¹⁴ “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
    I will lead her into the wilderness^(A)
    and speak tenderly to her.

¹⁹ I will betroth^(A) you to me forever;
    I will betroth you in^[a] righteousness and justice,^(B)
    in^[b] love and compassion.^(C)

⁶     my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.^(A)

“Because you have rejected knowledge,
    I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law^(B) of your God,
    I also will ignore your children.

⁶ When they go with their flocks and herds
    to seek the Lord,^(A)
they will not find him;
    he has withdrawn^(B) himself from them.

⁶ A sword^(A) will flash in their cities;
    it will devour^(B) their false prophets
    and put an end to their plans.
⁷ My people are determined to turn^(C) from me.^(D)
    Even though they call me God Most High,
    I will by no means exalt them.

⁸ “How can I give you up,^(E) Ephraim?^(F)
    How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
    How can I make you like Zeboyim?^(G)
My heart is changed within me;
    all my compassion^(H) is aroused.^(I)
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,^(J)
    nor will I devastate^(K) Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man^(L)—
    the Holy One^(M) among you.
    I will not come against their cities.
¹⁰ They will follow the Lord;
    he will roar^(N) like a lion.^(O)
When he roars,
    his children will come trembling^(P) from the west.^(Q)

⁵ I cared for you in the wilderness,^(A)
    in the land of burning heat.
⁶ When I fed them, they were satisfied;
    when they were satisfied, they became proud;^(B)
    then they forgot^(C) me.^(D)

⁸ Like a bear robbed of her cubs,^(A)
    I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion^(B) I will devour them—
    a wild animal will tear them apart.^(C)