Hosea 14

1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.

“Turn back, O Israel, to your God YHWH, For you have stumbled by your iniquity.

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 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 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.”

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 apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has 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 take root like the cedars of Lebanon.

I am as dew to Israel, he flourishes as a lily, And he strikes forth his roots as Lebanon.

6 His shoots will sprout, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.

His shoots go on, And his splendor is as an olive, And he has fragrance as 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.

The dwellers return under his shadow, They revive [as] grain, and flourish as a vine, His memorial [is] as 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.

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 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, 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!”