Hosea 11
New American Standard Bible
God Yearns over His People
11 When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And (A)out of Egypt I (B)called My son.
2 The more [a](C)they called them,
The more they went away from [b]them;
They kept (D)sacrificing to the Baals
And (E)burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
[c]I (F)took them in My arms;
But they did not know that I (G)healed them.
4 I (H)pulled them along with cords of a man, with ropes of love,
And (I)I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;
And I bent down and (J)fed them.
5 [d]They will not return to the land of Egypt;
But Assyria—he will be [e]their king
Because they (K)refused to return to Me.
6 And the (L)sword will whirl against [f]their cities,
And will destroy [g]their oracle priests
And (M)consume them, because of their (N)counsels.
7 So My people are determined to (O)turn from Me.
Though [h]they call [i]them to the One on high,
None at all exalts Him.
8 (P)How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, Israel?
How can I [j]make you like (Q)Admah?
How can I treat you like (R)Zeboiim?
My heart is turned over within Me,
[k]All My compassions are kindled.
9 I will (S)not carry out My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim (T)again.
For (U)I am God and not a man, the (V)Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in [l]wrath.
10 They will (W)walk after the Lord,
He will (X)roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar,
And His sons will come (Y)trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from (Z)Egypt,
And like (AA)doves from the land of (AB)Assyria;
And I will (AC)settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.
12 [m]Ephraim surrounds Me with (AD)lies
And the house of Israel with deceit;
[n]Judah is still unruly against God,
Even against the Holy One who is faithful.
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:2 I.e., God’s prophets
- Hosea 11:2 I.e., God’s prophets
- Hosea 11:3 As in ancient versions; MT He...His
- Hosea 11:5 Lit He
- Hosea 11:5 Lit his
- Hosea 11:6 Lit his
- Hosea 11:6 Lit his
- Hosea 11:7 I.e., God’s prophets
- Hosea 11:7 Lit him; i.e., Israel
- Hosea 11:8 Lit give
- Hosea 11:8 Lit Together
- Hosea 11:9 Lit agitation
- Hosea 11:12 Ch 12:1 in Heb
- Hosea 11:12 Or But Judah still goes about with God, even with
Hosea 11
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Love for Israel
11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
2 But the more I called to him,
the farther he moved from me,[a]
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
and burning incense to idols.
3 I myself taught Israel[b] how to walk,
leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
that it was I who took care of him.
4 I led Israel along
with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
and I myself stooped to feed him.
5 “But since my people refuse to return to me,
they will return to Egypt
and will be forced to serve Assyria.
6 War will swirl through their cities;
their enemies will crash through their gates.
They will destroy them,
trapping them in their own evil plans.
7 For my people are determined to desert me.
They call me the Most High,
but they don’t truly honor me.
8 “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
and my compassion overflows.
9 No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.
I will not completely destroy Israel,
for I am God and not a mere mortal.
I am the Holy One living among you,
and I will not come to destroy.
10 For someday the people will follow me.
I, the Lord, will roar like a lion.
And when I roar,
my people will return trembling from the west.
11 Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt.
Trembling like doves, they will return from Assyria.
And I will bring them home again,”
says the Lord.
Charges against Israel and Judah
12 [c]Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit,
but Judah still obeys God
and is faithful to the Holy One.[d]
Footnotes
- 11:2 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads the more they called to him, the farther he moved from them.
- 11:3 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 11:8, 9, 12.
- 11:12a Verse 11:12 is numbered 12:1 in Hebrew text.
- 11:12b Or and Judah is unruly against God, the faithful Holy One. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
