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God Will Have Compassion

11 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
When I called[a] them, they went from my face.[b]
    They sacrificed to the Baals, and they sacrificed to idols.
And I myself taught Ephraim to walk;
    I took them[c] in my[d] arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
I drew them with human ties,[e]
    with the bands of love.
I was to them like one who lifted up[f] a yoke on their jaws,[g]
    though I bent down to them[h] and let them[i] eat.
He will return[j] to the land of Egypt,
    and Assyria will be his king,[k]
    because they refused to return.
The sword rages in his cities;
    it consumes his false prophets
and devours because of their plans.
    My people are bent on backsliding from me.
To the Most High they call,
    he does not raise them at all.
How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
    How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
    How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart is disturbed[l] within me;
    all[m] my compassions are aroused.
I will not execute[n] my fierce anger,[o]
    I will not again destroy Ephraim;
because I am God
    and not a mortal,[p]
    the Holy One in your midst;
and I will not come in wrath.
10     They will go after Yahweh;
        he roars like a lion.
When he roars,
    his children will come trembling
        from the sea.[q]
11 They will tremble like birds[r] from Egypt,
    and like doves[s] from the land of Assyria;
and I will let them return[t] to their homes—
    a declaration of Yahweh.

Israel’s History

12 [u] Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,[v]
and the house of Israel with deceit;
and Judah is still wandering with God
    and is faithful to the Holy One.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 11:2 Hebrew “When they called”; the LXX and modern translations read “When I called”
  2. Hosea 11:2 Hebrew “their face”
  3. Hosea 11:3 Hebrew uncertain
  4. Hosea 11:3 Hebrew “his”
  5. Hosea 11:4 Literally “ropes of a human”
  6. Hosea 11:4 Or “like one who imposed”
  7. Hosea 11:4 Or “infants to their cheeks”
  8. Hosea 11:4 Hebrew “him”
  9. Hosea 11:4 Hebrew “him”
  10. Hosea 11:5 Or “They will not return”
  11. Hosea 11:5 That is “Israel’s king”
  12. Hosea 11:8 Or “My heart is overturned”
  13. Hosea 11:8 Literally “together”
  14. Hosea 11:9 Literally “I will not do”
  15. Hosea 11:9 Literally “the anger of my nose”
  16. Hosea 11:9 Or “human”
  17. Hosea 11:10 That is, “the West”
  18. Hosea 11:11 Hebrew “bird”
  19. Hosea 11:11 Hebrew “dove”
  20. Hosea 11:11 Hebrew “I will cause them to live”
  21. Hosea 11:12 Hosea 11:12–12:14 in the English Bible is 12:1–15 in the Hebrew Bible
  22. Hosea 11:12 Hebrew “lie”

God Loves Israel

11 “When Israel was a young child I loved him,
    and from Egypt I called my son.
The more I called out to them,
    the farther they fled from me;[a]
they sacrificed to Baals,[b]
    burning incense to carved images.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
    supporting them by their arms,
        but they never knew that I was healing them.
I guided them with human kindness,
    with loving reins.
I acted toward them
    like one who removes a yoke from their neck;
        I bent down and fed them.

“They will not return to the land of Egypt;
    instead, the Assyrian will be their king,
        because they kept refusing to repent.
The sword will fall on their cities,
    consuming and devouring their fortified gates,[c]
        despite their planning.
My people are determined to turn away from me;
    though they call to the Most High,
        no one is worshiping.

“How can I give up on you, Ephraim?
    I will deliver you, will I not, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
    I can’t make you like Zeboim,[d] can I?
My heart stirs within me;
    my compassion also fans into flame!
I will not act in my anger;
    I will not return to destroy Ephraim,
For I am God,
    and not a human—
the Holy One among you—
    so I will not enter the city in anger.[e]
10 They will go after the Lord,
    who will roar like a lion;
and when he roars,
    the children will come trembling from the west.
11 Trembling like a bird, they will come out of Egypt,
    and as a dove from the land of Assyria;
and I will settle them in their houses,”
    declares the Lord.

12 [f]“Ephraim surrounds me with lies,
    and the house of Israel surrounds me[g] with deceit,
But Judah still rules with God,
    and remains faithful, along with the godly ones.”

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 11:2 So LXX. MT reads They called to them, so they went away from them.
  2. Hosea 11:2 I.e. Canaanite deities
  3. Hosea 11:6 Lit. devouring the bars
  4. Hosea 11:8 cf. Deut 29:23
  5. Hosea 11:9 The Heb. lacks in anger
  6. Hosea 11:12 This v. is 12:1 in MT
  7. Hosea 11:12 The Heb. lacks surrounds me