Hosea 11

CHAPTER 11

The Beloved Son

¹When Israel was a youth I loved him,

And ^aout of Egypt I ^bcalled My son.

²The more ^1athey called them,

The more they went from ²them;

They kept ^bsacrificing to the Baals

And ^cburning incense to graven images.

³Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk;

¹I ^atook them in My arms;

But they did not know that I ^bhealed them.

⁴I ^aled them with cords of a man, with bonds of love,

And ^bI became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;

And I bent down and ^cfed them.

⁵¹They will not return to the land of Egypt;

But Assyria—he will be ²their king

Because they ^arefused to return to Me.

⁶And the ^asword will whirl against ¹their cities

And will consume ²their gate bars

And ^bdevour them because of their ^ccounsels.

⁷So My people are hung up on ^aturning from Me.

Though ¹they call ²them to the One on high,

None at all exalts Him.

^8aHow can I give you up, O Ephraim?

How can I surrender you, O Israel?

How can I give you over to be like ^bAdmah?

How can I make you like ^cZeboiim?

My heart is turned over within Me;

¹All My compassions are stirred.

⁹I will ^anot execute My burning anger;

I will not make Ephraim a ruin ^bagain.

For ^cI am God and not man, the ^dHoly One in your midst,

And I will not come in ¹wrath.

¹⁰They will ^awalk after Yahweh;

He will ^broar like a lion;

Indeed, He will roar,

And His sons will come ^ctrembling from the west.

¹¹They will come trembling like birds from ^aEgypt

And like ^bdoves from the land of ^cAssyria;

And I will ^dsettle them in their houses, declares Yahweh.

¹²¹Ephraim surrounds Me with ^2alies

And the house of Israel with deceit;

And Judah is also unruly against God,

Even against the Holy One who is faithful.