Hosea 14
1 Israel, convert to the Lord your God. For you have been ruined by your own iniquity.
O Israel, come back to the Lord your God; for your evil-doing has been the cause of your fall.
2 Take these words with you and return to the Lord. And say to him, “Remove all iniquity and accept the good. And we will repay the calves of our lips.
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.
3 Assur will not save us; we will not ride on horses. Neither will we say any more, ‘The works of our hands are our gods,’ for those that are in you will have mercy on the orphan.”
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.
4 I will heal their contrition; I will love them spontaneously. For my wrath has been turned away from them.
I will put right their errors; freely will my love be given to them, for my wrath is turned away from him.
5 I will be like the dew; Israel will spring forth like the lily, and his root will spread out like that of the cedars of Lebanon.
I will be as the dew to Israel; he will put out flowers like a lily, and send out his roots like Lebanon.
6 His branches will advance, and his glory will be like the olive tree, and his fragrance will be like that of the cedars of Lebanon.
His branches will be stretched out, he will be beautiful as the olive-tree and sweet-smelling as Lebanon.
7 They will be converted, sitting in his shadow. They will live on wheat, and they will grow like a vine. His memorial will be like the wine of the cedars of Lebanon.
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.
8 Ephraim will say, “What are idols to me anymore?” I will listen to him, and I will set him straight like a healthy spruce tree. Your fruit has been found by me.
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.
9 Who is wise and will understand this? Who has understanding and will know these things? For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the just will walk in them, but truly, the traitors will fall in them.
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.
