Hosea 14
1 O Israel, returne vnto the Lord thy God: for thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie.
O Israel, come back to the Lord your God; for your evil-doing has been the cause of your fall.
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 with you words, and come back to the Lord; say to him, Let there be forgiveness for all wrongdoing, so that we may take what is good, and give in payment the fruit of our lips.
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 be our salvation; we will not go on horses; we will not again say to the work of our hands, You are our gods; for in you there is mercy for the child who has no father.
4 I wil heale their rebellion: I wil loue them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
I will put right their errors; freely will my love be given to them, for my wrath is turned away from him.
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 the dew to Israel; he will put out flowers like a lily, and send out his roots like Lebanon.
6 His branches shall spread, and his beautie shalbe as the oliue tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
His branches will be stretched out, he will be beautiful as the olive-tree and sweet-smelling as 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.
They will come back and have rest in his shade; their life will be made new like the grain, and they will put out flowers like the vine; his name will be like 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.
As for Ephraim, what has he to do with false gods any longer? I have given an answer and I will keep watch over him; I am like a branching fir-tree, from me comes your fruit.
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.
He who is wise will see these things; he who has good sense will have knowledge of them. For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the upright will go in them, but sinners will be falling in them.
