1 O Israel, return to Jehovah thy God, for thou have fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and return to Jehovah. Say to him, Take away all iniquity, and accept that which is good. So we will render as bullocks the offering of our lips.
3 Assyria shall not save us. We will not ride upon horses, nor will we say any more to the work of our hands, Our gods. For in thee the fatherless finds mercy.
4 I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely. For my anger is turned away from him.
5 I will be as the dew to Israel. He shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
7 Those who dwell under his shadow shall return. They shall revive as the grain, and blossom as the vine. The scent of it shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have answered, and will regard him. I am like a green fir tree. From me thy fruit is found.
9 Who is wise, that he may understand these things, prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of Jehovah are right, and the just shall walk in them. But transgressors shall fall therein.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Today's Verse
And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the grain, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands.
Verse Of The DayGod answers with a promise to heal Israel's backsliding and make her grow like the lily and the olive tree, a healing first requested back in Hosea 6:1. Explore the whole book at the Hosea overview.
