Hosea, 14

1. Samaria will pay the penalty for having rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, their little children will be dashed to pieces and their pregnant women disembowelled.

1. Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

2. Israel, come back to Yahweh your God your guilt was the cause of your downfall.

2. 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 of our lips.

3. Provide yourself with words and come back to Yahweh. Say to him, 'Take all guilt away and give us what is good, instead of bulls we will dedicate to you our lips.

3. 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."

4. Assyria cannot save us, we will not ride horses any more, or say, "Our God!" to our own handiwork, for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.'

4. I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.

5. I shall cure them of their disloyalty, I shall love them with all my heart, for my anger has turned away from them.

5. I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, he shall strike root as the poplar;

6. I shall fall like dew on Israel, he will bloom like the lily and thrust out roots like the cedar of Lebanon;

6. his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.

7. he will put out new shoots, he will have the beauty of the olive tree and the fragrance of Lebanon.

7. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom as the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

8. They will come back to live in my shade; they will grow wheat again, they will make the vine flourish, their wine will be as famous as Lebanon's.

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

9. What has Ephraim to do with idols any more when I hear him and watch over him? I am like an evergreen cypress, you owe your fruitfulness to me.

9. 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.

10. Let the wise understand these words, let the intelligent grasp their meaning, for Yahweh's ways are straight and the upright will walk in them, but sinners will stumble.

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