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A Plea for Repentance

14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
    for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take with you words
    and return to the Lord;
say to him,
    “Take away all iniquity;
accept that which is good
    and we will render
    the fruit[a] of our lips.
Assyria shall not save us,
    we will not ride upon horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
    to the work of our hands.
In thee the orphan finds mercy.”

Assurance of Forgiveness

I will heal their faithlessness;
    I will love them freely,
    for my anger has turned from them.
I will be as the dew to Israel;
    he shall blossom as the lily,
    he shall strike root as the poplar;[b]
his shoots shall spread out;
    his beauty shall be like the olive,
    and his fragrance like Lebanon.
They shall return and dwell beneath my[c] shadow,
    they shall flourish as a garden;[d]
they shall blossom as the vine,
    their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

O E′phraim, what have I to do with idols?
    It is I who answer and look after you.[e]
I am like an evergreen cypress,
    from me comes your fruit.

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
    whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
    and the upright walk in them,
    but transgressors stumble in them.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 14:2 Gk Syr: Heb bulls
  2. Hosea 14:5 Cn: Heb Lebanon
  3. Hosea 14:7 Heb his
  4. Hosea 14:7 Cn: Heb they shall grow grain
  5. Hosea 14:8 Heb him

Repentance to Bring Blessing

14 [a]Return,(A) Israel, to the Lord your God.
    Your sins(B) have been your downfall!(C)
Take words with you
    and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
    “Forgive(D) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(E)
    that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[b](F)
Assyria cannot save us;(G)
    we will not mount warhorses.(H)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(I)
    to what our own hands have made,(J)
    for in you the fatherless(K) find compassion.”

“I will heal(L) their waywardness(M)
    and love them freely,(N)
    for my anger has turned away(O) from them.
I will be like the dew(P) to Israel;
    he will blossom like a lily.(Q)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(R)
    he will send down his roots;(S)
    his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(T)
    his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(U)
People will dwell again in his shade;(V)
    they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(W) like the vine—
    Israel’s fame will be like the wine(X) of Lebanon.(Y)
Ephraim, what more have I[c] to do with idols?(Z)
    I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(AA)
    your fruitfulness comes from me.”

Who is wise?(AB) Let them realize these things.
    Who is discerning? Let them understand.(AC)
The ways of the Lord are right;(AD)
    the righteous walk(AE) in them,
    but the rebellious stumble in them.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
  2. Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
  3. Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim