Repentance to bring blessing
1 Return, Israel, to the Lordyour God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
‘Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria cannot save us;
we will not mount war-horses.
We will never again say “Our gods”
to what our own hands have made,
for in you the fatherless find compassion.’
4 ‘I will heal their waywardness
and love them freely,
for my anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.
Like a cedar of Lebanon
he will send down his roots;
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendour will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 People will dwell again in his shade;
they will flourish like the corn,
they will blossom like the vine –
Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have Ito do with idols?
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;
your fruitfulness comes from me.’
9 Who is wise? Let them realise these things.
Who is discerning? Let them understand.
The ways of the Lordare right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
Footnotes for the Book of Hosea
a In Hebrew texts 2:1-23 is numbered 2:3-25.
b15Achormeanstrouble.
c15Orsing
d16Hebrewbaal
e19,20Orwith
f22JezreelmeansGod plants.
g23HebrewLo-Ruhamah(see 1:6)
h23HebrewLo-Ammi(see 1:9)
a2That is, to pronounce a curse on
b7Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Textme; / I will exchange their glory
c15Beth Avenmeanshouse of wickedness(a derogatory name for Bethel, which meanshouse of God).
a5The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
b7OrLike Adam; orLike human beings
a8OrThe prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, / the people of my God
a2Septuagint; Hebrewthem
b12In Hebrew texts this verse (11:12) is numbered 12:1.
a2Or‘Men who sacrifice / kiss
b16In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/72/32k/HOS/14-2fde395df771268355987529f3fe53f6.mp3?version_id=113—