God Yearns over His People

1 When Israel was a youth I loved him,

And aout of Egypt I bcalled My son.

2 The more 1athey called them,

The more they went from 1them;

They kept bsacrificing to the Baals

And cburning incense to idols.

3 Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,

1I atook them in My arms;

But they did not know that I bhealed them.

4 I 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.

5 1They will not return to the land of Egypt;

But Assyria—he will be 2their king

Because they arefused to return to Me.

6 The asword will whirl against 1their cities,

And will demolish 1their gate bars

And bconsume them because of their ccounsels.

7 So My people are bent on aturning from Me.

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

None at all exalts Him.

8 aHow can I give you up, O Ephraim?

How can I surrender you, O Israel?

How can I 1make you like bAdmah?

How can I treat you like bZeboiim?

My heart is turned over within Me,

2All My compassions are kindled.

9 I will anot execute My fierce anger;

I will not destroy Ephraim bagain.

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

And I will not come in 1wrath.

10 They will awalk after the Lord,

He will broar like a lion;

Indeed He will roar

And His sons will come ctrembling from the west.

11 They will come trembling like birds from aEgypt

And like bdoves from the land of aAssyria;

And I will csettle them in their houses, declares the Lord.

12 1Ephraim surrounds Me with alies

And the house of Israel with deceit;

Judah is also unruly against God,

Even against the Holy One who is faithful.

Chapter 12

Ephraim Reminded

1 1Ephraim feeds on awind,

And pursues the beast wind continually;

He multiplies lies and violence.

Moreover, 2he makes a covenant with Assyria,

And oil is carried to Egypt.

2 The Lord also has a adispute with Judah,

And will punish Jacob baccording to his ways;

He will repay him according to his deeds.

3 In the womb he atook his brother by the heel,

And in his maturity he bcontended with God.

4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;

He wept and asought His favor.

He found Him at bBethel

And there He spoke with us,

5 Even the Lord, the God of hosts,

The Lord is His 1aname.

6 Therefore, areturn to your God,

bObserve 1kindness and justice,

And cwait for your God continually.

7 A 1merchant, in whose hands are false abalances,

He loves to oppress.

8 And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become arich,

I have found wealth for myself;

In all my labors they will find in me

bNo iniquity, which would be sin.”

9 But I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt;

I will make you alive in tents again,

As in the days of the appointed festival.

10 I have also spoken to the aprophets,

And I 1gave numerous visions,

And through the prophets I gave bparables.

11 Is there iniquity in Gilead?

Surely they are worthless.

In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,

Yes, atheir altars are like the stone heaps

Beside the furrows of the field.

12 Now aJacob fled to the 1land of Aram,

And bIsrael worked for a wife,

And for a wife he kept sheep.

13 But by a aprophet the Lord brought Israel from Egypt,

And by a prophet he was kept.

14 aEphraim has provoked to bitter anger;

So his Lord will leave his bbloodguilt on him

And bring back his creproach to him.