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Hosea 14 Expanded Bible (EXB)

Israel Returns to God

14 Israel, return to the Lord your God,
    because your sins have made you ·fall [stumble].
²·Come back [Return] to the Lord
    and ·say these words to him [^Ltake words with you]:
“Take away all our sin
    and ·kindly receive us [accept our prayers],
·and we will keep the promises we made to you [^Lso that we may offer the sacrifices of our lips; or so that we may offer our lips as sacrificial bulls].
³Assyria cannot save us,
    nor will we ·trust in our [mount and ride] horses.
We will not say again, ‘Our gods,’
    to the things our hands have made.
You show ·mercy [compassion] to ·orphans [the fatherless].”

⁴The Lord says,
“I will forgive ·them for leaving me [their apostasy/waywardness]
    and will love them freely,
    because ·I am not angry with them anymore [^Lmy anger has turned away from them].
⁵I will be like the dew to Israel,
    and they will blossom like a lily.
Like the cedar trees in Lebanon,
    ·their roots will be firm [they will take root].
⁶·They will be like spreading branches [^LHis shoots will spread out],
    like the beautiful olive trees
    and the sweet-smelling cedars in Lebanon.
⁷·The people of Israel will again live under my protection [or People will again live under Israel’s protection/shade].
    They will ·grow [flourish] like the grain,
they will bloom like a vine,
    and they will be as famous as the wine of Lebanon.
⁸·Israel [^LEphraim; 4:17], have nothing to do with idols.
    I, the Lord, am the one who answers your prayers and ·watches over [cares for] you.
I am like a ·green [flourishing; evergreen] ·pine tree [or juniper; or cypress];
    your ·blessings [^Lfruit] come from me.”

⁹·A wise person will know these things [^LWho is wise? Let him understand these things],
·and an understanding person will take them to heart [^LWho is discerning? Let him understand them].
The Lord’s ways are right.
·Good people [The righteous] ·live by following [^Lwalk in] them,
but ·those who turn against God [the rebellious/transgressors] ·die because of them [^Lstumble in them].

Expanded Bible (EXB)