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¹ when I would heal Israel, the corruption of E'phraim is revealed, and the wicked deeds of Sama'ria; for they deal falsely, the thief breaks in, and the bandits raid without.² But they do not consider that I remember all their evil works. Now their deeds encompass them, they are before my face.³ By their wickedness they make the king glad, and the princes by their treachery.⁴ They 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.⁵ On the day of our king the princes became sick with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with mockers.⁶ For like an oven their hearts burn with intrigue; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.⁷ All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings have fallen; and none of them calls upon me.

⁸ E'phraim mixes himself with the peoples; E'phraim is a cake not turned.⁹ Aliens devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not.¹⁰ The pride of Israel witnesses against him; yet they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him, for all this.¹¹ E'phraim is like a dove, silly and without sense, calling to Egypt, going to Assyria.¹² As they go, I will spread over them my net; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them for their wicked deeds.¹³ Woe 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.¹⁴ They 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.¹⁵ Although I trained and strengthened their arms, yet they devise evil against me.¹⁶ They turn to Ba'al; 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.