed them, but they spoke falsehoods against me.
14And their hearts did not cry to me, but they howled on their beds: they pined for oil and wine.
15They were instructed by me, and I strengthened their arms; and they devised evils against me.
16They turned aside to that which is not, they became as a bent bow: their princes shall fall by the sword, by reason of the unbridled state of their tongue: this is their setting at nought in the land of Egypt.

Brenton Septuagint Translation — Public Domain. Where these translations come from.