כְּרָפְאִי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְנִגְלָה עֲוֹן אֶפְרַיִם וְרָעוֹת שֹׁמְרוֹן כִּי פָעֲלוּ שָׁקֶר וְגַנָּב יָבוֹא פָּשַׁט גְּדוּד בַּחוּץ

When I will heal Israel, when I think of remedying their miserable state, the iniquity of Ephraim and the evildoing of Samaria will be revealed, because they acted falsely; a thief comes in the house, and the troop raids outside. The corruption continually appears everywhere, in open as well as hidden places.

וּבַל־יֹאמְרוּ לִלְבָבָם כָּל־רָעָתָם זָכָרְתִּי עַתָּה סְבָבוּם מַעַלְלֵיהֶם נֶגֶד פָּנַי הָיוּ

Let them not say to their heart: I have remembered all their evildoing. They will remain unaware that God is judging their actions. Now, their own evildoings have surrounded them, and they, their wicked acts, are revealed before My face.

בְּרָעָתָם יְשַׂמְּחוּ־מֶלֶךְ וּבְכַחֲשֵׁיהֶם שָׂרִים

The people of the kingdom do not complain about the corruption. On the contrary, with their evildoing they gladden a king, and they delight princes with their lies. Deceit, lies, evildoing, and iniquity have become part of accepted conversation in high society. They discuss all these matters in pleasant tones, even with amusement.

כֻּלָּם מְנָאֲפִים כְּמוֹ תַנּוּר בֹּעֵרָה מֵאֹפֶה יִשְׁבּוֹת מֵעִיר מִלּוּשׁ בָּצֵק עַד־חֻמְצָתוֹ

All of them are adulterers. Their unabated lust for adultery blazes like an oven ignited by the baker; and if he will cease from arousal, if their passions are calmed, it will only be for a short amount of time, like the time that passes from the kneading of dough until it is leavened, which is not long.

יוֹם מַלְכֵּנוּ הֶחֱלוּ שָׂרִים חֲמַת מִיָּיִן מָשַׁךְ יָדוֹ אֶת לֹצְצִים

On the day of celebrating our king on the anniversary of his birth or ascension, princes grew ill from the heat of all the wine they drank, and out of drunkenness, he, the king himself, extends his hand to be with buffoons and scoffers.

כִּי־קֵרְבוּ כַתַּנּוּר לִבָּם בְּאָרְבָּם כָּל־הַלַּיְלָה יָשֵׁן אֹפֵהֶם בֹּקֶר הוּא בֹעֵר כְּאֵשׁ לֶהָבָה

For in their ambush, they prepared their heart like an oven. Their baker sleeps all night, while the oven’s fire is kept low, but in the morning it burns like a large, blazing fire.

כֻּלָּם יֵחַמּוּ כַּתַּנּוּר וְאָכְלוּ אֶת־שֹׁפְטֵיהֶם כָּל־מַלְכֵיהֶם נָפָלוּ אֵין־קֹרֵא בָהֶם אֵלָי

They all grow hot like an oven through their increasing intrigues, and they devour their judges, and as a result, all their kings have fallen. Most of the royal houses of the Kingdom of Israel did not last beyond a second generation. Many of the kings seized the throne by force, with their own heirs being overthrown in turn, and among all of these usurpers, no one among them calls to Me. The monarchs may change, but the behavior remains the same.

אֶפְרַיִם בָּעַמִּים הוּא יִתְבּוֹלָל אֶפְרַיִם הָיָה עֻגָה בְּלִי הֲפוּכָה

Ephraim, he will assimilate among the peoples; Ephraim is like a cake not turned while baking on the coals, and is therefore undercooked on top and burnt on the bottom. Nothing good or useful emerges from the Israelite ovens.

אָכְלוּ זָרִים כֹּחוֹ וְהוּא לֹא יָדָע גַּם־שֵׂיבָה זָרְקָה בּוֹ וְהוּא לֹא יָדָע

Strangers devoured his strength, and he does not know how much he has become weakened by other nations, nor does he realize the extent to which he has absorbed foreign influences. Gray hair has been cast upon him, and he does not know. The kingdom is declining and collapsing, and is vulnerable to parasites, like an exhausted old man who is unaware of what is happening to him.

וְעָנָה גְאוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָנָיו וְלֹא־שָׁבוּ אֶל־ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְלֹא בִקְשֻׁהוּ בְּכָל־זֹאת

Israel’s pride is suffering, and it is recognizable on his face, but they did not return to the Lord their God, and they did not seek Him, despite all this.

וַיְהִי אֶפְרַיִם כְּיוֹנָה פוֹתָה אֵין לֵב מִצְרַיִם קָרָאוּ אַשּׁוּר הָלָכוּ

Ephraim was like a foolish dove that flies in one direction and then in another without understanding where it is going. They called upon Egypt to somehow forge diplomatic relations, and to Assyria, the Egyptians’ rival, they went, but without a clear strategy.

כַּאֲשֶׁר יֵלֵכוּ אֶפְרוֹשׂ עֲלֵיהֶם רִשְׁתִּי כְּעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם אוֹרִידֵם אַיְסִירֵם כְּשֵׁמַע לַעֲדָתָם

When they go, I will spread My net upon them to trap them; like the bird of the heavens I will take them down to earth, and they will no longer be able to fly; I will chastise them, and they will be like an adage for their congregation.

אוֹי לָהֶם כִּי־נָדְדוּ מִמֶּנִּי שֹׁד לָהֶם כִּי־פָשְׁעוּ בִי וְאָנֹכִי אֶפְדֵּם והֵמָּה דִּבְּרוּ עָלַי כְּזָבִים

Woe to them, as they have wandered from Me; pillage will wait for them, as they rebelled against Me. I would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.

וְלֹא־זָעֲקוּ אֵלַי בְּלִבָּם כִּי יְיֵלִילוּ עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם עַל־דָּגָן וְתִירוֹשׁ יִתְגּוֹרָרוּ יָסוּרוּ בִי

They did not cry out to Me, nor did they pray to Me in their heart. When they would wail on their beds for grain and wine, they would collect to complain, but not about the source of the evil; they denigrate Me. Alternatively, they speak rebelliously against Me.

וַאֲנִי יִסַּרְתִּי חִזַּקְתִּי זְרוֹעֹתָם וְאֵלַי יְחַשְּׁבוּ־רָע

I chastised them, and I have thereby strengthened their arms, or I have fastened their arms in order to bolster them, and yet they think evil of Me.

יָשׁוּבוּ לֹא עָל הָיוּ כְּקֶשֶׁת רְמִיָּה יִפְּלוּ בַחֶרֶב שָׂרֵיהֶם מִזַּעַם לְשׁוֹנָם זוֹ לַעְגָּם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

When they repent, they repent, but not on high. Their repentance is not toward Heaven, but toward idols. They have become like a bow of deceit, an unstable bow, which does not shoot when it is drawn back, and worse yet, turns around against the shooter himself. Consequently, their princes will fall by the sword from the rage of their tongues, because they inform on one another. This is their derision, they are derided for this, in the land of Egypt. When their diplomats arrive in Egypt, they are mocked for their internal squabbles.