11 “When Isra’el was a child, I loved him;
and out of Egypt I called my son.
² But the more [the prophets] called them,
the farther they went from them.
They sacrificed to the ba‘alim
and offered incense to idols.
³ “Yet it was I who taught Efrayim to walk;
I took them by their arms.
But they did not know that it was I
who was healing them,
⁴ who was guiding them on through human means
with reins made of love.
With them I was like someone removing
the yoke from their jaws,
and I bent down to feed them.
⁵ He will not return to the land of Egypt,
but Ashur will be his king,
because they refused to repent.
⁶ The sword will fall on his cities,
destroying the bars of his gates,
because they follow their own advice.
⁷ My people are hanging in suspense
about returning to me;
and though they call them upwards,
nobody makes a move.
⁸ Efrayim, how can I give you up,
or surrender you, Isra’el?
How could I treat you like Admah
or make you like Tzvoyim?
My heart recoils at the idea,
as compassion warms within me.
⁹ I will not give vent to the fierceness of my rage,
I will not return to destroy Efrayim;
for I am God, not a human being,
the Holy One among you;
so I will not come in fury.
¹⁰ They will go after Adonai,
who will roar like a lion;
for he will roar, and the children will come
trembling from the west.
¹¹ They will tremble like a bird as they come from Egypt,
like a dove as they come from the land of Ashur;
and I will resettle them in their own houses,

says Adonai.