Hosea 11
English Standard Version
The Lord's Love for Israel
11 (A)When Israel was a child, (B)I loved him,
and out of Egypt I (C)called (D)my son.
2 (E)The more they were called,
the more they went away;
(F)they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
3 Yet it was (G)I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that (H)I healed them.
4 (I)I led them with cords of kindness,[a]
with the bands of love,
and (J)I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and (K)I bent down to them and fed them.
5 (L)They shall not[b] return to the land of Egypt,
but (M)Assyria shall be their king,
(N)because (O)they have refused to return to me.
6 (P)The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them (Q)because of their own counsels.
7 My people are bent (R)on turning away from me,
and though (S)they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
(T)How can I make you (U)like Admah?
How can I treat you (V)like Zeboiim?
(W)My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
(X)for I am God and not a man,
(Y)the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.[c]
10 (Z)They shall go after the Lord;
(AA)he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling (AB)from the west;
11 they shall come trembling like birds (AC)from Egypt,
and (AD)like doves (AE)from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
12 [d] Ephraim (AF)has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:4 Or humaneness; Hebrew man
- Hosea 11:5 Or surely
- Hosea 11:9 Or into the city
- Hosea 11:12 Ch 12:1 in Hebrew
Hosea 11
Evangelical Heritage Version
God’s Love for Israel
11 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I called to them,
the more they went away from me.[a]
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
3 Yet I was the one who taught Ephraim to walk.
I took them in my arms,[b]
but they did not realize that it was I who healed them.
4 I drew them with cords suitable for a man,[c] with ropes of love.
For them I became like someone who lifts a yoke off their neck,
and I bent down to feed them.
5 They will not[d] return into the land of Egypt.
Instead, an Assyrian will be their king,
because they refused to repent.
6 The sword will slash against their cities.
It will destroy the bars of their gates,
and it will devour them because of their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn away from me.
Though they call him the Most High, he certainly will not exalt them.
8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?[e]
My heart is changed inside me.
All my compassion is stirred up.
9 I will not carry out my burning anger.
I will not destroy Ephraim again,
because I am God, and not man, the Holy One among you.
I will not enter a city.[f]
10 They will follow the Lord.
He will roar like a lion.
Yes, he will roar, and his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like a bird from Egypt,
and like a dove from the land of Assyria.
I will settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.
Israel Must Repent
12 Ephraim surrounds me with falsehood,
and the house of Israel with deceit.
Judah still strays from[g] God,
even from the Holy One, who is faithful.[h]
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:2 A variant reading is the more they called them, the more they went away from them.
- Hosea 11:3 The text of the pronouns in this verse is uncertain. The translation follows the Greek Old Testament.
- Hosea 11:4 Literally cords of mankind. The words translated man and love have homonyms meaning leather, so there may be a play on words here.
- Hosea 11:5 Not is missing from some manuscripts.
- Hosea 11:8 Admah and Zeboiim were daughter cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Hosea 11:9 Or come in wrath. The Hebrew is difficult.
- Hosea 11:12 Literally wanders with. Translations disagree whether the term is negative or positive.
- Hosea 11:12 English verse 11:12 is verse 12:1 in Hebrew. In chapter 12 the subsequent Hebrew verse numbers are one higher than the English numbers.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.