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 Jehovah thy God; For thou hast fallen by thine 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.
Take with you words, And return to Jehovah, saying, “Forgive all our iniquity, and receive us graciously, And we will render to thee the sacrifices 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 shall not help us; We will not ride on horses; And no more will we say to the work of our hands, Ye are our Gods! For from thee the fatherless obtaineth mercy.”
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 rebellion; I will love them freely; For my anger is 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 as the dew to Israel; He shall blossom as the lily, And strike his roots like Lebanon.
6 His branches will be stretched out, he will be beautiful as the olive-tree and sweet-smelling as Lebanon.
His sprouts shall spread forth, And his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, And his fragrance as 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 that dwell under his shadow Shall revive as the corn; They shall shoot forth as the vine; Their name shall 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.
Ephraim shall say, What have I more to do with idols? I will hear him; I will care for him; I will be like a green cypress-tree; From me shall thy fruit be found.”
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.
Who is wise, that he may understand these things, Prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of Jehovah are right, And the righteous walk in them; But in them transgressors stumble.
