Hosea 14
1 O Israel, come back to the Lord your God; for your evil-doing has been the cause of your fall.
Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and come back to the Lord; say to him, Let there be forgiveness for all wrongdoing, so that we may take what is good, and give in payment the fruit of our lips.
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.
3 Assyria will not be our salvation; we will not go on horses; we will not again say to the work of our hands, You are our gods; for in you there is mercy for the child who has no father.
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.”
4 I will put right their errors; freely will my love be given to them, for my wrath is turned away from him.
I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be as the dew to Israel; he will put out flowers like a lily, and send out his roots like Lebanon.
I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
6 His branches will be stretched out, he will be beautiful as the olive-tree and sweet-smelling as Lebanon.
His shoots will sprout, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.
7 They will come back and have rest in his shade; their life will be made new like the grain, and they will put out flowers like the vine; his name will be like the wine of Lebanon.
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.
8 As for Ephraim, what has he to do with false gods any longer? I have given an answer and I will keep watch over him; I am like a branching fir-tree, from me comes your fruit.
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.
9 He who is wise will see these things; he who has good sense will have knowledge of them. For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the upright will go in them, but sinners will be falling in them.
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.
