Hosea 14
1 Turn back, O Israel, unto Jehovah thy God, For thou hast stumbled by thine iniquity.
Return, O Israel, even unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast stumbled through thy iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah, Say ye unto Him: 'Take away all iniquity, and give good, And we do render the fruit of our lips.
Take with you swords, and return to the Lord: say unto him, “Pardon all [our] iniquity, and accept [our return to] good; and let us repay the steers [of sacrifice] with [the prayer of] our lips.
3 Asshur doth not save us, on a horse we ride not, Nor do we say any more, Our God, to the work of our hands, For in Thee find mercy doth the fatherless.'
Asshur shall not help us; upon horses will we not ride: and we will no more say, Ye are our gods, to the work of our hands; for in thee alone the fatherless obtaineth mercy.”
4 I heal their backsliding, I love them freely, For turned back hath Mine anger from him.
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for my anger is turned away from them.
5 I am as dew to Israel, he flourisheth as a lily, And he striketh forth his roots as Lebanon.
I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall bloom as the lily; and he shall strike his roots as [the forests of] Lebanon.
6 Go on do his sucklings, And his beauty is as an olive, And he hath fragrance as Lebanon.
His suckers shall spread out, and his beauty shall be as that of the olive-tree, and his smell as that of the Lebanon.
7 Return do the dwellers under his shadow, They revive [as] corn, and flourish as a vine, His memorial [is] as wine of Lebanon.
They shall return that sat under his shade; they shall revive as corn, and bloom as the vine: the scent of which shall be as that of the wine of Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what to Me any more with idols? I — I afflicted, and I cause him to sing: 'I [am] as a green fir-tree,' From Me is thy fruit found.
Ephraim [shall say], What have I to do any more with idols? I have answered, and will observe him; I will be [to him] like a green fir-tree; through me is thy fruit found.
9 Who [is] wise, and doth understand these? Prudent, and knoweth them? For upright are the ways of Jehovah, And the righteous go on in them, And the transgressors stumble therein!
Who is wise, that he may understand these things? intelligent, that he may know them? for righteous are the ways of the Lord; and the just shall walk in them; but the transgressors will stumble through them.
