A Plea to Return to the Lord

Hosea 14

1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,

for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
"Take away all guilt;
accept that which is good,
and we will offer
the fruit 1 of our lips.
3 Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride upon horses;
we will say no more, "Our God,'
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy."

4 I will heal their disloyalty;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily,
he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon. 2
6 His shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive tree,
and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.
7 They shall again live beneath my 3 shadow,
they shall flourish as a garden; 4
they shall blossom like the vine,
their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 O Ephraim, what have I 5 to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you. 6
I am like an evergreen cypress;
your faithfulness 7 comes from me.

9 Those who are wise understand these things;
those who are discerning know them.
For the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.

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