Hosea 14
1 Israel, return to the LORD your God; for you have fallen because of your sin.
“Turn back, O Israel, to your God YHWH, For you have stumbled by your iniquity.
2 Take words with you, and return to the LORD. Tell him, “Forgive all our sins, and accept that which is good; so we offer bulls as we vowed of our lips.
Take words with you, and turn to YHWH, Say to Him, Take away all iniquity, and give good, And we render the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria cannot save us. We will not ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.”
Asshur does not save us, we do not ride on a horse, Nor do we say anymore, Our god, to the work of our hands, For in You the fatherless find mercy.
4 “I will heal their waywardness. I will love them freely; for my anger is turned away from them.
I heal their backsliding, I love them freely, For My anger has turned back from him.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel. He will blossom like the lily, and send down his roots like Lebanon.
I am as dew to Israel, he flourishes as a lily, And he strikes forth his roots as Lebanon.
6 His branches will spread, and his beauty will be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon.
His shoots go on, And his splendor is as an olive, And he has fragrance as Lebanon.
7 Men will dwell in his shade. They will revive like the grain, and blossom like the vine. Their fragrance will be like the wine of Lebanon.
The dwellers return under his shadow, They revive [as] grain, and flourish as a vine, His memorial [is] as wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what have I to do any more with idols? I answer, and will take care of him. I am like a green cypress tree; from me your fruit is found.”
O Ephraim, what have I anymore to do with idols? I have answered, and I look after him: I [am] as a green fir-tree, Your fruit is found from Me.
9 Who is wise, that he may understand these things? Who is prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
Who [is] wise, and understands these? Prudent, and knows them? For upright are the ways of YHWH, And the righteous go on in them, And the transgressors stumble therein!”
