Hosea 14

1 O Israel, returne vnto the Lord thy God: for thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie.

Return, Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity.

2 Take vnto you words, and turne to the Lord, and say vnto him, Take away all iniquitie, and receiue vs graciously: so wil we render the calues of our lippes.

Take words of repentance with you, and return to the Lord your God. Say to him: Wholly pardon our iniquity, accept that which is good, instead of sacrificing bulls, we offer our praise.

3 Asshur shall not saue vs, neither wil we ride vpon horses, neither will we say any more to the worke of our handes, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercie.

Assyria will not save us, nor Egyptian warhorses, and we will no more call the work of our hands our gods. For in you orphan Israel finds mercy.

4 I wil heale their rebellion: I wil loue them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

“I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, now that my anger is turned away from them,

5 I will be as the dewe vnto Israel: he shall grow as the lilie and fasten his rootes, as the trees of Lebanon.

I will be as dew to Israel. He will blossom like the lily, he will plant his roots like the cedars of Lebanon,

6 His branches shall spread, and his beautie shalbe as the oliue tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

his saplings will spread out, his beauty will be like that of the olive tree, his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.

7 They that dwel vnder his shadow, shall returne: they shall reuiue as the corne, and florish as the vine: the sent thereof shalbe as the wine of Lebanon.

People will return and dwell in my shade, they will bring life to new grain. They shall sprout like the vine, and their renown will be like that of the wine of Lebanon.

8 Ephraim shall say, What haue I to doe any more with idoles? I haue heard him, and looked vpon him: I am like a greene firre tree: vpon me is thy fruite founde.

Ephraim – what have I to do with idols! It is I the Lord who respond to him and look after him. I am like an evergreen cypress, from me is your fruit found.

9 Who is wise, and he shall vnderstande these things? and prudent, and he shall knowe them? for the wayes of the Lord are righteous, and the iust shall walke in them: but the wicked shall fall therein.

Whoever is wise, let him discern these things, prudent, let him perceive them; For the Lord’s ways are straight, and the righteous walk in them, but the wicked stumble in them.