1
u[ch. 2:15] When Israel was a child,vDeut. 7:8; [ch. 14:4] I loved him,
and out of Egypt IwCited Matt. 2:15 calledxEx. 4:22; [Mal. 1:6] my son.
2 y[ver. 7] The more they were called,
the more they went away;
z[ch. 2:13; 13:1, 2] they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
3 Yet it wasa[ch. 7:15; Deut. 1:31] I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know thatbEx. 15:26 I healed them.
4 cJer. 31:3; [John 6:44; 12:32] I led them with cords of kindness,1Or humaneness; Hebrew man
with the bands of love,
anddLev. 26:13 I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
andeSee Ps. 78:24-29 I bent down to them and fed them.
5 f[ch. 8:13] They shall not1Or surely return to the land of Egypt,
butg[ch. 10:3] Assyria shall be their king,
h[2 Kgs. 17:13, 14] becausei[ch. 4:16; 7:16] they have refused to return to me.
6 j[ch. 10:14] The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour themkch. 10:6 because of their own counsels.
7 My people are bentlch. 14:4 on turning away from me,
and thoughm[ver. 2] they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
n[Gen. 19:24, 25; Jer. 49:18; 50:40; Amos 4:11; Jude 7] How can I make youoGen. 14:8; Deut. 29:23 like Admah?
How can I treat youoGen. 14:8; Deut. 29:23 like Zeboiim?
p[Deut. 32:36] My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
qSee Num. 23:19 for I am God and not a man,
rSee Isa. 12:6 the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.1Or into the city
10 s[ch. 3:5] They shall go after the Lord;
tIsa. 31:4; Jer. 25:30; Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2 he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come tremblinguIsa. 11:11; Zech. 8:7 from the west;
11 they shall come trembling like birdsvSee ch. 8:13 from Egypt,
andwIsa. 60:8 like dovesxZech. 10:6, 10; [ch. 9:3] from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
12 Ephraimy[ch. 7:13] has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.