Hosea 14
1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
Return, Israel, to the Lord your God, because your sins have brought you down.
2 Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.
Take words like these with you and come back to the Lord, saying to him, “Please take away all our guilt, accept what is good, and we will repay you with praise from our lips.
3 Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
Assyria can't save us; we will not ride our warhorses; we will never again say ‘You are our gods’ to the idols we have made. For in you orphans find mercy.”
4 I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.
I will heal their unfaithfulness; I will love them freely, for I'm not angry with them any more.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
I will be like the dew to Israel, they will blossom like lilies, they will send down roots like the cedars of Lebanon.
6 His shoots will sprout, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.
They shall send out new shoots, their splendor will be like the olive tree, their scent will be like the cedars of Lebanon.
7 They will return and dwell in his shade; they will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
Those who live under their shade shall return, they will flourish like grain, they will blossom like the vine, and they will be as famous as the wine of Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what have I to do anymore with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing cypress; your fruit comes from Me.
Ephraim, how much more do I have to warn you about idols? I have answered and now I am watching. I am like a tree that is evergreen; your fruit is found in me.
9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him 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 to understand these things? Who has discernment in understanding them? The Lord's paths are right—the good follow them, but rebels trip and fall along the way.
