Hosea 7:3-7

The king does not rule well

3 The king is happy to see the evil things that his people do.

The leaders are also happy when the people cheat and tell lies.

4 None of them serves me faithfully.

They are always ready to do bad things,

like an oven that has a hot fire inside it.

When the baker is ready to bake his bread,

he makes the fire even hotter.

7:4Bakers were people who cooked bread in large ovens, which were very hot. Israel's leaders were like the hot fire of an oven. They were ready to do bad things whenever there was a chance.

5 On a day when the king has a feast,

the leaders drink too much wine.

The king and the leaders join with other people to do foolish things.

6 But the leaders are planning to murder the king.

Their anger is like the fire of an oven.

It burns slowly inside them all through the night.

But in the morning the fire is too strong to hold.

7 They are so angry that they kill their rulers.

Now all their kings are dead.

None of them calls out to me for help.’