< Hosea 14 >
1 “Turn back, O Israel, to your God YHWH, For you have stumbled by your iniquity.
Return, O Israel, to the Lord thy God: for thou hast fallen down by thy iniquity.
2 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.
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.
3 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.
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.
4 I heal their backsliding, I love them freely, For My anger has turned back from him.
I will heal their breaches, I will love them freely: for my wrath is turned away from them.
5 I am as dew to Israel, he flourishes as a lily, And he strikes forth his roots as Lebanon.
I will be as the dew, Israel shall spring as the lily, and his root shall shoot forth as that of Libanus.
6 His shoots go on, And his splendor is as an olive, And he has fragrance as Lebanon.
His branches shall spread, and his glory shall be as the olive tree: and his smell as that of Libanus.
7 The dwellers return under his shadow, They revive [as] grain, and flourish as a vine, His memorial [is] as wine of Lebanon.
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.
8 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.
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.
9 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!”
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.