God Loves Israel
11 “When Israel was a young child I loved him,
and from Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I called out to them,
the farther they fled from me;[a]
they sacrificed to Baals,[b]
burning incense to carved images.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
supporting them by their arms,
but they never knew that I was healing them.
4 I guided them with human kindness,
with loving reins.
I acted toward them
like one who removes a yoke from their neck;
I bent down and fed them.
5 “They will not return to the land of Egypt;
instead, the Assyrian will be their king,
because they kept refusing to repent.
6 The sword will fall on their cities,
consuming and devouring their fortified gates,[c]
despite their planning.
7 My people are determined to turn away from me;
though they call to the Most High,
no one is worshiping.
8 “How can I give up on you, Ephraim?
I will deliver you, will I not, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
I can’t make you like Zeboim,[d] can I?
My heart stirs within me;
my compassion also fans into flame!
9 I will not act in my anger;
I will not return to destroy Ephraim,
For I am God,
and not a human—
the Holy One among you—
so I will not enter the city in anger.[e]
10 They will go after the Lord,
who will roar like a lion;
and when he roars,
the children will come trembling from the west.
11 Trembling like a bird, they will come out of Egypt,
and as a dove from the land of Assyria;
and I will settle them in their houses,”
declares the Lord.
12 [f]“Ephraim surrounds me with lies,
and the house of Israel surrounds me[g] with deceit,
But Judah still rules with God,
and remains faithful, along with the godly ones.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:2 So LXX. MT reads They called to them, so they went away from them.
- Hosea 11:2 I.e. Canaanite deities
- Hosea 11:6 Lit. devouring the bars
- Hosea 11:8 cf. Deut 29:23
- Hosea 11:9 The Heb. lacks in anger
- Hosea 11:12 This v. is 12:1 in MT
- Hosea 11:12 The Heb. lacks surrounds me