Hosea 14

1 O Israel, return to the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thy iniquity.

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

2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say to him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

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 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

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 will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for my 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 dew to Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as 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 beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his fragrance like 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 dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the grain, and grow as the vine: the scent of it shall be 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 have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.

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 understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall in them.

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.