Hosea 14
1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord thy God: for thou hast fallen down by thy iniquity.
O Israel, come back to the Lord your God; for your evil-doing has been the cause of your fall.
2 Take with you words, and return to the Lord, and say to him: Take away all iniquity, and receive the good: and we will render 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 Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more: The works of our hands are our gods, for thou wilt have mercy on the fatherless that is in thee.
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 breaches, I will love them freely: for my wrath is 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 as the dew, Israel shall spring as the lily, and his root shall shoot forth as that of Libanus.
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 shall spread, and his glory shall be as the olive tree: and his smell as that of Libanus.
His branches will be stretched out, he will be beautiful as the olive-tree and sweet-smelling as Lebanon.
7 They shall be converted that sit under his shadow: they shall live upon wheat, and they shall blossom as a vine: his memorial shall be as the wine of Libanus.
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 shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I will hear him, and I will make him flourish like a green fir tree: from me is thy fruit found.
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 he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know these things? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall 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.
