1
nch. 6:1; 12:6; [ch. 3:5] Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
foro[ch. 13:9] you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
2 Take with you words
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
acceptp[ch. 5:15] what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
qHeb. 13:15; [Ps. 50:13, 14; 69:30, 31] the vows of our lips.
3 rch. 5:13 Assyria shall not save us;
s[Isa. 30:16; 31:1] we will not ride on horses;
andt[ver. 8] we will say no more, ‘Our God, ’
to the work of our hands.
uSee Ps. 10:14 In you the orphan finds mercy. ”
4 IvJer. 3:22; [ch. 6:1] will heal their apostasy;
w[ch. 11:1] I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
5 x[ch. 6:3] I will be like the dew to Israel;
yIsa. 27:6 he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the treesz[Ps. 92:12; Isa. 35:2] of Lebanon;
6 his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall beaPs. 52:8 like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
7 They shall return andbPs. 91:1 dwell beneath my shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Oc[ver. 3; Isa. 30:22] Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
d[ch. 2:8, 23; John 15:4, 5] from me comes your fruit.
9 ePs. 107:43; Jer. 9:12; Dan. 12:10; John 8:47; 18:37 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
andf[Prov. 10:29; Luke 2:34; 2 Cor. 2:16] the upright walk in them,
f[Prov. 10:29; Luke 2:34; 2 Cor. 2:16] but transgressors stumble in them.